No. 12 seed UNC-Wilmington is hoping to deliver the first big upset of the 2017 NCAA Tournament as March Madness tips off in Orlando.
The Seahawks got off to a good start and amassed an early double digit lead over No. 5 seed Virginia, but the Cavaliers hit back-to-back 3-pointers during a 16-1 run to get back in the game. Virginia leads UNC-Wilmington 30-29 at halftime. The contest tipped off at about 12:40 p.m. and is airing on truTV.
Virginia isn’t at full strength, with star Isaiah Wilkins battling back from a bout of strep throat. Wilkins was in the lineup, but he has struggled to keep up and went to the locker room before halftime. Meanwhile, UNCW’s Devontae Cacok has been strong inside.
UNC-Wilmington insists it’s not intimidated by the imposing Cavaliers, known for playing suffocating defense and shutting down even the most potent ACC offenses.
No. 12 seeds have a history of pulling off upsets in the 33 percent of the time in the NCAA Tournament, but the Seahawks have tried to ignore rankings.
“We haven't really talked about it much,” sophomore guard C.J Bryce said of the seeding trend Wednesday. “We feel we can play against any given team on any night. We just have to play our game and our style of play.”
UNCW coach Kevin Keatts added, “I felt we learned so much from the game we played against Duke last year. I think our guys are prepared and ready to go.”
Full schedule of Orlando NCAA Tournament games:
No. 5 Virginia vs. No. 12 UNC-Wilmington, 12:40 p.m., truTV
No. 4 Florida vs. No. 13 East Tennessee State, 3:10 p.m., truTV
No. 6 Maryland vs. No. 11 Xavier, 6:50 p.m., TNT
No. 3 FSU vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 9:20 p.m. TNT
Check back soon for more updates.
mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com
