UNC Wilmington basketball held off the Cinderella, Delaware, in the CAA Tournament Final to advance to their first NCAA Tournament since 2017.
General Information:
Team: UNC Wilmington
Location: Wilmington, North Carolina
Record: 27-7 (14-4)
Head Coach: Takayo Siddle (5th season, all at UNC Wilmington)
What to know about UNC Wilmington basketball:
Since Takayo Siddle took over as coach in 2021, this team has had nothing but success. They’ve won 20+ games every season, and finished top three in the conference. However, they could never crack the NCAA Tournament, until now. They beat three teams in three days, including a 12 seeded Delaware team, who made a magical run of their own, in the final. This will be UNC Wilmington’s seventh tournament appearance. They are 1-6 all time.
This team is led by the CAA Tournament MVP Donovan Newby. Newby scored 17 points in the final, a day after a 24-point performance against Charleston, which included several big free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Khamari McGriff and Noah Ross also earned first team all CAA Tournament honors.
UNC Wilmington basketball rebounds the ball at a very high rate, finishing just outside the top 50 with 37 a game. They shoot efficiently as well, at 46.3%. Scoring at a high rate on the offensive end while rebounding and limiting second-chance opportunities on defense is a dangerous competition, and it’s what has enabled this team to succeed. They also draw a lot of fouls, finishing 58th in the country in opponent fouls per game.
NCAA Tournament prediction for UNC Wilmington basketball: Round of 64 Exit
Actual seed: 14
UNC Wilmington basketball is a 14-seed in this year’s tournament and will play Texas Tech in the first round on Thursday. UNC Wilmington played one projected tournament team this season, Kansas, and lost 84-66. They did trail by just five at the half though, so on a neutral court, they’re definitely capable of competing with anyone. McGriff had 18 points and 7 rebounds in that game. They’ll need a similar output if they want to pull off a first-round upset.
We saw a 14-seed win a tournament game last year, so it’s not out of the question. The CAA hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2012, but UNC Wilmington hopes to change that.