WILMINGTON, N.C. ? UNC Wilmington and Vermont will meet at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, in the BracketBusters men's basketball game being hosted by the Seahawks at Trask Coliseum.

     Coach Benny Moss and his club will be facing the Catamounts for the first time on the hardwood.

     Vermont stands 12-11 overall and 7-4 in the America East. Third-year coach Mike Lonergan's club has won six of its last eight games and features talented sophomore Marqus Blakely, who is averaging 18.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. The Catamounts play Boston, Stony Brook and Hartford before making their way south to North Carolina.

     In addition to UNCW's matchup with the Catamounts, other games involving Colonial Athletic Association teams include George Mason at Ohio, VCU at Akron, Northeastern at Holy Cross, Loyola (Chicago) at William & Mary, Bucknell at Old Dominion, Delaware at Toledo, Morehead State at James Madison, Hofstra at Iona, High Point at Towson, Fairfield at Drexel and Georgia State at Jacksonville State.

      Like UNCW, Vermont enjoyed a strong run in the NCAA's early this decade. The Catamounts and former skipper Tom Brennan, now an ESPN commentator, reached the NCAA Tournament in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Longeran piloted UVM to the America East regular season championship with a 25-8 record last season.

      Vermont has already played three CAA clubs, going 1-2 against George Mason, Towson and Delaware. The Patriots edged the Catamounts, 60-53, in the season opener on Nov. 9 and Vermont evened the score with the CAA on Nov. 24 with a 59-57 nailbiter over Towson. Delaware then downed the Catamounts, 71-60, on Dec. 19 in Burlington.

      The Seahawks have played three America East foes through the years, amassing a 5-3 record against Boston (0-2), Maine (4-1) and New Hampshire (1-0).