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Road Swing Contniues For Seahawks In Greenville
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Second-year UNCW men's basketball head basketball coach Kevin Keatts and the majority of his Seahawk team aren't familiar with the 62-game rivalry between UNCW and East Carolina on the hardwood.
But that doesn't mean Keatts and his retooled club are casual observers to the one of the state's fiercest rivalries.
"I didn't realize how big a game this was until last year when we played them at Trask Coliseum," recalled Keatts. "The students were gone and it was still packed. There are rivalries all across the country. I'm not sure our players understand that it's a big rivalry, but for a lot of people around here, it's an important game."
The Seahawks carry a 5-1 record into the 7 p.m. tip-off at Williams Arena inside Minges Coliseum. Keatts and his ball club came within an eyelash of the school's first 6-0 start before falling, 87-82, last Saturday to Georgetown in the nation's capital.
In that contest, the Seahawks trailed by 25 points with 8:14 remaining before staging a furious rally to close to within one possession with 30 seconds left on the clock. The Hoyas sealed the win with several key free throws in the waning seconds.
"The loss at Georgetown bothered me at first," Keatts said. "Our approach going into every game is that we expect to win. The guys played a great second half and there were a lot of positives we can take from the game. We had some opportunities at the end and we almost pulled off one of the best comebacks in the history of basketball."
Keatts and the Seahawks bring an aggressive brand of basketball to Greenville that features one of the top defenses in the NCAA Division I ranks. UNCW ranks first among the land's 351 schools in turnover margin at +9.2 per game, committing just 73 turnovers while forcing 128 miscues.
UNCW also ranks second in the country steals per game with 11.5 thefts each contest. Redshirt senior guard Craig Ponder leads the club with 14 steals and junior guard Chris Flemmings is close behind with 12.
The Pirates, meanwhile, stand 6-4 overall on the new season, but own a clean 5-0 mark at home following home floor victories over Grambling State, UNC Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, USC Upstate and North Carolina A&T.
Sophomore guard B.J. Tyson and junior guard Caleb White have started every game for Jeff Lebo's sixth club, which is shooting 44.3 percent on the season. Tyson, a 6-3, 180-pound sophomore, leads three players in double figures with 14.4 ppg and White, a 6-7, 205-pound junior, is chipping in 12.1 ppg.
UNCW won last year's installment in the series, 66-54, on Dec. 22, 2014, behind Freddie Jackson's 14 points and 10 rebounds in Trask Coliseum. It was UNCW's second straight win over ECU and the seventh in 10 games with the Pirates. The Seahawks lead the overall series, 35-27, since the first game was played on Dec. 18, 1963.
"They have a different team than they've had in the past," said Keatts. "They have tremendous size and a unique style this year. It will be a big challenge for us."
Wednesday's date in Greenville is the second in a five-game swing away from home for the Seahawks, who travel to Big South Conference member Radford on Saturday. UNCW then visits Louisville for neutral site games against Utah Valley and UMCK in the Billy Minardi Classic late next week at the KFC Yum! Center.
All of UNCW's games are carried live on the Seahawk Digital Network. Fans can visit UNCWsports.com, click the Live Events button, and select the game for a free audio feed of the contest. Seahawk basketball may also be heard over the radio airwaves on The Beach 94.1 FM/WLSG 1340 AM in Wilmington and New Hanover County and Freedom 97.1 FM/WSME 1120 AM in Jacksonville and Onslow County in 2015-16.
Season tickets are still available by visiting the UNCW Athletics Ticket Office in Trask Coliseum, calling 1-800-808-UNCW or clicking on the Tickets button via UNCWSports.com. Tickets start as low as $99, with 5 and 8-game mini-plans available.
For additional information on the UNCW men's basketball team, like the program's Facebook page at @UNCWAthletics and follow the Seahawks on Twitter via @UNCWMensHoops.
