Winthrop (2-1, 2-1 D1) at East Tennessee State (2-0, 1-0 D1) – 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tennessee – home of the East Tennessee State Buccaneers. They are hosting the Winthrop Eagles – the Eagles are in their fourth and final game of a season-starting road trip. The Eagles are coming off of an upset victory at Saint Mary’s (even more remarkable when you consider this was 24 hours after a loss at Fresno State) – they withstood a late SMC rally to hold on for a 61-59 victory. Chandler Vaudrin led Winthrop with 19 points.
ETSU is coming off of a road win at UT-Martin last Saturday; for all intents and purposes this is the Bucs’ first real test of the season. They return all five starters from a team that finished fourth in a loaded SoCon last season. Jeromy Rodriguez will be a player to watch this season as a finalist for the CollegeInsider.com Lou Henson Award as the nation’s best UTR player. He is currently averaging 11.5 points and 7 rebounds a game through the Bucs’ first two games this season.