One of the great aspects of the NCAA Tournament is that it brings together teams that often don't face one another. That's the case for Texas Tech and its first-round opponent, UNC Wilmington.
Certainly, prior to Selection Sunday, Red Raider fans had not spent much time following the Seahawks' basketball program. However, now, it is time to get to know the champions of the Coastal Athletic Association.
Now in the fifth year of head coach Takayo Siddle's tenure, they enter the NCAA Tournament with a 27-7 record. Overall, Siddle is 106-46 with the Seahawks and this is the second time that the North Carolina native has taken the program to a national postseason tournament after playing in the CBI in 2022.
UNC Wilmington has been playing basketball since 1976. In that time, the program has been to the NCAA Tournament seven times. However, this year is their first time in the Big Dance since 2017.
These programs have met only once before, in the 2002-03 season opener. So the Red Raider fan base has had little reason to pay attention to what has been happening in Wilmington.
Therefore, let's take some time to get to know the team that will try to upset the Red Raiders on Thursday night. Here are three things Texas Tech fans need to know about UNCW.
They have not faced a team as good as Texas Tech
Sometimes, top mid-major programs enter the NCAA Tournament having plenty of experience against power-conference opponents because that's how many programs at that level of the sport find a way to cover their season expenses. However, that hasn't been the case for UNCW this season. In fact, the Seahawks have not played a very tough schedule at all.
The only power-conference team that UNCW has played this season is Kansas. Back in mid-November, they lost in Lawrence 84-66. That's the only Quad-1 game UNCW has played in this season.
Other than the Jayhawks, the highest-ranked team in the NET that UNCW has played is conference opponent Charleston, against who the Seahawks went 3-0. However, that's not impressive given that Charleston is just No. 150 in the NET.
Therefore, the Red Raiders will be the best team that UNCW has played all season. The Seahawks' strength of schedule is just 326th nationally and the average NET ranking of their opponents is 212. So they will be stepping up in competition in a big way when they play the Red Raiders.
They have more size than Texas Tech in the frontcourt
Texas Tech fans know that the Red Raiders often struggle against teams that feature plenty of size in the frontcourt. While UNCW doesn't have elite size there, they will be bigger than Tech.
UNCW's third-leading scorer is 7-footer, Harlan Obioha. A junior from Kansas, he averages 9.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. What's more, he weighs 280 pounds so he could be a matchup problem for Tech.
Another playing bringing size to the UNCW frontcourt is 6-foot-9, 210-pound junior Khamari
McGriff. He is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game while also pulling down 4.0 rebounds per game.
Additionally, 6-foot-7, 190-pound Sean More will bring some length to the table. He averages 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Now, none of these players are considered dominant forces. Of course, Tech has played teams with much more talent inside (such as Houston, Arizona, Texas A&M, and Kansas) and lived to tell the tale. Still, if the Seahawks are going to try to assert any dominance in this matchup, it will likely be in the post where they will be bigger than the Red Raiders.
They give up plenty of 3-pointers, which is bad news when playing Texas Tech
What has to worry the Seahawks is Texas Tech's ability to hit shots from beyond the 3-point arc. That's because they do a poor job of defending the 3-ball.
This season, UNCW ranks 277th nationally by giving up 8.2 made 3-pointers per game. That is despite the fact that their opponents average just 24.5 attempts from deep per game, 295th in the country.
Of course, Tech does a great job of getting offense three points at a time. The Red Raiders enter the Big Dance averaging 10.2 makes from 3-point range per game. That's 21st in America.
This year, four of UNCW's seven losses saw their opponent make a large number of 3s. Colgate made 11 on them, Howard made 13, Elon made 15, and Hampton made 12 and in each of those games, the Seahawks came up short. What's more, Charleston made 11 long-range shots against UNCW in a loss earlier this season.
We all know that the Red Raiders are going to live and die by the 3-pointer. In this game, Tech should have an edge from 3-point range as the Red Raiders make three more 3s per game on average. Hopefully, the shots from deep are falling on Thursday night because that's an area where UNCW has been vulnerable this season.