Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
ROCK HILL — Not long after sunrise on the first Monday of November, the squeak of sneakers on hardwood and a sharp whistle from the referees will bring hundreds of groggy fans to life courtside in Rock Hill. College basketball’s annual five-month sprint to March Madness will begin bright and early on Nov. 3, with a matchup between the hometown team and an interstate rival at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center. Winthrop University and Queens University of Charlotte tip off at 8 a.m. as the appetizer — or breakfast — that opens the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season and a daylong slate of games. “It’s a big deal, I think there's going to be a lot of eyeballs,” said Andy Clinton, the CEO for Visit York County, the local tourism bureau. “It's really cool that we can take that claim: The college basketball season starts in Rock Hill.” The teams will stand alone in the spotlight while many people are still finishing their coffee as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon. The six-game, 15-hour event is a collaboration between the title-sponsor, Field of 68 Media Network, and Visit York County, featuring three games in Rock Hill and three more to be played in Sioux Falls, S.D. After the local rivalry, Bradley University is set to play St. Bonaventure University at 11 a.m., followed by a nightcap featuring a pair of private colleges from the Carolinas, High Point University versus Furman University at 6:30 p.m. The games will be played on the 1,200-seat championship court at the Sports and Event Center on Technology Way and broadcast worldwide on Field of 68’s YouTube and X, formerly Twitter. “What a wonderful way to showcase the area, what a wonderful way to showcase that facility,” Mark Prosser, head coach of Winthrop men’s basketball, told The Post and Courier. “It sells the university to be on that national stage.” Clinton said Visit York County, along with Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism, has spent years forming relationships with media partners like Field of 68 and coaches during elite National Basketball Players Association and Adidas camps hosted at the facility since it opened in 2019. In 2021, a nationally televised game between power conference basketball programs South Carolina and Florida State was a sellout, proving Rock Hill could host high-level hoops. “All of this is full circle,” Clinton said. Now they have six programs and their fans descending on the city. Teams are blocking out dozens of rooms at local hotels and more than 40 media members are credentialed for the day, Clinton said. Despite the early start, the best seats for the Winthrop-Queens rivalry game have already sold out as students, alumni and fans prepare for the matchup of mid-major teams separated by about 20 miles on Interstate 77. Tip off will mark the start of Prosser’s fifth season at the helm for Winthrop. The head coach said his team of teens and 20-somethings, including eight transfers and one true freshman, doesn’t include many early morning risers, so they’ve been preparing with practices at the break of dawn. “If you're not ready to go when the lights are on and you're the first game in college basketball, I don't care what time it is, then you're probably doing the wrong thing anyway,” Prosser said. Winthrop men’s basketball is a perennial power, looking to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021 after falling short in the conference title game last season. Queens University will get its first chance to make the Big Dance this season after reclassifying from Division II in 2022. While not being eligible for the tournament up to now, Queens has still finished near the top of its conference. Since renewing the local rivalry in 2023, both matchups between Winthrop and Queens have been decided by single digits. “Once the game starts, it might as well be seven at night, like every other (game),” Prosser said. “I mean, it'll be a great atmosphere and it's going to be a great college basketball game.” Organizers aren’t quite sure what to expect from a crowd of college students and fans who may still be waiting for their caffeine to kick in, but they are doing what they can to bring the energy. Queens University is expected to brave rush hour and bring fans down by the busload. Hundreds of breakfast sandwiches will be given out before the game to coax students out of bed. The cheerleaders, dance teams and band should help deliver the classic college basketball pageantry. “There's a lot of potential for us to really capitalize on, you know, ‘College basketball starts in Rock Hill,’ and build upon that,” Clinton said. “I think there's opportunities for more games and crazier start times.” Tickets for the Opening Day Marathon games in Rock Hill are available online.
