http://uncwsports.com/news/2017/11/28/me...-time.aspx
Seahawks, Pirates Lock Horns For 65th Time
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – After a two-game hiatus in Georgia, the UNCW men's basketball team returns to its North Carolina-flavored non-conference schedule Thursday night with a visit to longtime rival East Carolina.
The Seahawks, 2-3, and Pirates, 2-4, were once bitter rivals in the Colonial Athletic Association and have always been geographical rivals. This year's matchup – the 65th in history – has a different look and feel than the past, especially after the two teams met briefly for 13 minutes in a preseason scrimmage in early November as part of the Disaster Relief Benefit at the Dean E. Smith Center.
"You know what their athleticism is like and you know what their length is like," first-year Head Coach C.B. McGrath said of the Chapel Hill get together. "Nobody showed their whole hand or ran their sets against each other. You can't really take that subset as what the game's going to look like."
UNCW dropped a pair of games to unbeaten Missouri Valley Conference opponents Loyola Chicago and Valparaiso in last week's Savannah Invitational. The Seahawks surrendered 102 points to the Ramblers on the opening night of the tournament before turning in a more spirited defensive performance in a loss to the Crusaders.
"We haven't fixed all of our defensive issues," said McGrath. "We're still a work in progress. It's going to be a process. Our guys are going from a full-court pressing team with different kinds of concepts to a half-court man-to-man defense. We're still teaching a lot of stuff…they're still learning."
Senior point guard Jordon Talley (Richmond, Va./Henrico HS) was named to the All-Tournament team in the Savannah Invitational after averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 assists in the exempt event. He is currently tied for fifth in the nation with 8.0 assists per game and leads the Seahawks in scoring at 17.6 points per game.
Junior forward Devontae Cacok (Riverdale, Ga./Alpharetta is also off to a quick start. The reigning CAA Defensive Player-of-the-Year leads the loop in rebounding with 13.2 caroms per game and is tops among the NCAA's Division I players in that category. He is also contributing 16.2 points per game, with four double-doubles in the first five games.
As a team, UNCW paces the CAA offensively at 84.4 ppg, including a league-best 18.2 assists each contest.
Like the Seahawks, the Pirates are searching for some early answers after dropping consecutive contests to Rutgers and North Carollina A&T. Senior guard B.J. Tyson anchors three players in double figures with 14.5 ppg and junior forward Kentrell Barkley is contributing 13.2 ppg.
ECU is averaging 68.3 points each outing and scored a season-high 81 markers in its last appearance against the Aggies. As a team, the Pirates are shooting 44.1 percent from the floor and holding opponents to 40.4 percent.
The semester is winding down for the Seahawks, so McGrath and his staff are trying to balance work in the classroom and on the court.
"A lot of the guys have been through it before," said McGrath. "We're just making sure the guys stay in shape and get the stuff we need to work on done. It's a nice release for them to exercise and get away from the stress of three tests in four days or a paper due tomorrow. It will help give them some normalcy."
The Pirates will be playing their first game under interim head coach Michael Perry, who accepted the role following the resignation of Jeff Lebo late Wednesday. Perry served as ECU's acting head coach for 14 games last season while Lebo recovered from hip surgery.
UNCW leads the all-time series with ECU, 36-28, and has won three of the last four pairings between the two eastern North Carolina schools. The Pirates hold a 19-13 advantage at Minges Coliseum and defeated the Seahawks, 78-73, on Dec. 16, 2015, in the last game played in Greenville.
Live Seahawk Digital Network (SDN) coverage of the UNCW-ECU contest begins at 7:45 p.m. with Mike Vaccaro, the "Voice of the Seahawks," providing the call. Visit UNCWsports.com/SDN for live audio coverage. In addition, a radio broadcast of the game can be heard on "The Ticket" 95.9 FM and WKXB (99.9 FM-HD3).
For more information on the UNCW men's basketball team, visit UNCWsports.com and click on the men's basketball button. Additional information is also available on UNCW's social media channels: Facebook (UNCW Men's Basketball), Twitter (@UNCWmenshoops), Instagram (UNCWBasketball).