UNCW students gather at Trask for NCAA Tournament matchup watch party

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) –The UNC Wilmington men’s basketball team is gearing up for a thrilling March Madness matchup against Texas Tech after the NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed earlier this evening. The team will travel to Kansas City to take on the third-seeded Red Raiders.

Hundreds of Seahawks—past, present, and future—gathered at Trask Coliseum to witness the highly anticipated announcement. The excitement was palpable as fans and players alike eagerly awaited the news of who the Seahawks would face in their NCAA Tournament game.

UNCW Head Coach Takayo Siddle expressed confidence but acknowledged the challenge ahead. “They play extremely hard. They are one of the hardest playing teams in the country, so that will be the first order of business — getting our guys to understand that,” said Siddle.

After leading the Seahawks to a CAA Championship, Siddle emphasized the importance of staying focused and not getting complacent. “We need to flip our mind and prepare to win… you know, we are happy to be here for sure, but we wanna win some games in the tournament, so we’re going to go out there and attack it that way. We’ll see what happens,” he added.

Fans who attended the announcement shared their excitement about the upcoming matchup, with many expressing confidence in their team. “It’s going to be a tough matchup, but you know, we’ve played really good so far. The momentum’s going, so we’ll see what happens. Ya know, maybe we’ll go all the way… we’ll see,” one fan said.

As the excitement built, the crowd rallied together in support of their team, with some shouting, “Go Seahawks!” in unison.

The Seahawks are the 14th seed in the tournament and will face the third-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders on Thursday in their first March Madness appearance since 2017.