Seahawks Looking to Bring the Energy at ECU
The old rivals will meet for the 69th time on Thursday night in Greenville
UNCW (5-1) at East Carolina (4-3)
7 p.m. | Minges Coliseum | ESPN+ | Listen | Live Stats
After watching the Seahawks deliver their most thorough defensive effort of the season, what do they have in store on Thursday night in Greenville?
It shouldn’t take long to find out, and it likely won’t require much in the way of motivational tricks from the coaching staff as UNCW renews its rivalry with ECU for the 69th time.
The Seahawks have won 6 of the past 10 meetings and hold a 38-30 edge overall, but victories have been tougher to come by at Minges Coliseum, with the Pirates winning three straight dating back to 2013.
Here’s what to watch for as UNCW looks to build on what they accomplished after going 2-1 on the Florida swing…
KenPom rankings for UNCW: No. 133 overall; No. 129 offense, No. 150 defense.
KenPom rankings for ECU: No. 224 overall; No. 109 offense, No. 330 defense.
KenPom forecast: UNCW 75, ECU 73 (55 percent chance of victory)
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Meet the Pirates
Notable Wins: Nov. 21 vs. Kennesaw State (85-84); Nov. 11 vs. Campbell (77-63).
Notable Losses: Nov. 19 vs. Northeastern (82-76); Nov. 25 at George Mason (81-59).
Personnel: G RJ Felton (18.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2 steals, 38.2% 3FG); F Brandon Johnson (14.8 points, 7.6 rebounds); F Ezra Ausar (13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 66% FG); G Bobby Pettiford (8 points, 4.1 assists); G Quentin Diboundje (11.4 points); G Jaden Walker (8 points, 4.3 rebounds).
Last season: UNCW 74, ECU 61
There’s a positive buzz building for hoops in Greenville.
After a strong debut season under Coach Mike Schwartz, the Pirates got to work in the transfer portal and landed some big-time talent, leading coaches in the American to pick ECU to finish fifth in the league’s preseason poll.
It all starts with Felton, a physical junior guard who has expanded his game out beyond the arc and improved his efficiency inside it. Despite standing just 6-3, Felton rebounds at an elite level, capitalizes on second-chance buckets and does his best work in the paint.
The Pirates are plenty capable when it comes to putting the ball in the basket, fueled by grabbing rebounds on 38 percent of their own misses to create another look. Things haven’t gone nearly as well on the defensive end, giving up 80+ points in four games.
Check out today’s edition of Perchcast for a little more on this matchup, along with a wonderful conversation with UNCW play-by-play man Mike Vaccaro.
Another One
Last time out for the Seahawks, it was all about looking inward and being true to themselves and their system.
They delivered what was, by far, their best effort of the season in shutting down a dangerous Florida Gulf Coast offense with relentless defensive energy, floor burns and trading good shots for great shots.
The Eagles shot a season-low 35.3 percent en route to their fewest points (55) of the season as the Seahawks did a better job of communicating and sticking to their responsibilities in both the half- and fullcourt defenses.
Thanks to the better communication, UNCW improved in how it defended screens — something that stood out as a negative against Appalachian State, as the Mountaineers were presented with too much space several times.
Though the Pirates don’t run the pick and roll much, they’re effective when they do. Instead, ECU leans heavily on isolation, and so much of playing one-on-one defense is taking pride and willing yourself to keep an opponent from beating you.
After the coaching staff pulled out a number of tactics and several tough practices to get that response on Saturday, it’ll be telling which version of the Hawks show up on Thursday night.
A mature team with championship aspirations shouldn’t need much inspiration to come out ready to play against a local rival.
Homecoming Game
Shy Time is rarely off, and things couldn’t have worked out any better for this game, as Shykeim Phillips finally has the chance to return home to Greenville to take on ECU.
We’ve seen Phillips dominate games with both his offense and defense this season, depending on what the Seahawks need that night. Opportunity knocks on the defensive end first in this one, as Phillips will likely spend most of his evening matched up with Felton, trying to shut down someone whose offensive game is similar to his in a lot of ways — physicality, paint touches and crafty finishes.
On the other end, Phillips is shooting a career-high 51.7 percent from the field on his way to 13 points per game, scoring in double figures five times in six games.
Per Synergy, UNCW ranks in the 97th percentile in the pick and roll game, and much of that is a credit to Phillips. In the 60 pick and roll possessions Phillips has used, the Seahawks have scored 69 points, which puts him in the 89th percentile.
"He’s best playmaker with the basketball in his hands and we trust him to make the right plays,” UNCW coach Takayo Siddle said. “He's really good in the pick and roll game; he has really gotten a lot better in making reads.”
It’s a full-circle moment for Phillips, who helped South Central High School to its first state championship in 2019, and he’ll have countless friends and family in the building for this one.
Despite all of the fanfare, expect to see Phillips play his game and step up where UNCW needs him most … but maybe he’ll somehow find another level of energy.
(The Seahawks last played in Greenville on Dec. 7, 2021 while Phillips was out with an injury. Otherwise, Joe Dooley and ECU were ducking us.)
Now Boarding
ECU is going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the offensive boards, and they’ll get quite a few of them. Synergy puts the Pirates in the 94th percentile for offensive rebounding rate, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to points, as they’ve scored a total of 48 points on 51 offensive rebound possessions.
The Pirates are going to get some offensive rebounds, and they’ll probably even get a few buckets off them, but it’s up to UNCW how easily that happens. If a miss becomes an offensive rebound, then the Seahawks can make it really hard on them in turning it into a basket.
On the flip side, ECU’s focus on offensive rebounding opens the door for the Seahawks to take flight on the break.
It was no coincidence that Siddle mentioned earlier this week that he believes his team can play even faster, as ECU’s defense has struggled to slow anyone down in transition, ranking in the 4th percentile nationally.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks rank in the 94th percentile in transition offense, owing that success to their newfound transition 3-point opportunities and talented finishers.