'We have the fight': UNCW basketball exudes confidence after historic upset of Kentucky
We might be just a few games into the college basketball season, but UNCW has already come away with its most significant road victory of all time.
The Seahawks (6-2) didn't fold under pressure in Saturday's matchup with nationally-ranked Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky; instead, they stunned the country by upsetting the Wildcats 80-73.
The win is packed with history for UNCW, marking the first road victory over a nationally ranked opponent and the first win at Rupp Arena.
The win was also historic for UNCW coach Takayo Siddle, who became only the third person to topple UK at Rupp as both a player and head coach, per the Kentucky statistical database maintained by BigBlueHistory.net. The others who accomplished that since Rupp Arena opened in 1976 were Mark Gottfried and Mike White.
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"We're very excited for our program and our university," Siddle said of the win. "After you win any game, as a coach, it's more of a relief. Obviously, I am excited and happy, but it's more of a relief."
UNCW didn't just walk away with a victory; it also secured a pretty penny for taking the game. As reported by the StarNews in August, the Seahawks were guaranteed $90,000 for playing in the contest.
Of course, the biggest takeaway, at least for Siddle, is the confidence that will undoubtedly flow over into the rest of the season thanks to the win.
"Hopefully (The win) brings some good confidence," Siddle said. "It shows you what we're capable of when we're locked in and when we have the fight we need to have. Hopefully, it does wonders for us."
While Siddle is optimistic that the win can create a positive atmosphere within his team, he also recognizes that it could do damage.
"It can go two different ways: We can take this, and our egos can be extremely big and let this define our season, or we can take this and build our confidence and really take off and reel off some wins. The main thing for me is to make sure that we get our guys back down to earth and understand that we've got a lot of growing to do," Siddle said.
Tazarien White's 27-point double-double led UNCW to the win. Siddle made the decision to take White out of the team's starting lineup this winter, something he says the junior has handled with maturity.
"It speaks volumes to his growth as a person," Siddle said of White. "I don't know if he would have handled it the right way last year if I had done something like that. I think the second group is more offensively talented than the first group, and it gives him the opportunity to be more of a leader with that group, and he's handled it the right way. That's the only way that he continues to produce at a high level like that, his approach and his mentality taking on the role of coming off the bench."
White was named the Coastal Athletic Association Player of the Week on Monday. UNCW hosts Montreat as it returns home after more than two weeks on Dec. 10 to host the 4-4 Cavaliers.
With newfound confidence and plenty to look forward to, Siddle says his squad has just the right combination of skill and determination to win when it matters most.
"I wanted to make sure that we took them into a hostile environment playing against arguably one of the better teams in the country. Just givinig our guys that opprotunity to go play at such a historic arena in Rupp Arena and play against some of the best in the country. I thought this group was the perfect group to do it with," Siddle said.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: UNCW basketball coach Takayo Siddle reacts to upsetting Kentucky
