Butler 76, Winthrop 64: Avery Woodson's threes lead way

In the booming transfer market of college basketball, players who earn their degrees at prior institutions often look for upward mobility. As graduate transfers, they seek the best opportunity to reach an NCAA Tournament for their final year of eligibility.

For shooting guard Avery Woodson, whose two seasons at Memphis ended without an invitation to the big dance, the decision of where to play came down to Butler and Virginia Commonwealth. Woodson chose the Bulldogs, and Thursday afternoon at the BMO Harris Bradley Center he put on quite a show.

The very skill that made him a coveted asset in the first place — dead-eye three-point shooting — bombarded 13th-seeded Winthrop from the opening minute of the game. Woodson, who shot 42% from beyond the arc this season, splashed 5 three-pointers in the first half alone as fourth-seeded Butler built a 19-point lead. With crisp offense and intelligent pressure on Winthrop wunderkind Keon Johnson, the Bulldogs moved comfortably into the Round of 32 with a 76-64 victory.

Butler (24-8) will play No. 12 Middle Tennessee State on Saturday at the Bradley Center.

BOX SCORE: Butler 76, Winthrop 64

MIDDLE TENNESSEE 81, MINNESOTA 72: Gophers overmatched

PURDUE 80, VERMONT 70: Boilermakers wear down Catamounts

IOWA ST. 84, NEVADA 73: Cyclones weather second-half upset attempt by Wolf Pack

D'AMATO: March 'Mavens' total 400+ games in 37 years

"We got lost a couple times in rotation,” Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey said. “It let the Woodson kid get a couple open looks, and he's already a very, very good three-point shooter. When you give him three, four steps where he can kind of lick his fingers and measure the wind and shoot it, he's going to make 80% of those.”

But the Bulldogs had a challenge of their own, and beginning Wednesday, when coach Chris Holtmann held his first news conference in Milwaukee, the reverence for Winthrop’s pint-sized phenom was abundantly clear. Johnson, who stands 5 feet 7 inches tall, averaged 22.5 points per game this season, and after the game, Holtmann admitted the amount of unrest he endured while devising what he hoped was a legitimate solution.

“My staff just told me that I looked terrible and looked like I hadn’t slept in a week,” Holtmann said. “The reason was that kid. I mean, he is a load to guard.”

But in application the plan was essentially flawless. Holtmann unleashed freshman guard Kamar Baldwin as the primary defender on Johnson and asked his big men to hedge aggressively on pick and rolls for another layer of fortification.

Such protrusion forced Johnson toward the sideline as he searched for crevices through which to drive. But penetration was thwarted, and Johnson settled for contested three-point shots. He missed seven of 10 attempts from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points.

“I think they got physical with Keon,” Kelsey said. “Bigger, longer, stronger defenders, try to limit his touches, you know. They ran at him off ball screens and tried to get the ball out of his hands, and, you know, it worked out for them.

RELATED: A long basketball journey from Australia to Milwaukee

NOTES: Recent firings irk Butler coach

AT A GLANCE: Bradley Center first-round report

“I think they're going to really make a dent in this tournament moving forward.”

Woodson finished with 6 three-pointers and 18 points to lead Butler. Winthrop's Xavier Cooks had a game-high 23 points.

RELATED: What to know about the teams in Milwaukee

BRACKETS: USA Today Bracket Challenge | Printable bracket (with times/TV)

MORE COVERAGE: NCAA Tournament section