The Seahawks rolling into the DAC Thursday in a make or break game for Drexel (and UNCW really). UNCW currently sits at 10-4 in 3rd in the CAA. Towson is sitting 4th at 9-5 (after being upset last night by W&M). We sit 5th at 9-6. This is our only matchup against UNCW. They have really done what you would expect: beat bad teams and win the winnable games. Their CAA losses are to Hofstra, CofC (x2) and W&M (oops). Out of conference they lost badly to UNC, Oklahoma and UConn. They have looked far more vulnerable of late with some close contests against bottom tier teams, but they have prevailed. The battle for a top 4 seed is important for the extra rest day. We have no business still being in the running for a top 4 spot, but here we are

UNCW has been a balanced scoring team where nobody really stands out, but they throw a lot of depth your way (10 players averaging double digit minutes per game). They want a fast paced game much like Charleston. They want to force a lot of turnovers. They want a lot of easy buckets at the rim. Trazarien White is their leading scorer and rebounder, he will take their most shots. Gotta find a way to keep him off the scoreboard and make him settle for 3's. In general we will want to slow the pace and make them play a half court game, ideally let them launch 3's. They are not a great shooting team, so forcing them to play outside the arc would be ideal.

Could be a big Amari game for us down low taking away their shots at the rim. If Amari can be Amari down low on defense we certainly have a chance. If he is disinterested or in foul trouble this will be a long night. Hopefully Moore is back, because Trane is not a point guard and playing a high pressure team without a ball handler spells disaster. Need a huge turnout for this game.

UNCW- 78
Drexel- 56

My Prediction
UNCW 61
Drexel 56

We both know how this goes.

Thank goodness this game isn't at Trask.

I would be much more surprised by a UNCW blowout win than a Drexel close win. They have some sort of secret sauce at home and they're coming off a pretty bad road loss. The pendulum keeps swinging.

I refuse to acknowledge any of these facts. Prediction remains.

(02-14-2023 02:21 PM)jcohen42 Wrote:  I would be much more surprised by a UNCW blowout win than a Drexel close win. They have some sort of secret sauce at home and they're coming off a pretty bad road loss. The pendulum keeps swinging.

Every road trip to Philly comes with a pregame meal at Pat's or Geno's. Oops...hope I didn't blow the secret.

Some things shouldnt be talked about (yes superstition), but athletics decided to bring it up and push it, so that means we are screwed now.

One thing that we dont talk about enough:

If Drexel wins this game, and Towson loses at Charleston next week, Drexel would control its own destiny for a top 4 spot (the double bye).

Now Drexel probably loses at Hampton if they beat UNCW, but ignoring that for a moment... The stats would put DU at 50% or better to make the double bye if they win this game. And the double bye is... everything. No one has ever won four games in four days.

I just looked at the seating chart and ticket sales are... not good. Really hope that changes, this one is a stretch, but winnable, and a monster.

(02-15-2023 11:49 AM)metsox Wrote:  I just looked at the seating chart and ticket sales are... not good. Really hope that changes, this one is a stretch, but winnable, and a monster.

It's a Thursday night game against a meh named opponent. It's a quality opponent, but most people don't really care about that. I'm actually sitting this one out on Thursday, especially since dan10 said they're going to get slaughtered. The weeknight commute from the suburbs can be frustrating at times. But hopefully there's a really strong student turnout to make up for my absence. Students have shown up in good numbers this year, but I was a bit disappointed by the last game.

I am sorry but UNCW has been a mostly consistent team in the CAA and a good one to boot. They should absolutely be one of the draws regardless of the records when they come to town.

(02-15-2023 12:19 PM)dan10 Wrote:  I am sorry but UNCW has been a mostly consistent team in the CAA and a good one to boot. They should absolutely be one of the draws regardless of the records when they come to town.

But that's the thing, they're not a draw for basketball. They're still just another mid-major program, one of hundreds. I guarantee you that if you surveyed random people in the Delaware Valley most people would have no idea what the letters UNCW mean, and wouldn't know anything about the school or the basketball program. I have never met a single UNCW student or graduate outside of CAA basketball message boards. But I have met a lot of Elon students. If you look at attendance figures at the DAC over the years, I'll be that some of Drexel's least attended games were against UNCW.

I am not saying you are wrong. I am saying it makes zero sense. But there is no excuse for our fans. We have been in a conference with them for a long time, they arent new. And generally they have been a top program in our conference.

Also would argue from an athletics standpoint, that if we cant get our students to understand important games within our conference, then we are in the wrong conference. FYI we are just another mid major school as well, one that outside of the region is not known by a super many people (higher than UNCW for sure). We should be embracing our conference mates as fans for competitive purposes. If the only schools our fans care about are PA teams then we will never build a real fanbase.

(02-15-2023 02:02 PM)dan10 Wrote:  Also would argue from an athletics standpoint, that if we cant get our students to understand important games within our conference, then we are in the wrong conference. FYI we are just another mid major school as well, one that outside of the region is not known by a super many people (higher than UNCW for sure). We should be embracing our conference mates as fans for competitive purposes. If the only schools our fans care about are PA teams then we will never build a real fanbase.

You're absolutely right in so many ways. But that's the thing, Drexel has had Division 1 basketball for 50 years and still hasn't developed a significant fan base. You've got a few of us who were diehards during the Malik days, which carried over, and the group that sits in Section 8 who were students during the glory days of the DAC Pack. But considering that there are over 175,000 Drexel graduates, and I'll bet that the majority still live within an hour of Philadelphia, it's safe to say that they have done a terrible job of building a fan base.

(02-15-2023 01:08 PM)J.B. Wrote:  I have never met a single UNCW student or graduate outside of CAA basketball message boards.

When I lived 9 miles away from Hofstra, my street had a car with a UNCW sticker.

(02-15-2023 02:02 PM)dan10 Wrote:  Also would argue from an athletics standpoint, that if we cant get our students to understand important games within our conference, then we are in the wrong conference. FYI we are just another mid major school as well, one that outside of the region is not known by a super many people (higher than UNCW for sure). We should be embracing our conference mates as fans for competitive purposes. If the only schools our fans care about are PA teams then we will never build a real fanbase.

This was the whole basis for the conference going in a direction that implies divisions, no? The acceptance that fans at the level of the CAA just don't get excited about playing mid-major schools from multiple states away. That's why schools like Delaware, Northeastern, and Hofstra are going to be playing at the DAC every year, while NC A&T and Campbell probably won't.

I don't think this is a Drexel-only issue. Or even a CAA-only issue.

The attendance of other Philly schools isn't great. Even the A-10 numbers are mediocre outside small markets like Dayton and Richmond.

Its not, you are right. Its a northeast mentality, to be honest. But one that should be attempted to be broken. We should care far more about UNCW as a group than we should care about a Rider or Rutgers or Penn State

1 point favorites tonight. O/U 124.5 so they believe we will dictate the pace of this game

UNCW's adjusted tempo is almost as slow as Drexel's to be fair. Though they may make the game hectic if the PG's remain out.