UNC Wilmington finally ends 7-season drought to punch NCAA Tournament ticket

The No. 2-seeded UNC Wilmington Seahawks beat the No. 12-seeded Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens 76-72 on Tuesday night in the Coastal Athletic Association championship game. The win was UNCW's seventh CAA championship title and the Seahawks' first since the 2016-2017 season, clinching their March Madness spot in the process.

The Fightin' Blue Hens were underdogs in the game after losing six of their last six regular season games before winning four consecutive games in the CAA Tournament to reach the championship game.

During his postgame news conference, UNC Wilmington coach Takayo Siddle expressed his feelings at returning the Seahawks to the much-anticipated March Madness after seven seasons.

“It means everything to our city to bring a trophy back, we hadn’t won it since 2017,” Takayo Siddle said. “We’re a very prideful university, a very prideful basketball program and to be back on top is definitely special. It’s about UNCW tonight. It’s about these guys.

"What an unbelievable game that was, we could’ve wilted at any point but we didn’t. We got through any adversity that was in front of us and got the job done. We’ve been resilient all year, when things weren’t going well we just battled through it. We've experienced two of these where it didn't work out. But we always talk about learning life lessons."

---

UNC Wilmington finally break through

The UNC Wilmington Seahawks have been to three Coastal Athletic Association championship games in coach Takayo Siddle's four-year tenure, losing all of them until Tuesday evening. History seemed to be repeating itself when the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens took the lead with 13:23 remaining on the clock despite the Seahawks leading by 15.0 points at halftime.

Despite the weight of history being against the Seahawks, Siddle revealed his team's motivation for winning the championship game.

“We just felt disrespected, and we felt like we had something to prove,” Siddle said. “This is a group of guys that are underdogs that have worked hard for everything we’ve got, and I’m so proud of them. I’m so proud of this team and this program.

"We are a program that is prideful. We have a championship culture, and we always feel like if we don't win it all, we fail. At least I do. ... To be back up top is very special."

The UNC Wilmington will have to wait for Selection Sunday ahead of March Madness to learn their schedule, as they seek their first NCAA Tournament win in over two decades.