2023 Montreat College vs UNC Wilmington - Men's

Drexel & UNC Wilmington Top 20 Wins Have Huge Impact For CAA Basketball

Drexel & UNC Wilmington Top 20 Wins Have Huge Impact For CAA Basketball

UNC Wilmington's win at Kentucky and Drexel's defeat of Villanova made history for the CAA, and set up the conference for the immediate future.

Dec 5, 2023 by Kyle Kensing
Drexel & UNC Wilmington Top 20 Wins Have Huge Impact For CAA Basketball

Dec. 2, 2023 stands out in the illustrious history of Coastal Athletic Association basketball as an unmatched date. Never before had the conference — home to Final Four teams and college basketball legends both on the hardwood and on the sideline — scored two wins over top 20-ranked opponents in the same day. 

Drexel's 57-55 defeat of No. 18 Villanova as part of the Big 5 Classic, followed by UNC Wilmington's 80-73 victory at No. 12 Kentucky marked an unprecedented milestone. The two wins also paved the way for the CAA's immediate future. 

"Today was ‘Respect all, fear none,'" Drexel coach Zach Spiker said in his postgame press conference following the Big 5 Classic. 

While the Dragons coach preached a message of not fearing an opponent with national championship credentials and AP Top 25 billing, Drexel proved itself an opponent for others to fear. They made Villanova play the Dragons' style of game and won through physicality and defense. 

Fittingly, two-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year Amari Williams made the decisive play on the defensive end with a blocked shot just before the buzzer. 

Williams can become the first-ever three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year, and moved one step closer toward Drexel's all-time top four in blocked shots with his win-preserving swat. 

He also helped the Dragons notch another piece of history: The win was their first-ever official Big 5 victory. Drexel announced its place on the Philadelphia hoops landscape emphatically, as well as declaring itself a name to follow on the road to March. 

With the victory over Villanova, Drexel moved up to No. 108 in the KenPom.com overall rankings. That's an important designation as the season progresses, as top-100 status typically reflects the NCAA Tournament seeding prospects and at-large aspirations for a team. 

Last year, the CAA finished with two teams in the KenPom top 100: College of Charleston at 71, and Hofstra at 89. The next-highest ranked team, Towson, was No. 127, while CAA Championship runner-up UNC Wilmington was No. 152. 

Through the first month of the 2023-24 season, the CAA has five teams positioned more favorably than 152. Hofstra joins Drexel lingering just outside the top 100. The Pride have a big couple of weeks coming up before the start of conference competition, traveling to Iona and Saint Louis ahead of a Dec. 12 visit to Duke. 

Hofstra's trip to Durham and Cameron Indoor Stadium provides coach Speedy Claxton's team — complete with the nation's leading scorer, Tyler Thomas — an opportunity to plant a flag in one of the sport's hardwood cathedrals. 

UNC Wilmington already raised the CAA banner in one such venue with its defeat of Kentucky. 

"I appreciate coach [John Calipari] for giving us this opportunity to come up here, and what a great experience it was for our young men and our program," Seahawks coach Takayo Siddle said in his postgame press conference after the win in Rupp Arena. 

Kentucky's Coach Cal played at UNCW, contributing in his own way to the program's legacy. He ended up on the unfortunate end of another entry into Seahawks lore, with Saturday's outcome marking UNCW's first-ever road win against a Top 25-ranked opponent. 

A Seahawks team last beat a ranked team in 2002, knocking off USC in an NCAA Tournament overtime classic. On that March day 21 years ago, Brett Blizzard, Anthony Terrell and Craig Callahan were some of the Seahawks who carved their names in program lore. 

At Kentucky, Trazarien White came off the bench for 27 points and 10 rebounds in an All-America caliber performance. Shykeim Phillips proved himself once again as an X-factor for UNCW, scoring eight of his 13 points in the final 2:56. 


Both delivered the kind of performances destined to be remembered a generation from now — particularly if the win at Rupp Arena launches UNCW toward CAA title contention. 

Siddle-coached Seahawks teams have had a knack for going on lengthy winning streaks come January. The 2023-24 team moves into the New Year on a five-game road swing, following a rare non-conference home date Dec. 10 vs. Montreat with visits to Georgia Southern, Marshall, a return to SEC Country to face Arkansas, and a CAA tipoff weekend at Drexel and Towson. 

Jan 5, 12:00 AM UTC

2024 UNC Wilmington vs Drexel - Men's


The conference-opening showdown between the Seahawks and Dragons next month takes on added significance in light of their historic Saturday. Both are looking to dethrone College of Charleston, the reigning CAA champion. 

And while the Cougars fell shy of make the Coastal an incredible 3-for-3 against top 20-ranked opponents on Dec. 2, leading in the second half before ultimately falling to 2023 Final Four team Florida Atlantic, Charleston's weekend was still a boon to the conference. 

Before playing FAU tight on the road, Charleston scored a huge win a day earlier over Liberty in the Field of 68 Tip-Off. 

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The 76-67 defeat of a team that came into the event undefeated and featured prominently in the FloHoops Mid-Major Power Rankings reasserted Charleston as a team to watch with college basketball fast approaching the conference season. 

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