Seahawks Seek Seventh CAA Crown

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW begins the quest for an unprecedented seventh Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball championship on Saturday when the Seahawks return to Charleston for an opening-round CAA Tournament clash with Elon.

The 10^th-seeded Seahawks, 9-22 overall, take on the No. 7 Phoenix in a 6:30 p.m. tip-off at the North Charleston Coliseum. UNCW just played in the Holy City last weekend, falling, 70-61 to the College of Charleston in the regular season finale for both clubs at TD Arena.

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Live Seahawk Digital Network (SDN) coverage of the UNCW-Elon contest begins at 6:15 p.m. with Mike Vaccaro, the "Voice of the Seahawks," and color analyst Marty Feurer on the call. Visit UNCWsports.com/SDN for live audio coverage of the tournament debut for the Seahawks.

A radio broadcast of the game may be heard on 95.9 FM "The Breeze" | WKXB HD 2 – 95.9 FM and 99.9 HD2 and live stats are available at UNCWStats.com.

The Seahawks are appearing in their 35th CAA Tournament and have compiled a 40-27 (.597) record in the event. UNCW, the No. 10 seed for the only the second time (2007), captured championships in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2016 and 2017.

Overall, the Seahawks have lost in the opening round five times, been eliminated in the quarterfinals seven times, advanced to the semifinals 21 times, and reached the championship 11 times. With 40 tournament victories, UNCW owns more wins than any other club in the CAA Tournament.

The Seahawks have enjoyed some success at the North Charleston Coliseum. UNCW has posted a 4-1 at the venue after sweeping three games in the 2017 CAA Tournament and splitting a pair of contests one year ago.

Ironically, Elon is the only current CAA member the Seahawks have not played in the league's post-season tournament. The Phoenix swept the regular season series with the Seahawks, winning 89-82 at Trask Coliseum on Jan. 26 and 84-77 at the new Schar Center on Feb. 21.

Picked to finish eighth in the CAA's preseason poll, Elon wound up in seventh place in the regular season standings and enters the tourney as one of the league's hottest teams. The Phoenix have won three of their last four outings, including a road sweep of James Madison and Towson last weekend.

A veteran – senior forward Devontae Cacok – and newbie – rookie playmaker Kai Toews – lead the Seahawks into Saturday's battle with the Phoenix.

Cacok, a two-time First-Team All-CAA performer, makes his 128^th career appearance and 96^th start at UNCW. He tops the NCAA ranks in total rebounds (381) and double-doubles (22) after leading the nation in field goal percentage in 2017 and rebounds per game in 2018.

The Riverdale, Ga., product has collected 1,556 points and ranks fourth all-time in scoring at UNCW. He also continues to build on his school rebounding record with 1,238 boards.

Toews, meanwhile, earned All-CAA Rookie honors after starting 30-of-31 games and steering the team as a freshman. The Tokyo point guard is averaging 8.8 points with 243 assists. He is tied for fourth on the CAA's single season assist list with Hofstra's Juan'ya Green and needs just two dimes to break Rick Alessi's longtime single season mark at UNCW.

THE STORYLINES

THE SERIES: Saturday marks the 22nd meeting between UNCW and Elon, but just the 11th as CAA opponents. UNCW owns a slim 11-10 advantage in the series and has taken five of the last eight battles between the two teams since Elon joined the CAA in the 2014-15 season.

LOOKING BACK: The Seahawks split a pair of games one year ago at the CAA Tournament. UNCW upset No. 3 Hofstra, 93-88, behind Jordon Talley's 37-point explosion in the quarterfinals before falling to No. 2 seeded Northeastern, 79-52, in the semifinals.

CLOSE CALLS: Twelve of UNCW's 31 games have been decided by five points or less, with five overtime contests. Eight of UNCW's last 15 CAA games have been decided by four points or less.

NORTH CAROLINA OPPONENTS: The Seahawks stand 1-7 against North Carolina clubs in 2018-19, with the lone victory coming over rival East Carolina back on Nov. 27. UNCW owns a 244-246 (.499) record against 29 opponents from the state of North Carolina through the years.

EVERYTHING SEAHAWKS: For more information on the UNCW men's basketball team, visit UNCWsports.com and click on the men's basketball button. Additional information is also available on UNCW's social media channels: Facebook (UNCW Men's Basketball), Twitter (@UNCWmenshoops), Instagram (UNCWBasketball).

2019 CAA Men's Basketball Championship, presented by Jersey Mike's Subs
March 9-12, 2019 | North Charleston Coliseum | North Charleston, S.C.

Saturday, March 9 – First Round
G1 - #8 James Madison vs. #9 Towson – 4 p.m.
G2 - #7 Elon vs. #10 UNCW – 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 10 – Quarterfinals
G3 - #1 Hofstra vs. JMU/Towson winner – Noon
G4 - #4 William & Mary vs. #5 Delaware – 2:30 p.m.
G5 - #2 Northeastern vs. Elon/UNCW winner – 6 p.m.
G6 - #3 Charleston vs. #6 Drexel – 8:30 p.m.

Monday, March 11 – Semifinals
G7 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 – 6 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Jordon Talley: G; 6' 1"; Senior

#15 Devontae Cacok: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#10 Kai Toews: G; 6' 2"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#4 Jordon Talley
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

#15 Devontae Cacok
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#10 Kai Toews
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: G

UNC Wilmington Athletics

Scoreboard

Events/Results

Seahawks Seek Seventh CAA Crown

Players Mentioned

#4 Jordon Talley

#15 Devontae Cacok

#10 Kai Toews

Players Mentioned

#4 Jordon Talley

#15 Devontae Cacok

#10 Kai Toews