Denver, CO -- (Sports Network) - The Washington State Cougars have earned the fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament's East Region, and they will take on the 13th-seeded Winthrop Eagles in the first round on Thursday. The winner of this contest will move on to face either fifth-seeded Notre Dame or 12th-seeded George Mason in the second round.

Winthrop earned its automatic bid by crushing UNC Asheville, 66-48, in the title game of the Big South Conference Tournament. The Eagles are making their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and eighth in the last 10 years. Last season, they knocked off Notre Dame in the first round, and the teams could potentially meet for a rematch this year in the second round as mentioned above. As for Washington State, it has made five previous trips to the "Big Dance" and owns a 4-5 all-time record. Last season, the Cougars recorded their first NCAA Tournament win since 1983, beating Oral Roberts in the first round before falling to Vanderbilt in double-overtime two days later. They have earned a 24-8 record this season after a tremendous start, shaky middle of the campaign, and a strong finish.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between Winthrop and Washington State on the hardwood.

Michael Jenkins is the leading scorer for Winthrop, as he is netting 14.3 ppg. The only other double-digit scorer in the mix is Taj McCullough who checks in with 11.5 ppg. Chris Gaynor is close to joining that duo, as his 9.7 ppg serve as a complement to his 138 assists and 96 steals. Winthrop is generating 65.6 ppg while limiting the opposition to 58.2 ppg on 39.1 percent shooting from the floor, so it is certainly fair to say that strong defense has been the major factor in the team's success. Winthrop lost to UNC Asheville by double figures in both meetings during the regular season, so the fact that the Eagles were able to win the Big South title game by 18 points speaks to the clutch nature of the squad. In that championship game against UNCA, Jenkins exploded for 33 points on the strength of a 6-of-9 performance from three- point range.

Washington State is scoring a modest 67.1 ppg this season despite shooting a strong 47.8 percent from the floor, including 38.1 percent from three-point range. The Cougars play a deliberate style of ball that often sees them use the entire shot clock in their half-court set. They pride themselves on being one of the toughest defensive teams in the nation, and they are currently limiting the opposition to 57.1 ppg on 42.2 percent field goal efficiency. Those defensive stats are particularly impressive when considering that Washington State plays in the Pac-10, considered by many to be the top conference in all of college basketball this year. Derrick Low leads the Cougars with 14.1 ppg, and the versatile Kyle Weaver adds 12.1 ppg. Taylor Rochestie checks in with 11.0 ppg, and the point guard is dishing out 4.6 apg as well. As for Aron Baynes, he rounds out a foursome of double-digit scorers with 10.2 ppg, and he is ripping down 5.7 rpg.