CAA Tournament; Seahawks to face Cougars Saturday

BALTIMORE, MD (UNCW) — Colonial Athletic Association Coach-of-the-Year Kevin Keatts hopes his team can put an exclamation point on an exhilarating season by reeling off three straight victories in the 2015 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship, starting with Saturday’s quarterfinal clash against rival College of Charleston at historic Royal Farms Arena.

The No. 2-seeded Seahawks, who went 17-12 overall and 12-6 in the regular season, take on the No. 10-seeded Cougars, 9-23 and 4-15, at 6 p.m. in the third of four quarterfinal games in Charm City. The winner plays the victor of the 8:30 p.m. Saturday matchup between No. 3 Northeastern and No. 6 Delaware in the semifinals on Sunday at 5 p.m.

Charleston rallied in the second half to knock off No. 7 Drexel, 56-48, in the second of two Friday night games behind junior guard Canyon Barry’s 19 points, including 14 points in the second half as the Cougars stormed back from a 29-24 halftime deficit.

In one of the most competitive seasons in CAA history, UNCW wound up in a four-tie tie for the CAA regular season championship with James Madison, Northeastern after being tabbed to finish ninth out of 10 teams in the regular season race.

“We’re just trying to keep the guys focused at this point,” said Keatts. “We’ve never talked about winning 20 games, winning three in a row or going to the NCAAs. If we can win one game at a time, we can accomplish all of that.”

The Seahawks have already surpassed what most observers thought they could in 2014-15. Keatts and his knowledgeable staff reshaped a team that went 9-23 one year ago and navigated a schedule that featured 17 road games with poise and acumen.

“Coming into the year, we wanted to win more conference games than last year,” Keatts reflected. “We wanted to improve on our conference record and we’ve certainly done that. I have to give our guys a lot of credit. Not only did they win more games than last year, they blew it out of the water. For us to be sitting here with 12 conference wins is a testimony to how hard our guys have worked.”

The Seahawks are appearing in their 30th CAA postseason tourney, but are making only their second appearance at Royal Farms Arena. While the team has compiled a 32-25 (.571) record in CAA tourney action, UNCW is looking for its first win in Baltimore following last year’s 78-70 first-round loss to Hofstra.

UNCW has won four CAA men’s championships (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006) and advanced to post season six times (NIT in 1998 and 2001). With Keatts steering an experienced group of players this season, the postseason drought should end in the coming weeks.

The Seahawks are the No. 2 seed for the sixth time and the first time since the 2008 campaign. UNCW has fashioned a 7-4 record as the No. 2 seed at the conference tourney.

UNCW swept both regular season games from CofC, winning, 58-56, in an overtime thriller in Charleston on Jan. 21 and completing the sweep with a 58-45 decision in Wilmington on Feb. 11 at Trask Coliseum.

The two teams will be meeting for the 18th time and Charleston holds a 10-7 advantage in the series. However, the Seahawks have won three in a row against their southern neighbors. The two teams have played into overtime four times in 17 games and UNCW has won three consecutive sudden death contests over CofC.

Barry, a junior guard, averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two regular season tilts vs. UNCW. First-Team All-CAA performer Addison Spruill of UNCW also averaged 13.5 points in the two games and collected 8.5 rebounds per outing.

Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup at Royal Farms Arena can be heard on the Seahawk Digital Network via UNCWsports.com. Fans should click on the “Live Events” button on the top right-hand corner of the main page and follow the prompts for the free broadcast. A 15-minute pregame show kicks off the coverage followed by first-half coverage, a 15-minute halftime show, second-half action and a 15-minute post-game show.

Live-in game updates are also available on Twitter by following @UNCWmenshoops.