A lot of people write books not at the end of their career. Why you gotta wait until then? When you’re momentum’s going, that’s when people really want to get to know about you.
-David Ortiz
Despite the fact that Big Papi isn’t the most elegant speaker I could have quoted to start off this article…you have to admit that the man has a point. People absolutely care about momentum, and when it comes to March Madness, momentum can mean everything. In the case of the Colonial Athletic Champion, UNC Wilmington, momentum could be the difference between a second straight first-round elimination, and a legit run in the NCAA tournament.
This is their second straight year as conference champions and auto-bid recipients to the NCAA tournament. Last year a first round draw against Duke basically ended their tournament hopes before the dance even started…but this year expectations are high for the Seahawks. This UNC Wilmington squad is currently riding a major wave of momentum after a seven game win streak that was topped off with the Colonial Athletic Championship. This year UNC Wilmington is the No.12 seed in the East, and absolutely has their work cut out for them in their first round game against No.5 seed Virginia. The Seahawks opening game will be played in Orlando on March 16th and Colonial Athletic fans will tell you that an upset is 100 percent a possibility. If you don’t know anything about the UNC Wilmington Seahawks, here are the main people/points you should be familiar with before their first round match-up.
Coach Kevin Keatts is the Real Deal
Now in his third season as head coach of the Seahawks, Kevin Keatts has proven that he is one of the top up-and-coming coaching talents in the nation. He holds an impressive coaching record of 72-27 and is a two time recipient of the CAA Coach of the Year award. Let it also be known that UNC Wilmington only won nine games the season before they hired Keatts…and now Kevin Keatts is making his second tournament appearance in his first three seasons with UNC Wilmington. With rumors floating around that he is a potential canidate for the head coaching job at Illinois, Keatts will absolutely be hoping to cap off a great season with a strong showing in the Big Dance. You can listen to coach Keatts post selection show interview below.
UNC Wilmington Has Been Lights Out From the Field
UNC Wilmington’s offensive success has been dependent on their ability to get themselves open and shoot consistently from the field. Conference opponents could not keep up with the Seahawks production as they shot over 54 percent from the field in the CAA tournament. This was no fluke as their field goal percentage for the season is sitting around 48 percent and they have 4 starters shooting over 43 percent from the field. This offensive assault has been led by sophomore guard C.J. Bryce who is averaging 17.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. It will be very interesting to see if UNCW’s shooters will be able to maintain this consistency at the higher level of play they will face in the NCAA tournament.
5 and 12 Seed Matchups Have Produced Plenty of Upsets in the Past
The opening round matchups between 5 and 12 seeds always have the potential to kick off March Madness with some major upsets. In the history of the tournament, 46 no.12 seeds have defeated 5 seeds in the opening round. In fact, just last year we saw two different no. 5 seeds fall in Baylor and Purdue, who were beaten by Yale and Little Rock, respectively. So that begs the question; will UNC Wilmington be the 47th team to achieve this feat in their opening round and take down the Cavaliers? Fans who have followed the Seahawks this season know this squads potential, and recognize that this team can keep up with the best of them when they are shooting the way they have been. So if you need an upset to set your bracket apart from the rest of the pack, look to find value in the Seahawks in their opening round matchup against Virginia!