Get ready all of you hoops junkies and Seahawk fans, Midnite Madness, a combination pep rally and official start to the basketball season hits the campus Oct. 17.

The festivities peak with Trask Coliseum opening up at 10:30 p.m. and UNCW’s men’s and women’s basketball teams hit the court at midnight for dribbling and shooting exhibitions. The event also features dunk competitions.

The teams take the court at midnight because the team can’t practice officially until Oct. 18.

Earlier in the day, festivities begin with the men’s soccer match against George Mason, which kicks off at 7 p.m., followed by a “Fan Jam” featuring music by Rubber Band along with events in the Hanover Hall parking lot.

–In living color: The men’s hoops squad will be on television 11 times this regular season and the women’s squad will be on the tube once.

The men’s slate includes its Dec. 28 game against North Carolina on Raycom/Jefferson-Pilot Network, the Jan. 3 game at N.C. State and a game at VCU (Feb. 7) that ESPN2 will telecast.

The women’s squad’s matchup at Drexel will air on Comcast SportsNet.

–Back in the saddle: The women’s soccer squad roared back to life Oct. 5-7 with its third-place finish in the Wildcat Fall Invitational.

The week before, the Seahawks stumbled to a 16th-place result out of 17 teams at the Mason-Randolph Championships.

“Obviously, we were disappointed when we played at Vanderbilt. It was our chance against the golfing elite. … Emotionally, physically, mentally we weren’t ready to do battle,” said UNCW head coach Cindy Ho, whose squad got grouped with top 5 schools Arizona and Vanderbilt. “I’m glad we played at Kentucky the following week.”

“It was a good chance to bounce back.”

–Shaking it off: Oct. 10, the men’s soccer squad came agonizingly close to knocking off No. 2 ODU, 1-0. The next night the William & Mary squashed the squad, 5-1.

Head coach Aidan Heaney, feeling his squad suffered a let down after the ODU match, feels very confident his squad will shake off the loss.

“I don’t think we’re that bad. A few decisions went against us and I told them after the game that it was a bump in the road,” Heaney said. “We took a few days off to get rested and get some injuries taken care of.”