BracketBusters Underway: Winthrop Wallops MVC #3

Earlier this year, I did not talk up the Winthrop Eagles. Ok, I'm lying. I did. I told you that they weren't afraid to play anyone anywhere. That's why despite being down 8 points late in the first half, they did not buckle and eventually coasted to a 77-66 victory at Missouri State.

Currently, Winthrop stands at 22-4 (12-0 Big South) with all four losses to teams (UNC, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Maryland) currently in the projected field of 65. They present a very interesting case to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee should they not win the automatic bid in the Big South.

The Wrap Sheet
RPI: 81
Record v. RPI top 100: 3-4
Big Wins: @ Mississippi St. (70), @ Old Dominion (52), @ Missouri St. (34)
Bad Losses: None

The Hidden Truth

Long story short, Winthrop is a victim of its own conference. There are only 2 conferences with a lower RPI than the Big South, and their representatives are permanent fixtures in the play-in game. On the non-conference side of things, absolutely no one will play Winthrop at home. Not just the majors, but the solid mid-majors as well. In fact, four of Winthrop's five true non-conference home games were against non-D1 opponents - Mount St. Mary's (RPI: 271) being the only in Division I.

Ultimately, the Winthrop argument for an at-large bid will be a moot point should they coast in the Big South tournament. Should they not win, remember during Championship Week that they have capitalized on more opportunities (and a much higher percentage of them) than many of their potential bubble compatriots have.