UNC-Wilmington Seahawks: 29-5, 15-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association
Head coach: Kevin Keatts (3rd season)
Players to watch: C.J. Bryce (17.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.0 APG); Chris Flemmings (15.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.1 APG); Devontae Cacok (12.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 79.9 FG%)
Season Recap: UNC-Wilmington head coach Kevin Keatts has now taken the Seahawks to the postseason in back-to-back years after the program failed to qualify for the postseason eight straight years before his arrival. A year after UNC-Wilmington led Duke by three at the half in the first round, the team enters the tournament riding high—it set a CAA Tournament record by averaging 91.3 points per game on its three-game path to the conference championship.
The Seahawks are led by standout sophomore guard C.J. Bryce, a first-team All-CAA selection, along with fellow backcourt star Chris Flemmings. Bryce had 11 games with 20 or more points this season, and Flemmings made the first team for the second year in a row, becoming just the fourth UNC-Wilmington player to accomplish the feat. The Seahawks enter the tournament riding a seven-game win streak and have been one of the most explosive offensive teams in college basketball. They lead the CAA in scoring offense with 85.2 points per game—good for 10th in the nation—and boast four players averaging at least 12 points per game.
How they make a run: Bryce continues his hot streak, and UNC-Wilmington's dominant offense outmatches fifth-seeded Virginia's stalwart defense en route to the first-round upset win it could not pull off last year against Duke. Six-foot-7 forward Devontae Cacok matches up well with opposing bigs in the post, and the Seahawks provide enough defense for their offense to run away with the tempo on their way to the second weekend.
How they falter: The cinderella run ends before it begins for the second year in a row as Bryce and the offense get stuck against a tougher defensive opponent.
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