SportsLine.com Report
March 17, 2000

Round 1: Seahawks clawed by Bearcats

Even without injured All-American Kenyon Martin, the Cincinnati Bearcats were way too much inside for the 15th-seeded UNC-Wilmington Seahawks. Cincinnati didn't have any trouble in winning 64-47 at the South Regional in Nashville.

"Their ability to block shots changed the game," said Wilmington's Ramond Perine. "When we couldn't hit from outside we had to take it inside and they made it hard for us to score."

The Seahawks made just 6 of 28 shots in the first 20 minutes and did not get to the foul line until the final half-minute.

"One of the things you have to do when there's a physical difference is shoot the ball at a high level," UNCW coach Jerry Wainwright said. "You just need a great shooting night and that's sometimes hard in these big arenas where kids get 20 minutes to practice."

How They Got There

UNC-Wilmington earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament after beating Richmond 57-47 in the championship game of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.

The Seahawks finished the regular season with an unremarkable 15-12 record, 8-8 in conference play, earning the fourth seed in the league tournament. But they were pegged to be a sleeper team by virtue of their tough defense and propensity to play close games -- four of their conference losses were by a total of six points.

Sure enough, UNC-Wilmington turned up the defensive heat in the tournament, holding Virginia Commonwealth to 57 points, top-seed George Mason to 56 points and then suffocating Richmond in the final.

In the title game, Danny Dahl hit a desperation 3-pointer with 1:52 left to stave off a Richmond rally and put the Seahawks in the tournament for the first time.

Starting lineup

• PG Barron Thelmon (6-1, 190, Jr.): Thelmon is quick and athletic, although sometimes sloppy with the ball. He's most effective when he penetrates, equally adept at finishing over taller players as he is making a crisp pass out for an open 3-pointer.
• SG Brett Blizzard (6-3, 190, Fr.): One of the nation's top freshman shooters, Blizzard is the first freshman in conference history to earn first-team all-league honors and he became Wilmington's first CAA Rookie of the Year. He leads the team with a 15.9 scoring average, and lights it up from long range -- making 93 of 197 3-pointers (47.2 percent). Blizzard is a fierce competitor who can raise his game during important games.
• C Marcus Green (6-9, 230, Jr.): Green is a solid defender with a long, athletic body. He was streaky offensively during the regular season, but hit several big shots during the conference tournament. Here's one way to stop Green's offense: Foul him. He's a 28.9 percent free-throw shooter (11 of 38).
• SF Ramond Perine (6-3, 205, Sr.): He's quick, athletic and makes few mistakes. Perine led the CAA in assist-turnover ratio (2.12 to 1), but it was his increased scoring in the CAA Tournament (14.3 points per game, about double his season average) that helped push UNCW into the NCAA Tournament.
• PF Victor Ebong (6-8, 230, Sr.): He's an all-conference defender with the best basketball body on the team. Long and athletic, Ebong is a strong rebounder with only average post-up skills.

Keys to Success

Perine's improved play in the CAA Tournament was the main reason UNCW was able to rise up and snare the automatic berth into the NCAAs, and he'll be a key again in determining how the Seahawks do in the Dance.

When Perine scores, it forces defenses to lighten up on Blizzard, who has seen more holds this season than Hulk Hogan. Teams will often take their chances with other Seahawks in order to shut down Blizzard; sometimes UNCW takes advantage; sometimes it doesn't. In the tournament, the Seahawks will have no choice but to divide up the offensive responsibility, and Perine is the team's most capable scorer next to Blizzard.

But UNCW's success starts with defense, and if the Seahawks can fall back into their defensive positions before the ball crosses mid-court, they'll be difficult to score against. UNCW has been most vulnerable against teams with quick-strike offenses, like Florida.

The Coach

Widely respected around the conference, Jerry Wainwright took two previous Wilmington teams to the conference tournament final. The former Wake Forest assistant has a 94-81 overall record (65-40 in conference) in six seasons at UNCW.

The bench

Stewart Hare is coming off a solid performance in the conference tournament final, where he scored seven consecutive points against the Spiders during a time when UNCW was struggling. Dominick Scott is the team's best defensive player, providing great pressure on the ball. Oleg Kojenets is huge (6-foot-11, 265 pounds), but is slow and often pays the price for it.

Offense

Don't expect UNCW to score much. They finished last in the CAA with 60.4 points per game, and Blizzard is the only player averaging in double figures (15.9). ... UNCW hasn't been a great free throw shooting team this season, but turned it around in the conference tournament, hitting 43 of 57 attempts (75 percent). The Seahawks' season average: 63 percent.

Defense

UNCW has one of the nation's top defenses, ranking in the top five nationally, holding teams to 57.2 points per game. Thelmon and Perine are great at pressuring the ball, and Blizzard is excellent at anticipating passes and movement. Inside, Ebong was selected to the CAA's all-defense team and Marcus Green is a solid defender. ... UNCW has held 12 of its last 13 opponents to 60 points or less. ... The Seahawks' field-goal percentage defense (39.5 percent) also ranks among the national leaders.