Seahawks to battle Bearkats, but can they spell it?

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The UNCW men’s basketball team will be playing the Sam Houston State Bearkats on Wednesday in the CIT Tournament in Huntsville, Teaxs. The Seahawks obviously want to beat the Bearkats, but can they spell it?

Sam Houston’s mascot is Bearkat. It’s spelled with a “k” instead of a “c”. Some of the UNCW seniors didn’t realize this when we caught up with them before they left for Texas. Was UNCW head coach Kevin Keatts able to come to their rescue?

Click the icon above to find out.

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HUNTSVILLE, TX (UNCW)-– The UNCW men’s basketball journeys more than 1,200 miles across the country for its seventh postseason appearance on Wednesday, March 18, as the Seahawks take on Southland Conference runner-up Sam Houston State in an opening-round matchup of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).

The Seahawks, 18-13, have not played in 10 days since falling, 78-71, to Colonial Athletic Association champion Northeastern in the semifinals of the CAA Tournament in Baltimore. The Bearkats bring a stellar 25-8 record into their second straight CIT appearance at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum one hour north of Houston.

“We’re facing a good team, but we’re a pretty good team also,” said first-year UNCW skipper Kevin Keatts, a finalist for CollegeInsider.com’s Joe B. Hall and Ben Jobe Awards. “Our guys are getting to play for the first time in March. We’re going to play against a very good basketball team in Sam Houston State. They won 25 games and start four seniors and a junior. We’re very excited about having an opportunity play in the postseason.”

UNCW collected its first postseason berth since 2006 by defying the odds in a startling debut under Keatts. The Seahawks were picked to finish ninth in the 10-team CAA, but proved pundits wrong by forging a four-way share of the regular season championship and winning the most games for the program in six seasons.

It was a gratifying debut for Keatts, who wants the Seahawks to enjoy the fruits of one of the nation’s best turnaround seasons. “We just want to take one possession at a time. We don’t look past the next game and always want to keep focused. We want to be in a position to win at the end of the game.”

The Seahawks are anchored by the senior trio of Freddie Jackson (13.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Addison Spruill (14.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Cedrick Williams (7.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg). Spruill collected First-Team All-CAA honors, Jackson was named to the Second-Team and Williams turned in a 19-point, 13-rebound performance in UNCW’s CAA quarterfinal victory over Charleston.

A four-year standout from Murfreesboro, Tenn., Williams will tie UNCW’s career record for appearances by playing in his 125th game on Wednesday, matching all-time great Brett Blizzard and slippery playmaker Chad Tomko.

Sam Houston State is the eighth opponent from the state of Texas the Seahawks have faced through the years. UNCW stands 4-5 against opponents from the Lone Star State and is playing in Texas for the first time since Nov. 23, 2004, when North Texas edged UNCW, 75-69, in Denton.

The Bearkats and sixth-year Head Coach Jason Hooten are making their second consecutive appearance in the CIT. Sam Houston defeated Alabama State, 71-49, in the first round in Huntsville last year before dropping a close 77-72 decision to San Diego in another home game at Johnson Coliseum.

Sam Houston’s veteran lineup includes senior starters DeMarcus Gatlin (10.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg), Kaheem Ransom (9.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Jabari Peters (9.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Michael Holyfield (8.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg). The Bearkats have fashioned back-to-back 20-win seasons and amassed 80 victories since the group arrived four years ago.

UNCW has advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times, with CAA championships in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2006, NIT berths in 1998 and 2001, and the initial CIT bid this season.

Like its predecessor, the NIT, the CIT is experimenting with the use of a 30-second shot clock, instead of the usual 35-second clock.

“It will force a few more challenged shots at the end,” said Keatts. “The way we play, it doesn’t really affect us at all. I would much rather have had the experimentation during the preseason tournaments.”

Wednesday’s battle with the Bearkats may 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 will also be available on Twitter by following @UNCWmenshoops.