Seahawks ready to claim CAA tourney title

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The UNCW men’s basketball team hasn’t won the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship since 2006. Will this be the year the Seahawks do it again? Will the drought end? There’s a very good chance it will. We caught up with UNCW head coach Kevin Keatts on Wednesday and his three seniors to get their take.

“I have to give these guys a lot of credit,” Kevin Keatts said on Wednesday. “Not only did they win 12 games and more games than last year they blew out of the water, for us to be sitting here with 12 wins is unbelievable.”

UNCW is not the only CAA team with 12 conference wins this season. In fact UNCW, William & Mary, Northeastern and James Madison all finished the regular season at 12-6 in league play. “It’s definitely a one bid league this year,” Keatts told WWAY. “I’ve always said this, I think in the future it’ll get back to being either two or three, it’s important, if you want to go to the NCAA you have to win this tournament.I think all ten teams and all ten teams know that and I think everyone will prepare for that.”

UNCW has a history in the NCAA Tournament, but the Seahawks have not been in the big dance since 2006.

“We have never talked about 20, never talked about winning 3 in a row, nor have we talked about NCAA,” Kevin Keatts reflected on Wednesday. “If we can win one game at a time I think you accomplish all of that.”

For the Seahawks the key word is focus. In fact Cedrick Williams says now it’s time to focus.”It’s do or do, you don’t want to look ahead because that’s when you fall short, if you overlook your current opponent.”

To win the tournament you have to win the first game. The Seahawks on Saturday will face The College of Charleston OR Drexel. They’ll face each other on Friday. “This year our mindset is different,” senior Freddie Jackson said. “Our attitude and approach is different. That’s the change I packed a lot of clothes, I actually packed two bags so I plan on staying there awhile, planning on staying there until Monday.”