Winthrop men’s basketball returns to the Winthrop Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 7, for its 2026-27 home opener against North Dakota. Tipoff is scheduled for noon in Rock Hill.
The Eagles (0-1) are looking to rebound from a 103-98 season-opening loss to Queens on Nov. 2 during the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon. Despite trailing by 17 points at halftime, Winthrop rallied in the second half, scoring 60 points and pulling within three in the closing seconds.
Sophomore newcomer Keshawn Fisher led all scorers with 32 points, shooting 12-of-15 from the field and connecting on five three-pointers. Winthrop finished with 16 three-pointers, the second-highest total in program history for a season opener.
North Dakota (0-1) holds a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series after defeating Winthrop 90-88 in their first meeting last December. The Fighting Hawks secured that victory with a three-pointer in the final seconds.
Winthrop will look to extend its impressive home-opening tradition. The Eagles have won nine consecutive home openers and own an all-time record of 38-11 in those games. They are also 26-2 in home openers since November 1998.
Head coach Mark Prosser begins his sixth season leading the Eagles, who are coming off consecutive 23-win seasons and back-to-back appearances in the Big South Conference championship game.
Saturday’s game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on 94.3 FM and WGNC AM 1450/101.1 FM.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
