It’s Not Luck

With all due respect to Ken Pomeroy’s rating system, UNCW’s ability to consistently perform well under pressure and win close games cannot be quantified by even the greatest formula on the planet.

Luck has nothing to do with the Seahawks making a 14-point rally in Saturday’s win over Missouri State, or grinding out a victory in the back-and-forth rock fight with UNT.

Asked in his postgame interview how UNCW pulled this one off, he shared his explanation of the late-game heroics.

“How’d we pull it off? We’ve got some tough dudes in that locker room, that’s how we pulled it off,” he said. “Our culture is really good, and it’s going to stay that way, and our guys buy into it.

“Man, that was a huge win. I just told our SID, ‘Man, we got better every single day here.’ our guys, I’m so proud of them because they adjusted from day to day.’”

Not only did UNCW just beat what will likely be a top-40 defensive team, it did it with one night of preparation and no practice.

That’s why, just as we said after the Oklahoma game, the Seahawks sticking to their identity as a tough, energetic team is more important than anything the coaches can scheme up.

Vintage UNCW Defense

For the fans yearning for a return to the program’s early-2000s defensive identity, it sure appears this group has a chance to finally make it happen.

Over the three Baha Mar game, UNCW forced an average of 16.3 turnovers. Of those turnovers, the Seahawks got 8.3 steals per game, helping them to outscore opponents 47-16 off turnovers.

Not only were the Hawks opportunistic in terms of creating havoc, they were sound in positional defense, forcing opponents to shoot 59 of 143 (41.2 percent) from the field. They were especially good at guarding the 3-point line — an area that was a little shaky earlier this season — as opponents hit just 17 of 63 attempts beyond the arc.

So far, this team has shown it has several unique abilities on the defensive end, with Shykeim Phillips and Thomas both able to hound opposing ballhandlers, while Maleeck Harden-Hayes can really affect opponents with his length. On the back end, Kelly has the potential to be one of the top rim protectors in the CAA.

White took home MVP honors for his play, and while he averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds in the tournament, it all started with his work on the defensive end.

“He’s starting to take his time to pick and choose when he’s attacking, but he’s starting it off with his defense,” Siddle said. “His defensive intensity, his toughness diving on loose balls, those are energy plays that get him going. Then, that leads to him being more confident on the offensive end

“He’s growing, he’s maturing; he’s got a long way to go. Proud of him — not satisfied — but very proud of the whole group.”

We’ve Got Dudes

If you were told before the game that Phillips would make one shot from the field and finish with two points, what are the odds that UNCW wins that game?

Apparently pretty good this season thanks to an unusual amount of depth and what Siddle sees as another benefit of the program’s culture.

Take for example Thomas’ weekend, going from a solid 28-minute, 13-point performance on Friday to a tough 17-minute, 2-point outing on Saturday as he saw fellow guard Donovan Newby take most of his minutes in the second half.

Rather than sulking, Thomas started strong, scoring 10 points on 3 of 4 shooting in the first half on Sunday.

“He didn’t play well yesterday,” Siddle said. “His attitude was perfect, he was a team guy; he had a great shootaround this morning and he came out and he was a huge reason we won the game.”

Six different players posted double-figure scoring totals in Nassau, while Thomas, Phillips and White took turns as the leading scorer.

Newby, meanwhile, saved his best for when the Hawks needed him the most, scoring 25 points on 41 second-half minutes, hitting 7 of 8 3-point attempts.

Jamahri Harvey scored a total of 12 points, but he had a hand in winning the Vermont game thanks to his energy and drawing three charges, earning the Toughness Chain for his efforts.

At various points of all three games, you can point to different guys stepping up and taking care of business in their role — no matter how big or small.

That’s a testament to a team willing to do whatever it takes to win games rather than worrying about who puts up the big numbers.

Cream Rising to the Top

That was just a hell of a run against teams that might be playing in March, bringing an uncommon level of intensity to November matchups.

We saw exactly why UNT won 25 games last season, and why they’ll have a say in the Conference USA championship. Vermont looked every part of the preseason America East champion, while Missouri State showed the makings of a team that will finish in the upper half of the Missouri Valley.

Those wins are incredibly important for how UNCW and the CAA are slotted nationally against other mid-majors and can build a perception that lasts for the entire season.

So, Where Are We?

Every time we get a chance to watch this team play, it feels like something special is going to happen. How awesome is that?

It seems like so long ago that we were watching those wins at Charleston and JMU last season, unsure of whether this team could hold up under the pressure of those big moments.

Now, we’re looking forward to those moments to see just what the Hawks are going to do next. Who’s it going to be this time? Is Shykeim going to do the thing that everyone on the floor knows he’s going to do, but can’t stop it?

Siddle talks about the maturity he’s seeing from Thomas and White, and in some ways, we probably all think back to our first couple of years at UNCW when we did some growing up, too. (We just didn’t have to do it on a basketball court, in front of thousands.)

This team has become so much fun to watch because it embodies, for 40 minutes at a time, so many of the values we want to see in our lives. The resilience to make huge comebacks. The trust to step back and allow someone else to take the shots. The joy the guys on the bench have for their teammates. The toughness to hang around in a slugfest like the one we saw Sunday.

No doubt, this team has plenty to improve on and a long way to go before CAA play, but man, are we lucky to have the chance to watch it grow.

Enjoy every second, because we’ve seen how quickly it can go away.

Up Next

After returning stateside, UNCW heads to Conway, S.C. to visit Coastal Carolina on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., ESPN+). The Chanticleers are 3-2 with wins over South Dakota, Methodist and St. Mary’s (Md.) and losses to Missouri and USC Upstate.