WILMINGTON, North Carolina – It's a sprint to the finish for the UNCW men's basketball team when the Seahawks take on Elon's Phoenix in a single game on Saturday (Feb. 27) to conclude the Colonial Athletic Association regular season schedule.
 
The Seahawks, 7-8 overall and 1-5 in the CAA, and Phoenix, 6-8 and 3-7, collide in a 6 p.m. tilt at Trask Coliseum. The game supplants a two-game series scheduled this weekend between UNCW and College of Charleston, which was canceled earlier in the week due to Covid-19 protocols in the Cougar program.
 
The UNCW-Elon matchup will be carried locally on The Breeze, 95.9 FM, with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro and color analyst Marty Feurer on the call. The game may also be heard worldwide on the station's website, www.959thebreeze.com. Video will be available by subscription on FloHoops.com.
 
"Our guys are hanging in there, but it's been tough on them mentally," said UNCW Head Coach Takayo Siddle, who is approaching March Madness in his first season on the bench for the Seahawks. "It's been challenging for us. We'll continue to move forward.
 
"I told our guys we just have to find a way to get the job done. It's tough not being able to play the way we want to play. I understand what we're dealing with. As a coach, you have to be ready to make adjustments.
 
"Everybody has to be ready to play extended minutes. We just have to find a way, stick together, get through this, and finish the season strong."
 
UNCW returns to the court for the first time since Jan. 31 when the Seahawks fell, 89-83, to Hofstra in the second game of a two-game weekend series in Wilmington. Siddle's club sailed through the non-conference portion of the schedule with all nine of its scheduled games, but has had conference series with Drexel, James Madison, Elon, William & Mary and Northeastern wiped out.
 
The Seahawks, who have had nine straight games postponed, are making final preparations for next weekend's CAA Tournament in Harrisonburg, Va. UNCW is locked into the No. 10 seed and will face the No. 7 seed next Saturday, March 6, at 7 p.m. The opponent is yet to be determined, depending on the outcome of games on the final weekend.
 
Senior guard Ty Gadsden has made 44 consecutive free throws and owns the nation's longest streak. He shattered T.J. Carter's school record of 37 straight on Jan. 24, 2021, and has not missed a free throw in nine consecutive contests dating back to the 6:06 mark of the second half at Ole Miss. Gadsden is just one free throw shy of matching the CAA record for consecutive free throws made (45) by VCU's Willie Taylor in 2001-02.
 
Elon carries a three-game winning streak to the North Carolina coast. The Phoenix completed a conference sweep of William & Mary on Monday with a 73-54 decision at the Schar Center. The Phoenix opened the game with a 14-4 spurt and led by as many as 30 points midway through the second half. Elon forced 21 Tribe turnovers and was paced by Bryant transfer Ikenna Ndugba's 17 points, four rebounds and four assists.
 
Saturday's tilt marks the 25th meeting between UNCW and Elon, including their 14th as CAA opponents. The series is knotted at 12-all, but Elon, which joined the CAA in 2014-15, has claimed four of the last five tips between the two teams.
 
The Seahawks are coming off their third pause of the season, so Siddle isn't sure what Saturday will bring.
 
"I have no idea what to expect," said the Seahawks' bench boss. "I hope we can score the basketball. My main worry is if we can score enough points to get into our press. I know our guys will be exhausted, but I know they will play as hard as they can."
 
Seahawk Storylines

• The Seahawks will recognize five seniors prior to the tipoff: John Bowen, Jay Estime', Ty Gadsden, Jack Mehrtens, Mike Okauru.
• The Seahawks have played the fewest number of conference games in the CAA (6).
• UNCW has lost three consecutive games. The team's last win came in a 77-70 home decision over Delaware on Jan. 23. The Seahawks stand 3-3 at home this season.
• The Phoenix won the first six games in the series before the Seahawks claimed six consecutive matchups until Elon's win on Feb. 28, 2015. The two teams did not play for 19 years and resumed the series during the 2004-05 campaign. Mike Schrage is the fifth Elon coach the Seahawks have faced through the years
• Per N.C. Governor Roy Cooper's announcement late Wednesday, the Seahawks will allow 780 fans in Trask Coliseum. Only limited team pass lists were permitted before this weekend.
• One of the CAA's best offenses, UNCW (77.3 ppg) goes up against the league's top-rated defense (Elon, 65.6 ppg).
• UNCW stands 3-3 at Trask Coliseum this season, including three consecutive home losses.