Seahawks Make History in Win at Kentucky
UNCW earned its first road win over a ranked opponent
It’s 1:43 am as I type this, and I still haven’t come down from the high of what we experienced tonight with UNCW’s 80-73 victory over No. 12 Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
(Possible that’s related to the massive celebratory Goodberry’s Concrete.)
Shortly after the game, we fired up an episode of Perchcast for reactions, and thanks to UNCW SID Tom Riordan, we were able to get Trazarien White on the phone for about five minutes.
It’s about 28 minutes and full of analysis, from Eric Van Der Heijden’s big-time defensive performance to perspective on what this victory means in the history of Seahawk basketball.
If you’re reading this, chances are you already know the facts of the game and you’ve seen the box score, so I won’t bore you with those details.
A couple of things to know:
The coaching staff had an incredible plan tonight and pushed all the right buttons. Everything that hurt the Seahawks on Thursday night at ECU was corrected.
The players did an incredible job of getting off a plane, taking that coaching and stepping up when called upon. Every single guy did something of significance in this game.
Following the disappointment of Thursday night, to be able to do this less than 48 hours later speaks to the character of those dudes and their resilience.
This wasn’t some kind of fluke. UNCW led the game for 34 minutes and answered every time Kentucky and its roster of future NBA players threw a punch.
I’m proud of this program and the people that make it awesome, but man, is it great to see the larger college basketball world finding out just how special UNCW basketball is.
Given that I spent the final five minutes of the game in a defensive stance in the back of my living room, it makes sense that my body and brain are totally exhausted in the best possible way.
So, in the interest of meeting the moment, I’m going to write my bigger breakdown on the game tomorrow and drop that in your inboxes for Monday morning. Hopefully, it’ll be an extra boost to kick off your week before you mow down your pile of weekend emails.
Here’s a collection of content (articles, photo galleries and videos) I’ve seen this evening. There’s lots! Few teams in the nation get as much coverage as Kentucky hoops, and it’s wonderful to see newspapers still investing.
Photo Galleries
Cats Illustrated (Rivals) | Louisville Courier Journal | UK Athletics
Articles
Ex-Gardner Webb PG Siddle repeats Rupp Arena upset as UNCW coach - ESPN
UNC Wilmington shocks Kentucky with major upset in first game on new Rupp Arena court — Lexington Herald Leader
No. 12 Kentucky stunned at home by UNC Wilmington — The Athletic
Calipari, Kentucky players reflect on loss to UNC Wilmington — Lexington Herald Leader
5 key talking points from UK’s 80-73 loss to UNC Wilmington — Lexington Herald Leader
Kentucky basketball: Takeaways from loss to UNC Wilmington — Lexington Herald Leader
UNCW basketball stuns Kentucky in first road win over ranked team — Wilmington StarNews
UNCW vs Kentucky: Takayo Siddle makes history in win at Rupp Arena — Louisville Courier Journal
UK-UNC Wilmington score: John Calipari and Kentucky basketball upset — Louisville Courier Journal
Kentucky falls to UNCW for first nonconference home loss since 2020 and fourth major upset of weekend — CBS Sports
Takeaways: Sloppy play and poor shot selection leads to a Kentucky loss against UNC Wilmington — Wildcats Today
Videos
ESPN’s complete game highlights
John Fanta on the CAA’s big day
John Calipari postgame press conference
Kentucky players postgame media scrum
One Shameless Plug
If you haven’t heard of our NIL collective and how it is helping to support the basketball guys AND really cool work in the community, it’s worth looking into.
I’ve been helping OneSeahawk with creative + media work, and I’ve seen the impact this work with nonprofits is having on both the community and our guys. Most recently, they spent several hours sorting and packing gifts for the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program.
In addition to engaging with Wilmington and finding important causes they can invest themselves into, they’re getting valuable business and marketing experience. The compensation they receive through their deal with the collective allows them to fully focus on their academics and basketball and gives them financial security beyond what scholarships cover.
Click here to find out more about OneSeahawk!
It’s no secret that NIL is a consideration for athletes and their families in choosing a school, and moving forward, it’s going to be vital for remaining competitive.
Wins like this one draw attention from recruits who might have never been exposed to UNCW, and attention from other schools that would LOVE to see our guys in the transfer portal next spring.
You can see photos from previous nonprofit engagements here!
(While OneSeahawk has only engaged with Men’s Basketball athletes to this point, they’d like to sign student-athletes from any and all teams. If you’d like to direct your donation to creating opportunities for athletes on a particular team, the website form will allow you to choose.)