Can UNCW break school record for consecutive wins tonight?

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — UNCW holds more than just a home court advantage this season in men’s basketball. “It’s a weird deal because we have been equally as good this year on the road as we have at home when you talk about our road success and our home success,” UNCW head basketball coach Kevin Keatts told WWAY on Wednesday.  “It’s a good thing with our conference being so balanced that it really doesn’t matter where you play. We’re happy that we have a great home court advantage with the students and the fans.We never talk about a streak. We never talk about the kind of record we can break. We’re just trying to concentrate on Elon.”

UNCW will host Elon on Thursday. The Seahawks can set a school record for consecutive wins with a victory over the Phoenix.

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WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) — The sizzling UNCW men’s basketball team returns to its home floor on Thursday night to open a two-game homestand when Elon visits Trask Coliseum for the second time as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.

The Seahawks, 18-5 overall and 10-2 in the CAA, own a one-game lead over William & Mary in the league standings and bring a nine-game winning streak into the 7 p.m. tip-off. Coach Kevin Keatts’ surprising club received votes in The Associated Press Top-25 poll early this week for the first time since 2005-06 and can set a school record for consecutive wins with a victory over the Phoenix.

“We’re just trying to stay the course,” said Keatts, who piloted the Seahawks to an 18-14 finish last season. With six games remaining in the regular season – four at home and two on the road – the Seahawks have already equaled the number of wins from one year ago.

“We just want to come out and play the best that we can. Every team in the conference has to play 18 games and we just have to win the games we can win. We’re just trying to stay in the moment and concentrate on our next opponent.”

Thursday marks the 15th meeting between the two state schools, but just the fourth as CAA opponents. The series is tied at 7-all and UNCW has taken two of the three matchups between the two teams since Elon joined the CAA last season.

The Seahawks have not lost to the Phoenix at Trask Coliseum in four outings, including last season when Elon faced UNCW for the first time in Wilmington as a CAA foe. UNCW has averaged 78.5 ppg in the four games in the Port City, while Elon has collected 65.5 ppg.

In the last game between the clubs, UNCW junior guard Chris Flemmings erupted for a career high 28 points and senior guard Craig Ponder added 21 as UNCW outscored Elon, 91-82, on Jan. 14 in Elon, N.C. The Seahawks shot a blistering 66.7 percent and scored 53 points in the second half to race past the long-range bombing Phoenix. UNCW shot 55.7 percent on the night with 16 assists. Luke Eddy paced Elon with 21 points and four assists.

Last year’s installment in Trask Coliseum was also a memorable one. Freddie Jackson came off the bench to lead the Seahawks with 15 points as UNCW blitzed Elon, 82-65, on Jan. 28, 2015, in the first CAA meeting between the two state schools. The Seahawks shot a torrid 62.1 percent in the first half to build a comfortable 47-23 margin at intermission and led by as many as 30 points down the stretch to improve to 7-1 at home. Dylan Sherwood and Cedrick Williams chipped in 14 points apiece for the Seahawks and Elijah Bryant had 17 for the Phoenix.

The Seahawks are bracing once again for Elon’s long distance barrage. The Phoenix lead the CAA with 9.8 treys per game and average 28.8 attempts each contest. UNCW, meanwhile, is averaging 6.9 attempts – seventh in the CAA – on 20 tries each time on the court.

“They shoot the ball and they get out in transition,” Keatts said of Elon’s long range attack. The Phoenix carry a 14-11 overall record and 5-7 conference mark to the coast.

“Matt (Matheny) does great job with his team. They shoot it from four different positions and bring guys off the bench who can score. They get out on transition and put so much pressure on your defense because they keep coming at you. It’s a big challenge for us. We had a very good game at their place and I expect one here.”

Keatts has brought winning back to Trask Coliseum. The Seahawks are a sparkling 9-1 on their home floor this season. The Seahawks stand 19-3 in 22 home games under Keatts, losing only to CAA rivals Hofstra (Jan. 3, 2015), William & Mary (Feb. 7, 2015) and Northeastern (Jan. 2, 2016).

Two of the big reasons for UNCW’s resurgence have been the emergence of Flemmings and the development of freshman guard C.J. Bryce. A walk-on transfer from Barton, Flemmings has been named CAA Player-of-the-Week twice and scored 23 of his game-high 25 points in the second half of Saturday’s 90-73 triumph at Northeastern. Bryce, meanwhile, had already set a program record by being named CAA Rookie-of-the-Week on four occasions.

UNCW faces the Phoenix on Thursday before entertaining James Madison’s Dukes early Saturday in the first NBC Sports Network production in Wilmington. The Seahawks have a chance to add to their list of sweeps this season after taking both games over   Drexel and Delaware.

All of UNCW’s games are carried live on the Seahawk Digital Network (SDN). Fans can visit UNCWsports.com, click the Live Events button, and select the game for a free audio/video feed of the contest. Seahawk basketball may also be heard over the radio airwaves on The Beach 94.1 FM/WLSG 1340 AM in Wilmington and New Hanover County and Freedom 97.1 FM/WSME 1120 AM in Jacksonville and Onslow County.

For more information on the Seahawks, like the team on Facebook (UNCW Men’s Basketball) or follow the team on Twitter (@UNCWMensHoops)