UNCW’s win over Jacksonville shows just how far program has come

UNCW 81, Jacksonville 53

What a difference a year makes, indeed.

Facing an opponent that delivered a humbling, 29-point defeat last season, the shoe was on the other foot this time around for UNCW, as the Seahawks jumped out early and never looked back in an 81-53 victory over Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon at Trask Coliseum.

The Twilight Zone-repeat of last season’s matchup followed an eerily similar script, with one team seemingly knocking down every shot, while the other couldn’t buy a bucket.

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Trazarien White led the Seahawks with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, while Maleeck Harden-Hayes posted a season-best 14 points.

UNCW (8-3) built a 15-point lead over the first nine minutes of the game, and Jacksonville (5-3) never got any closer over the next 30-plus minutes as the Seahawks cruised to their seventh straight win in what might have been the most complete performance of the Takayo Siddle era.

A few takeaways from the big win.

Making a Statement

In the lead-up to this game, it was billed as one between two tough, defensive-minded mid-majors that will likely be in the mix to win their leagues in March.

And given what happened last time around, it would have been easy for UNCW to get too fired up in search of revenge and relying a little too heavily on emotion over intelligence.

Instead, the Seahawks were on a mission from the opening tip.

The ball was moving with purpose and accuracy, from one side of the floor to the other and deep into the paint, and sometimes, back out again for open 3-point looks. When Seahawks caught the ball in the paint, they were ready to make a decisive move to the bucket, or they were a step ahead of the defense with a pass to a shooter on the wing.

Defensively, they were all over the place, forcing the Dolphins off their spots. UNCW played with physicality and active hands, but it did it without fouling — the mark of a team that knows where to be, and when to be there.

“The guys deserve all the credit,” Siddle said. “They really buy in to the scouting report and they go out and execute it to the ‘T’.

“That’s one of the qualities we’ve started to develop over the last few weeks to a month; we’ve been really locking into the scouting report and applying it out on the court, on both ends of the floor. They deserve all the credit; what a team win that was.”

Just as important as the quick start, the Seahawks quickly shook out the kind of lulls and sloppy play that develops when a team has complete control of the game.

Leading 34-19 after a shaky end to the first half, UNCW came out firing and quickly went back up by 20 in the second. Over the final 10 minutes, the Seahawks never saw their lead fall below 20.

Siddle was pleased to see his team continue playing and finish the game out strong — something that didn’t happen in Tuesday’s win over ECU.

It’s a major statement, and a major sign of maturity that a team can play to a standard rather than the scoreboard.

Locking It Down

Another game, another absurd defensive performance as the Seahawks saw their KenPom offensive ranking rise to No. 110.

In addition to the shooting woes above, opponents are averaging 15.3 turnovers per game, which is leading to an average of 15.9 points per game.

Structurally Sound

Defense has rightfully gotten most of the credit for UNCW’s success, but lately, the offense has taken major steps forward.

“We’ve tweaked some things, if you’ve noticed,” Siddle said. “We’re really trying to go inside-out early, and we’re really trying to be set-heavy in the first half.”

Saturday’s first two baskets were post entries to big man Amari Kelly, who then used the extra defensive attention he commanded to set up open looks for teammates, helping the Seahawks make 29 of 54 attempts (53.7 percent) from the field — the best percentage of the season vs. a Division I opponent.

That included an efficient 9 of 21 performance (42.9 percent) from 3-point range, as the collapsing Dolphin defense gave UNCW all kind of room on the perimeter.

“Leading up, probably three or four games ago, our efficiency in the first half was bad,” Siddle said. “We wanted to just kind of be more structured in the first half — and in the second half — just to be more efficient, and it’s paying off for us right now.”

Starting With Defense

After drawing rave reviews from coaches and teammates during the preseason, Harden-Hayes took some time to find his footing at UNCW, averaging 3.2 points and 3 rebounds over the first five games.

Things started clicking for him in Nassau, and since returning home, the dynamic wing seems to be hitting his stride as a two-way contributor.

“When you play defense first and you have great energy on that end of the floor, and you don’t worry about scoring, it’s crazy how it works,” Siddle said. “The ball just starts dropping for you, the ball will find you at the right times. That’s what he’s really buying into.”

Saturday’s 14-point performance gave Harden-Hayes his third straight double-figure scoring output, and one of the best of his collegiate career. Over the past three games, he’s averaging 12 points and 4 rebounds.

Scoring is just the cherry on top for a 6-7, 195-pound wing who can guard every position on the floor.

“I told him I want him to be the best defender on our team, in our league, and one of the best in the country,” Siddle said. “He’s really buying into it, and it’s turning into some good things for him.”

Up Next

UNCW will take a full week off for final exams before High Point (8-2) visits Trask Coliseum next Sunday.

The running-and-gunning Panthers (KenPom No. 193) are off to a strong start under first-year coach G.G. Smith, who has put his own uptempo spin on the program since taking over for his father, Tubby. Averaging 73.3 possessions, HPU ranks 19th nationally.

Though their schedule has offered few challenges thus far, the Panthers do have a nice victory at (83) Furman. HPU’s two losses came at (72) UNLV and vs. (191) Queens.