Storrs, CT – Three days removed from a difficult road matchup with Big 12 opponent Oklahoma, the UNCW men’s basketball team heads to the Northeast to take on UConn late Friday, November 18 in the second leg of an early-season test with high major opponents for the Seahawks.
UNCW battles the No. 25 Huskies at 8:30 p.m. at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs. The matchup may be heard on 95.9 FM The Breeze with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro on the call, beginning at 8:15 p.m. The contest is being televised by Fox Sports 2.
The Seahawks find themselves at 1-2 on the young season following Tuesday night’s 74-53 loss to the Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. The Huskies of the Big East Conference are unbeaten through three games, easily defeating Stonehill, Boston and Buffalo.
In Tuesday’s contest, the Sooners dialed long distance, canning their first four three-point attempts and finishing with 10 triples. Oklahoma, which led wire-to-wire, wound up shooting 53 percent from the field and never allowed the Seahawks to get closer than 14 points in the second half.
Enter Head Coach Dan Hurley and the high-powered Huskies, who have battered their three opponents by an average of 26.7 ppg.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Hurley and how hard his guys play,” said third-year UNCW Head Coach Takayo Siddle. “This will be the best team that we’ve faced up to this point. With their talent, size and depth, it makes them one of the most complete teams in the country. For our group, we are looking to keep building our habits and taking steps forward.”
High-flying sophomore guard Trazarien White is an emerging star for the Seahawks. The Texas native is the only player to reach double figures in the first three games and is the team’s leading scorer (18.3 ppg) and rebounder (4.7 rpg). He has scored 19 (North Carolina), 18 (Allen) and 19 (Oklahoma) in his first three appearances of the new campaign.
UNCW is playing a ranked opponent for the second time in four games (lost at UNC, 69-56, on Nov. 7, 2022) and the 38th time overall. The Seahawks stand 1-36 against ranked teams through the years, facing 24 different rated teams. UNCW’s lone victory against a ranked opponent came on Mar. 14, 2002, when the Seahawks stunned No. 22 Southern Cal in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Sacramento.
Following Friday’s clash with the Huskies, the Seahawks return to the North Carolina coast to entertain NCAA Division II Mount Olive on Monday (Nov. 21) at Trask Coliseum. UNCW romped past another DII foe, Allen, in their home debut on Nov. 11 by a 104-55 score.
Source: Joe Browning, UNCW Senior Associate A.D.
