The Winthrop Eagles take on the High Point Panthers in Johnson City, TN. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
High Point is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -285. The total is set at 164.5 points.
Here’s my Winthrop vs. High Point predictions and college basketball picks for March 9, 2025.
Winthrop Eagles vs High Point Panthers Prediction, Picks
My Pick: High Point -6.5 (Play to -9.5)
My Winthrop vs High Point best bet is on the Panthers spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Winthrop vs High Point Odds, Line, Spread
| Winthrop Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 157.5 -115o / -105u | +260 |
| High Point Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 157.5 -115o / -105u | -325 |
Spread
I'm taking the Panthers on the spread up to -9.5.
Moneyline
There's no value on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I don't have a play on the total.
My Pick: High Point -6.5 (Play to -9.5)
Winthrop vs High Point Big South Championship Preview
The two hottest Big South teams meet in the title game, which is fitting.
The Winthrop Eagles have won 10 of their past 11 games, but the one loss came by 22 points to High Point.
On the flip side, the Panthers' only two conference losses came in road games, the most recent on January 16. That means we're nearly two months removed from High Point's most recent loss.
High Point already beat Winthrop by 20+ twice, so what happens in the third meeting? While I don't foresee another beating of that caliber, I think High Point will win by double digits. I mean, winning two games that easily isn't some fluke, and the Panthers are just the better team — plain and simple.
But why is High Point better?
The Panthers have a very special offense. They hold the honor of being the only non-high-major team inside the top 30 of KenPom's offensive efficiency metric.
High Point is a very effective 2-point scoring offense, shooting 61% from that area since February 1. Plus, it ranks in the top 10 in offensive rebounding rate in the same span.
The main culprit for the offensive boards is seven-footer Juslin Bodo Bodo, who boasts the nation's top offensive rebounding rate.
Alan Huss has guards — namely Kezza Giffa and Bobby Pettiford — who live at the foul line. They should be able to take advantage of a foul-happy Winthrop team. Plus, the Panthers shoot a very efficient 76% from the stripe.
A lot of teams can't hang with Winthrop if they don't have depth. The Eagles deploy a top-10 tempo in America that can tire teams out.
That won't be a worry for High Point, as its rotation can go 10 or 11 deep. Even the back end of the rotation — guys like Trae Benham and Abdoulaye Thiam — started for HPU last year. Also, Terry Anderson is becoming a pivotal Swiss Army knife who should play a winning role here.
The Eagles' offense is good in two areas: They get to the foul line more than anyone in America (48% FTA/FGA) and are shooting 41% from deep since February, up from 34% on the year.
However, Winthrop is a dreadful foul-shooting team, sitting at just 66%. It doesn't matter how much a team gets to the line — if they don't go in, then it's just empty opportunities.
For Winthrop to have any shot, it likely needs to force turnovers. That's just not in High Point's DNA, as it gives the ball away just 15% of the time.
I think High Point will bully Winthrop on the glass. The Eagles have two awesome starting forwards — Kelton Talford and K.J. Doucet — but both are just 6-foot-7. That leads to rebounding woes, as they're sitting 262nd in defense rebounding rate.
Even if Bodo Bodo can't play long due to the game's pace, Huss can pivot to talented freshman Josh Ibukunoluwa and Canadian forward Simon Hildebrandt.
High Point is the best team in the Big South by far, and the late-game gaffes against Radford won't haunt it here.
This is a double-digit win to clinch a tourney berth.
