Asheville, NC -- (Sports Network) - As many expected, the top-seeded UNC- Asheville Bulldogs and the second-seeded Winthrop Eagles will meet for the Big South Conference Tournament championship today, with a bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Winthrop has won this event the last three years and in seven of the last nine seasons. The Eagles have eight Big South Tournament titles to their credit and are 28-14 all-time in the event. They lost two of their final three regular- season games but bounced back strong with wins over Radford and High Point to earn a spot in the title tilt.

As for UNC-Asheville, it has won the Big South Tournament on two occasions, most recently in 2003. The Bulldogs, who are 23-8 overall, have the obvious advantage of playing this game at home. They have beaten Charleston Southern and Liberty so far in this tournament, both by wide margins, and the club's confidence level is high.

UNC-Asheville knocked off Winthrop by double figures in both meetings during the regular season, but the Eagles hold a 28-25 edge in the all-time series.

Winthrop is led by Michael Jenkins, who is scoring 13.7 ppg this season. The only other double-digit scorer in the mix is Taj McCullough, who checks in with 11.4 ppg. Chris Gaynor is close to joining those two players in double figures with his 9.9 ppg, and he has dished out 132 assists and a staggering total of 95 steals. Strong defense has clearly been key to Winthrop's success, as the team is limiting foes to 58.5 ppg on 39.2 percent shooting from the field. In the 61-53 victory over High Point in the semifinals of this tournament, Jenkins tallied 14 points, while Gaynor and Mantoris Robinson both finished with 12 points. The Eagles did not dominate any particular aspect of that game, but they certainly played well enough to win.

UNC-Asheville, which is on a five-game win streak, is led by Bryan Smithson, who is scoring 16.7 ppg this season on the strength of his 42.3 percent shooting from three-point range. Smithson is more than just a scorer, as he has 112 assists and 49 steals to his credit. K.J. Garland adds 13.7 ppg to the mix to go with 177 assists and 42 steals. Still, all eyes will be on 7-6, 360- pound junior center Kenny George, a giant of a man who changes the game defensively. George is averaging less than 20 minutes of action per outing, but he is scoring 12.4 ppg on 70.5 percent shooting from the field. He is also pulling down 7.0 rpg to complement his 91 blocks. Vincent James (10.8 ppg) and Reid Augst (10.3 ppg) add further balance to the lineup. In the 18-point victory over Liberty on Thursday in the semifinal round, both George and Smithson had 19 points.