WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW's topsy-turvy men's basketball season continues in Harrisonburg, Va., this weekend when the 37th Colonial Athletic Association Men's Basketball Championship convenes at James Madison's new Atlantic Union Bank Center.
 
The Seahawks, who finished the regular season at 7-9 overall and 1-6 in the CAA, enter the event as the No. 10 seed and will take on No. 7 William & Mary at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The Tribe wound up 6-9 and 4-6 in the regular campaign.
 
The UNCW-W&M matchup will be carried locally on The Breeze, 95.9 FM, with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro 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.
 
"It will be difficult, but we just need to make some adjustments and try to get the job done," said Takayo Siddle, who is wrapping up his first season in the lead chair. "We just want to get back to who we are. We're going to press, try to get into the passing lanes and be who we are. We want to get back to playing UNCW basketball."
 
The Seahawks eye their seventh CAA title this weekend and their first since 2017. The Seahawks captured championships in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2016 and 2017. As the No. 9 seed, the Seahawks fell to No. 8 Drexel, 66-55, in the 2020 CAA Tournament at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
 
The Seahawks are tied with former conference member Old Dominion for the most CAA titles (6). UNCW has played in a CAA-record 11 championship games.
 
UNCW and W&M are playing each other in the CAA Tournament for only the third time. The Seahawks and Tribe last hooked up in the single elimination event on March 5, 2017, in a shootout at the North Charleston Coliseum. UNCW outlasted W&M, 105-95, in one of the highest scoring affairs in tournament history.
 
"We know William & Mary's personnel and we'll be ready for them," Siddle continued. "They have some very talented players on their team. They space you out and shoot the three well. We have to do a good job of guarding off the bounce and guarding the three-point line. We'll have our hands full."
 
In its last appearance, the Seahawks returned to the floor following a 27-day layoff due to Covid-19 protocols and fell, 80-77, against Elon last Saturday at Trask Coliseum. UNCW fell behind 34-9, but stormed back to take the lead before Kris Wooten's three-pointer at the buzzer lifted the Phoenix to the road win.
 
UNCW leads the all-times series with W&M, 45-31, but the Seahawks and Tribe did not play during the regular season after the series on Feb. 13-14 was canceled.
 
According to Siddle, "The biggest thing for us will be to impose our will. We have to play with great speed, touch the paint and extend our pressure without fouling. We have to use our defense to create offense. Can we go out and execute? That's the question."
 
Senior guard Ty Gadsden set a CAA record by making all four of his free throw attempts against Elon to extend his streak of free throws to 48 in a row. The Charlotte product has not missed a free throw in 10 consecutive contests dating back to the 6:06 mark of the second half at Ole Miss. Gadsden eclipsed the CAA record of 45 straight free throws set by VCU's Willie Taylor in 2001-02.
 
Seahawk Storylines

• UNCW has dropped four consecutive games. The club's last win came in a 77-70 home decision over Delaware on Jan. 23.
   
• The Seahawks have a rich CAA Tournament history, tying for the most championships in the CAA with six trophies, owning a conference-record 41 tournament victories and playing in a CAA-record 11 championship games.
   
• The Seahawks lead the league in assist-turnover ratio (1.47) during conference games. Siddle's club also ranks second in scoring offense (73.6), second in free throw percentage (.804) and second in turnover margin (+4.29).
   
• Senior guard Mike Okauru has been a picture of versatility for the Seahawks, appearing in the CAA statistical rankings in nine different categories. He tops the CAA in minutes played with 37.6 minutes per contest.
   
• Siddle has used six different starting lineups in 2020-21. Okauru is the only player to start all 16 regular season contests.
   
• UNCW is the No. 10 seed for the only the third time (2007, 2019).
   
• The Seahawks have compiled a 41-29 record in the event.