Campbell Fighting Camels
2015-16 Record vs D-I: 9-18 (# 308 RPI)
2015-16 Big South Record: 5-13 (t-8th)
Returning Starters (3): Sr. G Kyre' Hamer; Jr. F Shane Witfield; So. G Chris Clemons
2016-17 Record vs. D-I: 3-4 (# 276 RPI)
It was just nearly 2 years ago that the Seahawks, in Year 1 of the Kevin Keatts tenure, entered Buies Creek riding a nice 4-game stretch. After beating St. Andrews 105-47 then playing a great game @ Louisville, where the Seahawks lost a close 9-point game to Keatts' mentor Rick Pitino, the Hawks had defeated Liberty and ECU in succession prior to the December 23 encounter against Campbell at Gore Arena.
Unfortunately, Campbell did much to hurt the Seahawks' resume in this contest, scoring a 69-63 upset over the eventual CAA Champions. Campbell had three players who scored in double figures and shot 54.2 % from the field. UNCW also committed 16 turnovers in the game, and forced only 3 out of the Camels. Then sophomore guard
Kyre' Hamer had 4 steals in contributing to that gaudy turnover total.
Now, 2 years later, perhaps some revenge is on the mind of the Seahawks. True, UNCW did blow the Camels out 106-83 in Trask last season, but winning in Buies Creek always seems to be a struggle, and certainly Coach Keatts knows this.
From a talent perspective, Campbell hasn't gained much from where they were 2 years ago, whereas the Seahawks are clearly better than they were that day. All three of the players who scored in double figures in the last game @ Campbell are gone. Hamer is still on the team as a senior, though injuries have limited him to just four games of action. 2 returners from last year, redshirt junior forward
Shane Whitfield and sophomore guard
Chris Clemons have both started all 9 games the Camels have played this year, and are 2 of the top 3 in minutes played. Clemons is the star of the team, leading the way with 24.0 points while shooting 40.5 % from the perimeter. He also leads the team in assists (3.2) and steals (2.0). Whitfield is second in scoring (11.8 ppg) and leads the team in rebounding (5.3).
Also seeing a ton of playing time (30.1 mpg) as just a freshman is Cary, NC product
Cory Gensler. The 6-4, 190 lbs. guard is chipping in with a little bit of everything, averaging 6.6 points, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals while shooting 80.0 % from the free throw line. Meanwhile, when it comes to rim protection, that duty has fallen to 6-7 big man
Andrew Eudy. The sophomore from Pennsylvania has started all 9 games in the middle and averages 2.0 blocks in just 18.8 minutes per contest.
The Camels haven't played a tough schedule to this point in the season, but did do well to grab their most recent win against The Citadel on December 4th. With The Citadel hosting the Holy City Hoops Classic, this was a true road win for the Camels, who emerged with the 97-91 victory. The Camels shot a blistering 60.0 % from the field and 47.1 % from 3-point distance. However, they did commit 24 turnovers, which kept The Citadel in the contest. Campbell also didn't get much out of their bench, which contributed just 11 points in the high scoring contest, compared to 47 for the opposing bench.
Thus, with turnovers and a lack of depth potentially plaguing Campbell, this should be the type of game the Seahawks control most of the way, then pull away late despite a tough home court advantage for the Camels.