The Winthrop Eagles and the Charleston Southern Buccaneers face off in the Big South Tournament on Friday afternoon. The game tips off at 2:30 p.m. ET in Johnson City, Tennessee.
The Eagles are listed as 3.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 162.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this Big South Tournament college basketball matchup.
Winthrop vs. Charleston Southern prediction, preview
The Winthrop Eagles are the No. 2 seed in the Big South Tournament. The Eagles only lost three conference games and went on a 12-game winning streak to start the 2026 calendar year. The concerning part is that two of Winthrop’s three losses came in its final three games of the season. One of those losses came by two points on the road against High Point, the best team in the conference. So, that loss is not a bad one at all. However, they followed that up with another loss to Charleston Southern, the team they face today. Those were both close road games, but Winthrop is not playing its best basketball coming into this game. Winthrop has no problem putting the ball in the basket. Where the Eagles struggle is getting stops on the defensive end of the floor.
Charleston Southern is the No. 7 seed in this conference tournament. However, the Buccaneers showed what they are capable of by beating Winthrop in the penultimate game of the regular season. Charleston Southern is undoubtedly playing its best basketball coming into this tournament. At one point in the conference slate, they had lost eight consecutive games. However, following that losing streak, they won four of their last six games to build up some momentum. The reality is that Charleston Southern has been incredibly unlucky in overtime periods. In conference play, Charleston Southern has gone to overtime on five different occasions and lost all five games. If even three of those results flipped, the Buccaneers would be the No. 3 team in the conference rather than No. 7.
Winthrop vs. Charleston Southern pick
My best bet for this game is on the over 162.5 points. High Point is the second-highest-scoring team in the nation, so it naturally led the conference in points per game. However, Winthrop and Charleston Southern rank second and third on that list, both averaging over 83 points per game. These teams just played a thriller eight days ago in Charleston. The final score of that game was 86-84. Charleston Southern ranks 16th in the nation in adjusted tempo, while Winthrop ranks 66th. Both teams should push the pace from the jump and make this another high-scoring game like they just played a few days ago. The Eagles and Buccaneers should both get into the 80s in what should be a tight game. That will push the total over 162.5 points in this quarterfinal matchup.
