Arena #129: Winthrop Coliseum - Winthrop vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore

After splitting time between North Carolina and South Carolina the previous day, it was time to do the same thing the following day starting with an early morning drive to Rock Hill, SC for an 11 am tip at one of my favorite low-major basketball schools, Winthrop University.  I’ve been a fan of their program ever since the Gregg Marshall days and their upset of Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament so it was cool to finally get to check out a bit of their campus and catch a game at the Winthrop Coliseum.  While I expected the 11 am Friday afternoon tip to bring with it a sparse crowd, it turns out it was some elementary school kids day so there were thousands of kids in the stands that helped create an atmosphere that was better than expected, if not a bit terrifying at the same time 😊.  The Winthrop Coliseum is a pretty old building with pretty limited concessions and space on the concourses.  However, there’s definitely not a bad seat in the building and I especially loved the backboards that hang from the ceiling rather than being on movable stanchions like most places these days.  The action on the court was reasonably entertaining as well, even if the Maryland-Eastern Shore Eagles were pretty much outmatched from tip to buzzer in this one.  Winthrop led a three-point barrage throughout the first half that got the crowd going and they maintained a comfortable lead from halftime all the way to the end of the contest.

The walk up to the main entrance to the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, SC

Inside the old confines of the Winthrop Coliseum - note all the NCAA appearance banners hanging from the rafters

Opening tip between the Eagles and the Hawks

Winthrop for one of their numerous threes during the contest