CSNbbs

Quote:Anyway, I wanted to take a far-too-early stab at UNCW’s CAA road. Even with the emphasis on balance, all weeks are not created equal, of course. The rankings go most difficult to least. Let me know what you think in the comments, on Twitter @EDetweilerSN and the StarNews Dub Hub Facebook page.

1. Week 6 (Feb. 4 at Hofstra, Feb. 6 at Northeastern): It’s nice for UNCW to get these trips out of the way together, but the Seahawks should be happy if they can get a split here. The Pride is the trendy CAA favorite, led by Juan’ya Green. The defending champion Huskies have four of their top five scorers back.

2. Week 2 (Jan. 7 at Towson, Jan. 9 at Delaware): Both of these teams were young last season. They should be better. UNCW hasn’t won at the Bob Carpenter Center since January 2006.

3. Week 9 (Feb. 25 vs. Hofstra, Feb. 27 vs. Towson): UNCW doesn’t have to face Hofstra on short rest this season, though Keatts may like it better if his team did. The Seahawks want to wear down opponents with their pace and newfound depth. They may be better on the back end of these weekends.

4. Week 1 (Dec. 31 vs. Drexel, Jan. 2 vs. Northeastern): UNCW is happy to start at home, but anything less than a sweep here will feel a bit like a missed opportunity. There should be some urgency to start 2-0 with the Towson-Delaware double coming after that.

5. Week 4 (Jan. 21 vs. Delaware, Jan. 23 at Drexel): It’s the travel that makes this one tough. UNCW will have to hop a plane for Philly not too long after finishing up with the Blue Hens. Damion Lee’s not around anymore, but the Seahawks didn’t play well at DAC in their first try under Keatts.

6. Week 8 (Feb. 18 at William & Mary, Feb. 20 at College of Charleston): UNCW gets a lot of time on the bus here but players should at least get to sleep in their own beds Thursday night. The Tribe won’t be the same without CAA Player of the Year Marcus Thornton. The Cougars should improve in Year 2 under Earl Grant, but TD Arena isn’t too scary right now.

7. Week 5 (Jan. 28 at James Madison, Jan. 30 vs. College of Charleston): UNCW finally stopped its losing streak at JMU Convocation Center in February. The Dukes should be tough, however, with pretty much everybody back. The Seahawks will be glad to be at Trask on the weekend. It’s part of a stretch in which seven of 10 are away from home.

8. Week 3 (Jan. 14 at Elon, Jan. 16 vs. William & Mary): On paper, this seems like a manageable weekend. Then again, UNCW dropped both of these games last season, including a nightmare finale at Elon’s Alumni Gym.

9. Week 7 (Feb. 11 vs. Elon, Feb. 13 vs. James Madison): History probably doesn’t mean much, but these were two easy wins for UNCW last season. Elon gets the Seahawks twice on Thursdays, so they should be plenty prepared. The JMU game gets the national television treatment via NBC Sports Network. Will it be a sellout?