MEAC Men's Basketball Rising! Who Will Win the Tournament?
Howard Bison guard Khalil Robinson at half court being guarded by Norfolk State guard Terrance Jones. / Ray Rogers - HBCU Legends and Urban Sports Scene
By Wole Akinso
Last Thursday, Howard University men’s basketball
team had an impressive victory over the beast of the Mid-Eastern Athletic
Conference (MEAC) Norfolk State University to win the MEAC regular season. This has been one of the most competitive seasons
in MEAC men’s basketball. There are five
teams with a .500 or above winning percentage.
The MEAC hasn’t been this strong, since the 2014-2015 season. The last two seasons, Norfolk State has
represented the MEACs in the NCAA Tournament.
That might not be the case this time around. The tournament starts Wednesday, March 8th
at the Norfolk Scope Arena, Norfolk, VA.
Just like the regular season, this is set to be one of the most
competitive MEAC tournaments in recent years.
Howard University Bison
19-12 Overall, 11-3 Conference record, 1st in Conf.
The Howard Bison men’s basketball program is ascending under the leadership of head coach Kenneth Blakeney. Last season, Howard finished second in the MEAC at the end of the regular season.
Coach Blakeney was a guest on the Urban Sports Scene last summer. He spoke with Wole Akinso and Ray Rogers about how last season has motivated his players.
“We’re right there man at doing some really unique and special things. I think our young men have taken the experience of what they had last year, building on that, coupled with the new guys that we have coming into the program. I think we have the chance to be pretty good.”
The Bison players learned from last year and took their game to another level, becoming the MEAC regular season champs. This team has four players basically averaging double digit points including leading scorer Elijah Hawkins (avg. 13.4 points per game (ppg)), Steve Settle III (11.2 ppg), Shy Odom (10.6 ppg), and Marcus Dockery (9.7 ppg). The Bison, as a team, are shooting a MEAC best 38 percent from the three point line. Against Norfolk State in a winner takes the MEAC tournament #1 seed matchup, Howard shot an amazing 53 percent from three which lead to a 87-67 win over the bullies of the MEAC block. With that win, Howard swept the season series against Norfolk State. In the conference or NCAA tournament, scoring from the three point line is the ultimate weapon to advance in the postseason. Howard is going to the MEAC Tournament as arguably the team to beat.
North Carolina Central University Eagles
17-11 Overall, 10-4 Conference, 2nd in Conf.
North Carolina Central (NCCU) is probably the hottest team going into the tournament. They are on a seven game winning streak. The Eagles play with fiery and tenacious energy on offense and defense. This team has a dangerous inside and outside game with guard Justin Wright (16 ppg) and center Brendan Medley-Bacon (12.5 ppg). The junior guard Wright sets the tone for the Eagles. Wright has been battled tested in conference and out of conference play. He has been the Eagles leading scorer in 16 of their 28 games, which includes scoring 20 points in a loss to the then ranked #13 in the country, University of Virginia. Big man Medley-Bacon is a wiry 7’0 center who is an intimidator on defense. He averaged 2.0 blocks per game, which led the MEAC. Offensively, his ability to finish around the rim makes him an issue for any MEAC defense going into the conference tournament.
NCCU Coach Levelle Moton is one of the best coaches in the MEAC. He is a three-time MEAC regular season champion, and four-time MEAC tournament champion. He is the head of the snake for the Eagles. He inspires his players to play with a sense of urgency on every play. Ray Rogers spoke to Coach Morton after NCCU defeated the University of Maryland Eastern Shore 68-63.
“I just do one step at a time and not trying to look across the board that just gets you in trouble to. We just try to stay focused and stay locked in and do what we do and control our own controllable.”
The Eagles will be a tough out.
Norfolk State University Spartans
20-10 Overall, 9-5 Conference, 3rd in Conf.
Norfolk State is the team with the pedigree. They’ve won the conference tournament the last two seasons and they have the best player in the MEAC over the last three seasons including this season in senior guard Joe Bryant Jr. (17.3 ppg). The Spartans are also led by senior forwards Kris Bankston and Dana Tate Jr. Bryant, Bankston and Tate were all on the Spartans’ NCAA tournament teams (2021, 2022). The Spartans are going into the tournament with a bitter taste in their mouths after what happened to them against Howard but that loss may provide an extra dose of motivation for the ball club. Norfolk State is battled tested for the MEAC tournament and possibly the NCAA tournament. Before the start of the season, Norfolk State Coach and MEAC of the year in 2019 and 2021 Robert Jones spoke to Wole and Ray about playing some of the top teams in the country.
“Now we did want to up the schedule a little bit, because hopefully if we get back to the NCAA tournament that it won’t be like a shock when we play in the first round. Now this year with three top 10 schools, we’re going to get plenty of practice if we are fortunate enough to get back to the NCAA tournament which we know is a hard task.”
Even though Norfolk is the third seed in the MEAC tournament, they still have an aura of the team to beat.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Fighting Hawks
17-12 Overall, 9-5 Conference, 4th in Conf.
UMES has arguably been the most surprising team this year in the MEAC. In the 2021-22 season, the Fighting Hawks finished in sixth place with a 6-8 record in the MEAC with an overall record of 11-16. Last season, UMES was ranked last out of 358 teams in Sports Illustrated’s preseason poll. Head basketball coach, Jason Crafton has turned this program around and now they are legitimate contenders to win the MEAC tournament. This was proven earlier in the season when UMES traveled to Temple University and upset the Temple Owls 86-78; the same Owls that upset the #1 ranked team in the country, Houston Cougars. In the summer, coach Crafton set forth the mission for the Fighting Hawks.
“We came out here in the summer time and said we wanted to win the MEAC and not just get into the NCAA tournament. We wanted to win games.”
The Fighting Hawks have a veteran squad that finished the regular season ranked #1 in the country in steals per game. They are a gritty scrappy bunch and defense travels well during March Madness. UMES is led by senior guards Kevon Voyles (13.2 ppg), Zion Styles (11.6 ppg) and Da’Shawn Phillip (10.1 ppg). This team will go as far as their seniors take them.
Morgan
State University Bears
15-15 Overall, 8-7 Conference, 5th in Conf.
15-15 Overall, 8-7 Conference, 5th in Conf.
The Bears were hit hard when they lost senior guard Malik Miller against Howard on January 21st to a season-ending torn ACL. The guard was average 17.5 ppg. However, the Bears found a way to stay competitive. Even without Miller, Morgan State was able to beat teams like Norfolk State, Howard, and UMES. Before the start of the season, Morgan State coach Kevin Broadus spoke about his expectations for his team.
“Our goals are to win a championship, regular season and postseason. We have to manage those expectations but we have to work hard.”
For this to occur, Morgan State needs senior guard Isaiah Burke (18.7 ppg) to have a big tournament run. The silky three-point shorter is a threat from anywhere on the court. A player to look out for will be junior guard Will Thomas. Thomas has a sweet mid-range jumper and a nice turnaround game. Recently, against UMES, Thomas scored 23 points to lead Morgan State over UMES 68-61.
Rest
of the MEAC
Coppin State (overall: 9-22, conf.: 4-10), Delaware State (overall: 6-23 overall, conf.: 4-10) and South Carolina State (overall: 5-25, conf.: 2-12) may be having a down seasons but they are all capable of upsetting teams and making a run. Last year, the Coppin State Eagles made it to the MEAC finals, losing to Norfolk State. Last season, Coppin State finished the season 9-23 overall and 6-8 in the MEAC. Could there be a Coppin State this year?
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