Colorful NCAA sendoff for UNCW Seahawks

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The UNCW men’s basketball team and their entourage landed in Providence, Rhode Island Tuesday afternoon. We were on campus Tuesday morning when the players were greeted with a colorful sendoff. UNCW is the 13th seed in the West Regional of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Seahawks will play Duke, the 4th seed.

The UNCW men’s basketball team and their entourage landed in Providence, Rhode Island Tuesday afternoon. We were on campus Tuesday morning when the players were greeted with a colorful sendoff. UNCW is the 13th seed in the West Regional of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Seahawks will play Duke, the 4th seed.

The Seahawk men’s basketball team is in Providence. We don’t know when they’re going to come back, but we know one thing. We don’t want this to be a quick trip. A quick trip would mean a loss against Duke on Thursday, but the UNCW basketball players don’t want any part of that. They’re on a mission to survive and advance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

“It means a lot. It puts us on the map,” UNCW Chancellor Zito Sartarelli told WWAY on Tuesday. “I think we’ll have lots of publicity on national tv. That’s very important to us. We’re very proud of them. It’s all part of building the Seahawk community to become an effective community and to be a part of this great university.”

“It’s an unbelievable day to fly. It’s a great day to be a Seahawk,” UNCW head coach Kevin Keatts said before departing Wilmington on Tuesday. “It’s very special, the opportunity we have in front of us. I am happy for these young men to get the opportunity to play on a national stage in front of a great program, Duke.”

It’s not just the men’s basketball team heading to Providence on a charter flight. The UNCW cheerleaders, dance team and mascot will all be there as well. In fact they joined the basketball on Tuesday’s charter flight to Providence.

This is the fifth appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament for UNCW.