The CAA Tournament for Men’s Basketball kicked off on March 7. It is being played at the CareFirst Arena in Washington D.C.

The UNCW Seahawks entered the CAA Tournament as the #2 overall seed. Their final record was 24-7 (14-4), with wins over Charleston, William & Mary and Campbell. UNCW faced off against the Hampton Pirates, who entered the game coming off a win against #7 seed Northeastern. The Pirates final regular season record was 17-15 (8-10), with wins over UNCW and Drexel.

The Seahawks are coming off a quarter-final loss last year, and the previous two seasons, they fell in the conference championship game. However, the team is close to the top of the mountain. Here are some of the statistics why this year might be the year they prevail:

• #1 scoring offense in CAA – 79.9ppg
• Largest margin of points scored vs points against, 9.8 ppg margin. The next closest is 3.8 (Drexel & Elon)
• Third most FT attempts in the CAA
• Second best rebounding team, 38.9 RPG
• Allows fewest rebounds to the opponents, 31.3 RPG
• Largest rebounding margin the conference
• Third best in CAA in APG, 15.6 assists per game

The UNCW Seahawks have emerged victorious in their first game of the CAA Men’s Basketball tournament. The final score was 79-65, with UNCW defeating Hampton. Bo Montgomery led all scorers with 18 points.

Some other key contributors include:

• Sean Moore: 11 points, five rebounds, two steals, four blocks
• Khamari McGriff: 15 points, six rebounds, three blocks
• Noah Ross: 12 points, six rebounds, 6-6 from FT

UNCW had an 18-point lead at halftime, scoring 45 points in the first half. The offense was flowing for the first 20 minutes. The second half was a little less smooth. Scoring dropped and the lead was cut to as low as eight points.

Hampton’s offensive rebounding changed the course of the game. Hampton recorded 15 offensive rebounds in the game, seven more than UNCW. These offensive rebounds continuously led to extra chances for the Pirates, allowing them to keep this game close.

When Coach Siddle was asked after the game about allowing that many offensive rebounds, he stated, “Block out better. That’s one thing [offensive rebounding] that they do well. They’ve averaged 14 offensive rebounds over their last five… We know we have to clean that up.”

Later in the press conference, the UNCW players were asked about the 34 free throw attempts, and how getting to the foul line is an important part of the offense. Junior guard Noah Ross stated, “That’s definitely a point of emphasis for us, we want to touch the paint. I think we have two of the best bigs in the country, Khamari and Harlan… Getting it down low to them, and then having our guards and wings being in an attacking mindset definitely helps.”

There are a few key factors that helped decide this game:

• UNCW shot double the free throw attempts as Hampton, 29-34 and 10-17 respectively
• UNCW forced Hampton’s top players into foul trouble
• Electrifying offense propelled the Seahawks to 45 first half points
• Rim protection helped massively to put this game away, the team recorded nine blocks as a team

The Seahawks move on to face off against the #3 seeded Charleston Cougars. The Seahawks have already taken down the Cougars twice this season and will now look for the ever elusive third victory in one season.

If the Seahawks can conquer the Cougars once again, they will face the winner of #1 seed Towson, and #12 Delaware. Delaware will play their fourth game in four days. Tune in on CBS Sports to watch tonight’s game at 8:30 PM, ECT.