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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Seahawks Christen New Season With No. 1 Tar Heels

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Talk about a heckuva way to start the season.
 
The UNCW men's basketball team, fresh off winning the 2022 College Basketball Invitational championship, officially opens the 2022-23 campaign late Monday with a visit to Chapel Hill to take on preseason No. 1 North Carolina.
 
The Seahawks, 27-9 one year ago, return seven lettermen – two starters - off last year's resilient club and welcome eight newcomers to a roster full of talent and depth. UNCW will be facing a No. 1-ranked team for the first time when the ball is tipped at the Dean E. Smith Center.
 
The much-anticipated matchup will be carried locally on The Breeze 95.9 FM by Seahawk play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro. It will also air on the ACC Network, with Doug Sherman and Randolph Childress calling the action.
 
"North Carolina is ranked preseason No. 1 and for good reason," said third-year UNCW Head Coach Takayo Siddle, the 2022 Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year. "It will be a tall task. We're just focused on getting better and doing us at a high level."
 
"It was good for us to be in Trask again. I really appreciate our fans coming out and supporting us. I love our depth, the energy and activity of our group. I learned a lot about our group. Every time we get on the court, whether it's in practice or scrimmages, I learn a little more about our group. We have a lot ways to go, but I like what I've seen so far."
 
Both teams dominated their exhibition tune-ups. UNCW trounced NCAA Division II Emory & Henry, 88-47, last Wednesday's night behind 16 points from senior guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes and sophomore guard Trazarien White. North Carolina breezed past Johnson C. Smith, 101-40, outscoring the Golden Bulls, 46-11, in the second half.
 
After powering the Tar Heels to last year's national championship game, senior big man Armando Bacot led the way for the Tar Heels in the exhibition verdict with 12 points and 20 rebounds on Oct. 28. The Richmond, Va., product is a Preseason AP All-American pick and racked up ACC Preseason Player of the Year honors. He averaged a career-best 16.3 points and 13.1 rebounds and registered 31 double-doubles one year ago, tying the NCAA record and breaking Wake Forest great Tim Duncan's mark for the ACC single season record.
 
Monday marks the sixth meeting between the in-state programs. The Tar Heels have won all five clashes, including three at the Dean E. Smith Center. North Carolina raced past UNCW, 78-62, in the last pairing on Nov. 8, 2019, at Trask Coliseum.
 
The Seahawks are playing their lone ACC opponent of the regular season. UNCW stands 2-43 lifetime against the Power 5 league and fell at Pittsburgh, 59-51, last November in its last test vs. the conference.
 
Following Monday's clash, the Seahawks return to the coast to entertain Allen on Friday in the home opener at Trask Coliseum. Tip is set for 7 p.m. against the Yellow Jackets.
UNCW-UNC Net Notes: UNCW is beginning its 72nd season of basketball and 46th year of NCAA Division I hoops…The Seahawks stand 1-35 against ranked opponents through the years…UNCW has split its last 10 season openers and lost at Illinois State, 68-63, one year ago…Overall, UNCW stands 26-30 in season openers…The Tar Heels earned 47 of a possible 62 first-place votes in the Preseason AP poll…It marks the 10th time in UNC's history that the Tar Heels have been the top-ranked team in the preseason…Monday kick starts a busy month for the Seahawks, who play nine games in the opening month of the campaign.

 
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