Preview: Nebraska Basketball vs. Winthrop with Breakdown

Winthrop Scout

Head Coach

Mark Prosser | 5th season at Winthrop; 9th as HC | 80-55 (.593) at Winthrop; 122-131 (.482) Career Record | 1x Big South Division Champion (2022) | Skip Prosser Award (2020) | Previous head coach at Western Carolina and Brevard | Previous assistant at Winthrop, Wofford, Bucknell and Marist.

2024 Finish

L, 69-81 to High Point in Big South Tournament Championship.

2024 Record & Awards

23-11 (11-5 Big South, T-2nd) | All-Big South: 1x First Team, 2x Honorable Mention, 1x All-Freshman.

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 2-0 (Nov. 24, 2001, last matchup, 73-65 NU) 

Key Returners

• Logan Duncomb | C | Sr. | 6-foot-10 center that's pouring in 12.4 points and grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game after coming off the bench in 24 games last year for the Eagles.
• Isaiah Wilson | G | Gr. | Now a starter for the Eagles after appearing in 31 games last season off the bench.

Key Departures

• Kelton Talford | F | Graduated | Finished his Winthrop career with three consecutive appearances on the All-Big South First Team, including a team-leading 15.8 PPG for the Eagles last year.
• K.J. Doucet | F | Graduated | Former Division II transfer that ended his college career with a Big South All-Conference Honorable Mention after averaging 13.7 points per game for Winthrop.
• Kasen Harrison | G | Graduated | Averaged 13.3 points and a team-high 4.3 assists per contest as the team's starting point guard last season.
• Nick Johnson | G | Graduated | Was the last of four double-digit scorers with a 12.6 PPG average while hitting 47 three-pointers.
• Paul Jones III | G | Transfer | Now at James Madison after being a part-time starter for Winthrop last season, when he averaged 7.6 PPG while starting in 17 of his 34 appearances.
• Bryce Baker | G | Transfer | Recorded 7.3 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 34 games, including five starts, last season, but transferred to the College of Charleston over the offseason.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

• Daylen Berry | G | R-Sr. | Posting a team-high 16.4 PPG in five contests; Winthrop marks his third school after previous stops at Charleston Southern and Charlotte.
• Kareem Rozier | G | Sr. | Spent his previous three seasons at Duquesne, but is now second on the Eagles with 15.2 PPG through five contests.
• Kody Clouet | G | Gr. | His fourth school in five years, the California native is the fourth and final Eagle to average double digits with 11 points per game.
• Josh Meo | G | Sr. | Posting over nine points per game off the bench after transferring from Coastal Carolina, where he started in 31 of 32 games.
• Seifeldin Hendawy | G | Soph. | Played in 18 games at Chicago Loyola last season and is averaging 15 minutes per game off the bench for Winthrop.
• Tommy Kamarad | F | Gr. | Sharpshooting transfer from Arkansas Tech that's hit five of nine three-pointers and is 9-for-19 from the field through five games for the Eagles.

Outlook

Winthrop returned to Big South conference contention for the first time since the debut season of head coach Mark Prosser in 2021-2022, as the Eagles finished 23-11 and ended up one win short of the NCAA Tournament with an 81-69 defeat to High Point in the conference tournament title game.

The Eagles were built around an explosive offense that averaged over 84 points per game, which was led by leading scorer and 6-foot-7 forward Kelton Talford (15.8 PPG). However, he was the leader of four double-figure scorers that all graduated, which also included K.J. Doucet (13.7 PPG), Kasen Harrison (13.3 PPG), and Nick Johnson (12.6 PPG). Plus, key bench contributors Paul Jones III (7.6 PPG) and Bryce Baker (7.3 PPG) transferred to James Madison and the College of Charleston. By the end of it all, all six of the Eagles' leading scorers departed the program.

That tasked Prosser with a complete makeover of his roster, but he was able to bring back 6-foot-10 center Logan Duncomb, who's taken a step as a full-time starter with over 12 points a game and five rebounds. He's joined by returner Isaiah Wilson, who's joined Duncomb in the starting lineup.

Daylen Berry has been the biggest success story out of the portal for Winthrop, as the former Charleston Southern Buccaneer has averaged 16.4 PPG through five games. Kareem Rozier (15.2 PPG) and Kody Clouet (11.0 PPG) represent two other starters that are adding double-digit averages to an offense that's matching the scoring average from last season with 85.0 PPG.

A 38% season average from beyond the arc has kept the Eagles in multiple close contests this season, including a slim 84-83 defeat to No. 21 Arkansas and John Calipari on Nov. 18. The Huskers can't be complacent coming out of a tournament victory against Winthrop, which has the scoring to upset any opponent. Give me Nebraska to extend their non-conference winning streak, but I'd expect a high-scoring affair inside PBA.