(9) North Carolina Wilmington vs. (8) George Washington

George Washington may have the nation’s best record, but that didn’t mean much when the NCAA tournament seedings came out.

The eighth-seeded Colonials (26-2) try for their first NCAA tournament victory since 1994 when they meet No. 9 North Carolina-Wilmington (25-7) on Thursday at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The best season in school history had George Washington hoping for a higher seed than one that resulted in a dreaded 8-9 matchup. The Colonials won 18 straight games in one stretch, were ranked as high as No. 6 in the country and went through the Atlantic 10 regular season with a 16-0 mark.

George Washington, though, lost to Temple in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament and ended up in a difficult bracket. The Colonials take on N.C.-Wilmington with the possibility of facing top-seeded Duke two days later, which would mean two games against North Carolina schools in Greensboro.

It’s not much of a reward for a team that has lost only once since Dec. 30.

“It’s more of a surprise. Disappointment? No,” George Washington coach Karl Hobbs said. “We won the league last year and we were a 12th seed, so we’ve improved.”

The eighth seed is the highest in school history for the Colonials, who have dropped five straight NCAA tournament games since beating UAB in the first round in 1994.

One reason for the Colonials’ low seed is the uncertain status of forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who has missed the last four games with a left knee injury. Mensah-Bonsu is the team’s second-leading scorer (13.1) and rebounder (7.1).

Even without Mensah-Bonsu, George Washington has four players who average in double figures. Junior guard Danilo Pinnock leads the way with 14.9 points per game and sophomore reserve Maureece Rice adds 12.3 a contest.

“GW is probably the best eight seed in the tournament, I’m sure they’re surprised they’re an eight seed with the kind of year they had,” N.C.-Wilmington coach Brad Brownell said. “They’ve been in the top 10 at certain points of the year, and our guys have watched them on TV because of that.”

The Seahawks are also having the winningest season in school history and earned a bid by capturing the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. N.C.-Wilmington enters on an eight-game winning streak and is making its fourth NCAA appearance—all in the last seven years.

The backcourt of T.J. Carter and John Goldsberry is the key to N.C.-Wilmington’s success. Carter was named the CAA tournament MVP after he scored 12 of his 23 points over the final 2:45 in a 78-67 victory over Hofstra in the championship game.

Goldsberry is best known for his performance three seasons ago as a freshman when he set an NCAA tournament record for most 3-pointers without a miss by going 8-for-8 in the Seahawks’ 75-73 first-round loss to Maryland. His 26 points in that game remain a career high.

“It’s something I can look back on if I ever need some confidence,” Goldsberry said. “If I’m in a bad slump shooting, I can always look back at that game and know that I can hit shots.”

The Seahawks would like to erase the memory of the end of that game when they appeared to have it won before Maryland’s Drew Nicholas dribbled nearly the length of the court and swished a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“I don’t think you ever forget it, really,” Goldsberry said. “It’s one of those things that sits with you, and it makes you work harder to get back, especially when you lose like that.”

The Seahawks excel at defending the 3-point shot, limiting opponents to an NCAA-low 27.6 percent from behind the arc. George Washington has hit 35.5 percent of its 3s this season.