!1 Winthrop 6 Notre Dame
Region: Midwest
Coach: Gregg Marshall, ninth year
Record: 28-4
Top scorer: Guard Michael Jenkins, 15.3 ppg
Top rebounder: Forward Craig Bradshaw, 6.4 rpg
Keys to victory:
1. The Big South Conference champion, Winthrop has won 18 consecutive games and matches up well with Notre Dame in the first round. The Eagles have a pair of guards, Michael Jenkins and Torrell Martin, who can fill the bucket and neutralize Notre Dame’s Russell Carter and Colin Falls.
2. Senior Craig Bradshaw collected 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and at 6-foot-10 can stand up against the Irish in the post. Winthrop shoots a respectable 48 percent from the floor and must approach that mark.
3. Few teams rely on the 3-pointer as the Eagles do. They fired up 721 attempts beyond the arc, almost 40 percent of their total shots taken from the field (1,812).
Region: Midwest
Coach: Mike Brey, seventh year
Record: 24-7
Top scorer: Guard Russell Carter, 17.2 ppg
Top rebounder: Forward Rob Kurz, 7.9 rpg
Keys to victory:
1. Senior guards Russell Carter and Colin Falls combined to average 32.6 points entering the tournament, and they’ve assisted the assimilation of freshmen Luke Harangody and Tory Jackson into the starting lineup. Falls is the school’s career 3-point leader with 329 in four seasons. If he warms up on the perimeter, that will soften the defense for Harangody and forward Rob Kurz, who leads Notre Dame with eight double-doubles.
2. As the Irish point guard, Jackson must refrain from making freshman mistakes.
3. While chasing after Winthrop guards Michael Jenkins and Torrell Martin, Notre Dame can’t lose track of Eagles post Craig Bradshaw, a 6-foot-10 senior who can step out and make shots consistently from the 21-foot range.