Winthrop vs. Louisville Preview

Below is the preview of the Winthrop vs. Louisville game courtesy of Joshua Frye from the Pick & Roll Press.

Louisville, K.Y. — Man, this is the game that I have been talking about for quite some time and one that many Winthrop fans are looking forward to. This Friday, November 22nd, the Eagles and Eagle faithful will be traveling up to the Bourbon City to face Pat Kelsey’s Louisville Cardinals.

Birds of a Feather

Pat Kelsey, as most of you know, is the fifth-winningest basketball coach in the history of the Big South Conference and brought home three Big South Championship titles to Rock Hill, South Carolina. Kelsey was hired at the College of Charleston following a first-round exit against Villanova in the 2020-21 season. After capturing the Colonial Athletic title two times in three years, Kelsey was hired at the University of Louisville following former Cardinals head coach, Kenny Payne, getting the boot.

Facing off against Pat Kelsey and coaching the Eagles is Mark Prosser. The son of the late and great Skip Prosser, Mark just notched his 101st win in his career as head coach, coming against the NC Central Eagles. Prosser is seeking his second win over Power Conference opponents since being hired at Winthrop, the first coming against Washington in 2021. A win for Prosser would be a big achievement as it would come against not only his predecessor but also a product of one of his father’s teams (Xavier 1998).

Kelsey Recruits Square Off

Kelton Talford, Winthrop’s star big man, was originally a Kelsey recruit however he did not follow Kelsey to College of Charleston after his first year and decided to stay at Winthrop. The 1,000 point-scorer will face off against Reyne Smith, one of Kelsey’s first recruits before being hired at College of Charleston. The senior guard from Ulverston, Australia will finally face Talford in a much-anticipated matchup. Expect to see the two seniors play physical against each other on both offense and defense.

Family Reunion

Joining Kelsey on staff are former Winthrop players Jermaine Ukaegbu and Kyle Zunic, and Tom Pupavac. Eli Foy and Brian Kloman are familiar faces in the program as both were coaches under Kelsey at Winthrop. On Winthrop’s side, Andre Smith and Matt Erps are on Mark Prosser’s crew, coaching against the coach that helped Andre achieve 1,000 points and gave Matt Erps a chance to go from manager to walk-on. Safe to say that this game is going to be full of memories for these former Eagles.

Starting Fives and Other Bold Predictions

Louisville

Chucky Hepburn

Terrence Edwards, Jr.

J’Vonne Hadley

James Scott

Traore Aboubacar

Winthrop

Kasen Harrison

Bryce Baker

KJ Doucet

Tommy Kamarad

Kelton Talford

I would expect this game to be a very physical and defensive game. Pat Kelsey’s teams are known to impose their will on opposing teams early on and apply maximum pressure, no matter if they’re playing Morehead State or Tennessee. This Louisville team also likes to shoot threes so Winthrop must be on lockdown on the perimeter. Winthrop is running a very quick offense this year which is designed to create open shots beyond the arc as well as in the paint. Expect a fast-paced game from both teams as well as a defensive battle in the paint.

My Prediction: 65 Winthrop – 64 Louisville

Pregame Gathering in Louisville:

Join Winthrop Alumni and fans alike at the Bluegrass Brewing Company from 5-7 this Friday night. Free appetizers but drinks and everything is on you to pay for. I will be there and will hope to see y’all there!