Winthrop Selected as 2020-21 Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Winthrop University has been chosen as the favorites in the Big South Conference’s annual men's basketball preseason poll for the 2020-21 season, it was announced this morning.
The defending Big South champion Eagles are the preseason favorite for the first time since 2016-17 and eighth time overall. Winthrop collected 21 of the 24 votes cast and finished with 261 points in the preseason ranking. Winthrop returns three starters and 11 letterwinners from the 2019-20 squad that went 24-10 overall, was the Big South co-regular-season champion with a 15-3 record, and won at nationally-ranked Saint Mary’s during the regular-season.
UNC Asheville (two first-place votes) finished in second with 214 points -- its highest ranking in the Big South preseason poll since being selected the favorite in 2017-18. Charleston Southern claimed third with 192 points, while Gardner-Webb was fourth with 188 points and the remaining first-place vote. USC Upstate finished in fifth at 149 –- the Spartans’ top preseason billing since joining the Big South in 2018-19, while Radford landed in the sixth spot with 127 points. High Point followed in seventh (117 points), Longwood was eighth (111) and last year’s Tournament Runner-Up Hampton claimed ninth (92). Campbell totaled 78 points for 10th and Presbyterian College finished 11th (55 points).
The college basketball season tips off Wednesday, Nov. 25. The first conference date is currently Wednesday, Dec. 9, and the season culminates with the 2021 Hercules Tires Big South Men's Basketball Championship from March 2-7, 2021.
2020-21 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
| Rk - School (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 - Winthrop (21) |
261 |
| 2 - UNC Asheville (2) |
214 |
| 3 - Charleston Southern |
192 |
| 4 - Gardner-Webb (1) |
188 |
| 5 - USC Upstate |
149 |
| 6 - Radford |
127 |
| 7 - High Point |
117 |
| 8 - Longwood |
111 |
| 9 - Hampton |
92 |
| 10 - Campbell |
78 |
| 11 - Presbyterian College |
55 |
Note: points are based on a weighted system. First-place votes received 11 points, followed by 10 points for second-place, and so on.