UNCW Going For 10th Straight Victory
Hawks back home to meet with Huskies for second time this week
UNCW (12-5, 6-0) vs. Northeastern (6-13, 0-8)
7 p.m. | Trask Coliseum | FloHoops | Listen | StatBroadcast
The boys are back in town, and so too is the buzz around Seahawk basketball.
What felt like a little positive momentum when Takayo Siddle’s club last played at Trask two weeks ago hit another gear out on the road, as a nine-game winning streak has UNCW comfortably in the CAA driver’s seat.
UNCW Games Notes
Leading off the biggest homestand in five years on Thursday night, the Seahawks will meet Northeastern for the second straight game.
Here’s what to watch for on what should be a magical night as UNCW brings the nation’s fifth-longest (EDIT: After Davidson’s loss last night, the Hawks now have the nation’s fourth-longest) winning streak back to Wilmington:
You Again?
It’s been fewer than 72 hours since these teams last got together, as UNCW rallied from a 12-point deficit to top the Huskies 74-68 on Monday night in Boston.
Box Score - Jan. 24
Early on, Northeastern used its size advantage to dominate in the paint while the Seahawks’ offense struggled to get going.
With foul-trouble limiting a few starters, Jaylen Fornes (15 points) keyed the rally that brought UNCW back to life, while Amari Kelly (7 points, 6 rebounds) earned the Toughness Chain for a solid performance on both ends of the floor, as his defense affected the Huskies’ big men far beyond the box score.
Northeastern big man Chris Doherty put up a career-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds, while Jahmyl Telfort had a nice game with 15 points.
Turnovers were ultimately the difference, as the Seahawks scored 25 points off Northeastern’s 18 turnovers.
KenPom rankings for UNCW:Â No. 235 overall, No. 226 Offense, No. 224 Defense.
KenPom rankings for NU:Â No. 257 overall, No. 278 Offense, No. 208 Defense.
KenPom forecast: UNCW 69, Northeastern 64 (67 percent chance of victory).
The Trask Effect
So far this season, students have only been around for three home games: Guilford (Division III), Coastal Carolina and Norfolk State (near exams).
Because it was the opener, 3,229 came out to see the win over Guilford and a decent 3,067 was announced for the loss to NSU.
The announced attendance of 4,101 vs. Coastal has been, by far, the best crowd of the season at Trask, and it didn’t hurt that the Seahawks played a pretty entertaining game that night with plenty of up-and-down action.
(For all seven games, including over Christmas break, average attendance is 2,929.)
Pretty wild to consider this fact, but aside from the final games of Devontae Cacok’s career in 2019, this is the first time current UNCW students have really been able to build any sort of sustained excitement for the basketball program.
According to Friend of the Perch Kyle Floyd, who runs the Teal Nation social media accounts, students are talking about Seahawk basketball in class, and there’s a palpable buzz beyond anything he’s experienced.
It sounds like Thursday night’s crowd should approach the 5,000 range, and if so, it will most certainly affect the game. This UNCW team feeds on energy, and once it gets rolling, it can put up points in a hurry and have fun doing it.
Then, for us old folks who were around during some of the glory days, it’ll be awesome to see Trask back at its completely-insane best, with another generation of students getting to be a part of something everyone should experience during their time on campus.
Hopefully, it’ll only be a preview for what’s to come on Saturday night vs. Hofstra.
Super Sims
No matter how much we try, our level of appreciation for Jaylen Sims probably isn’t enough.
Friend of the Perch Dan Spears of the StarNews wrote about Sims’ long, strange trip at UNCW, which includes a season-ending injury last season, and subsequently, having a rod inserted into his left leg.
It was indeed one year ago when the already-shorthanded Seahawks lost Sims for the remainder of the season, and he could only look on as UNCW struggled to finish the season without its leading scorer.
This season, all he’s done is embrace a completely new role as the primary ballhandler and turn into an All-CAA caliber player while doing it, averaging 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds with just 1.4 turnovers.
He came up big time and again during the roadtrip, putting up 24 points in the win at Charleston, hitting a legendary buzzer-beater at James Madison, then making big shots late at Towson and Northeastern.
As the lights get brighter, Sims is kicking things up another notch, averaging 17.5 points in CAA play, including a ridiculous 38 of 46 at the free throw line — somewhere he’s finding himself often in close games.
Now a point guard for nine games, it feels like Sims has the pulse on what the Seahawks need from him at any given time, whether it’s getting into the paint to attack the basket and draw fouls, using his penetration to help set up teammates or stepping outside for a 3-point look.
Let’s Chill
The Seahawks finally got to sleep in their own beds and get a little rest back at home.
Will that make any difference, or will they stick to the script of falling behind and then pulling off another double-digit comeback?
Northeastern, a well-coached team with a few really solid players, doesn’t look like a group that should be winless. They’re going to play hard for 40 minutes, but because they don’t have a true point guard, turnovers often catch up.
With fresh legs and a boost from the home crowd, maybe UNCW applies more pressure early in an effort to get a working margin, and finally, we won’t be dealing with heartburn in the second half.
And that’s not just for the sake of the fans.
With games vs. Hofstra on Saturday and Drexel on Monday, it wouldn’t hurt to get the bench out there for a few extra minutes.
Back In Black?
Will the Seahawks stick with the black uniforms until further notice, or switch back to the home whites?
UNCW wore black in each of the past four games, and overall, are 5-0 in those uniforms thanks to the victory at High Point.
The Seahawks have worn white uniforms in every game at Trask this season along with the loss to Southern Miss in Montana, making them 6-2 on the season. Currently, they have a four-game winning streak (Mount Olive, Campbell, Elon and Delaware) in the white uniforms.
They’re 1-2 in navy (win at Delaware State; losses at Illinois State and Jacksonville) and 0-1 in teal (at Pittsburgh).