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Christmas is almost near, winter break is here for students like me...but most importantly, it’s MEAC Monday! Here’s where the league stands with conference play just around the corner:
Power Rankings
- Howard (6-4)
- Bethune-Cookman (4-8)
- Morgan State (4-5)
- Norfolk State (4-8)
- North Carolina Central (4-8)
- Savannah State (3-9)
- North Carolina A&T State (3-6)
- Florida A&M (3-8)
- Delaware State (3-7)
- South Carolina State (2-10)
- Maryland Eastern Shore (1-10)
- Coppin State (0-12)
What’s Going On Within the MEAC?
Non-conference play has not been fair at all recently to the MEAC. There have been some close calls or just plain blowouts; both are part of the business.
Morgan State has been on the more positive side as of late, as the Bears defeated Binghamton and Towson in recent weeks. Seems like another few nights in the office but it was not. MSU pulled a 20-point comeback against Binghamton. Three days later, the Bears defeated Towson at Royal Farms Arena. The win marked the first time that the Bears defeated their rivals since 2013. The star in that game is our player of the week. Talking about rivals, let’s check on MSU’s rivals, first starting with Howard.
Our 3rd #FeatureFriday is @HUMensBB star RJ Cole, who came to @HowardU w/ a 4.0 and scored double figures in every game of his freshman year! He has kept this energy through this season, most recently being named @MEACSports Player of the Week! See RJ Live at #HolidayHoopsFest pic.twitter.com/pfDHGD1sQ9
— Events DC (@TheEventsDC) December 14, 2018
Howard has fared well compared to MEAC standards during this stretch of the season. The Bison suffered close losses to George Washington and Fordham, and then picked up a key win over American on the Dec. 8. Despite some losses, Howard has looked like the strongest team so far. What hasn’t been strong is Coppin State as a whole. The Eagles are currently winless and it doesn’t seem to get better with Notre Dame and Houston still on the schedule. Juan Dixon has to keep his team together as conference play is lurking.
Elsewhere, Bethune-Cookman is the conference favorite and has had a few close calls as of late. The Wildcats had an eight point loss to Jacksonville, two-point loss to Cal Poly in OT, and also lost by two to San Jose State. Isaiah Bailey is averaging 12 points as Malik Maitland is averaging a little over 13 points per game. The Wildcats haveQuinnipiac and Boston University left before they open conference play. Everyone’s favorite coach LeVelle Moton and the NC Central Eagles had a close loss to Coastal Carolina on Sunday, in which Raasean Davis had 15 points. Meanwhile, Delaware State is slowly putting things together. Kevin Larkin dropped a hot 40 points a few weeks back as DSU faced non-Division I Cairn.
After its major win over Hampton, Norfolk State has been rather quiet. The Spartans have close losses to Kent State and Rider. Nic Thomas is always consistent for the Spartans, so remember his name as conference play starts. For its part, North Carolina A&T has won four out of its last five games. The Aggies latest win came over Tennesse State. Also congrats to the Aggies for winning the Celebration Bowl, a college football bowl game that pits the MEAC and SWAC champions, so expect Corbett Sports Arena to be quite rowdy these next few home games.
Player of the Week: Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr, Morgan State
Devonish-Prince Jr. has posted averages of 16.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 assists per contest, as he helped lead the Bears to two wins in their last two games. He shot 52.2 percent (12-of 23) from the field while shooting 66.7 percent from the three-point line as the team improved to a 4-5 overall record.
He dropped a season-high 19 points (8-17 FG) to lead the Bears to a comeback victory against Towson in the Charm City Classic on Dec. 8. His pacing and quick play helped pushed MSU in that contest.
The 18-year-old leads the Bears in scoring (9.9 PPG), free throws (.920 FT%) and steals (1.4 spg). He also ranks second on the team in minutes per game (24.4 MPG).
It's a WRAP at Royal Farms Arena where the Bears defeat Towson at the Charm City Classic #MORGvsTOW #MEAC #CharmCityClassic pic.twitter.com/ZuipLtCGnG
— Morgan State Bears (@MorganStBears) December 8, 2018
Duo of the Week: Qua Copeland and Milik Gantz
This Aggie duo combined for 52 points in a win over Tennessee State on Sunday. Copeland went 10 for 17 with 27 points. Milik Gantz went 11 for 15 with 25 points. Both players played 38 minutes each and pretty much went on a rampage as North Carolina A&T picked up a key nonconference win. Look out for both players as they face Virginia Tech in a tough road contest this week.
In other good @NCATAGGIES news today. @ATAggieHoops defeated Tennessee State 78-76 in Nashville. #AggiePride #ncat #causethatswhataggiesdo @MilikGantz with a career-high 27 points.
— N.C. A&T Athletics (@NCATAGGIES) December 16, 2018
Games to Watch
Monday, December 17, 2018
Florida A&M @ Utah
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Florida A&M @ Oregon
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Bethune-Cookman @ Quinnipiac
North Carolina A&T State @ Virginia Tech
Delaware State @ Delaware
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Howard University @ Ball State
Friday, December 21, 2018
Florida A&M @ Portland
North Carolina A&T State @ Minnesota
Bethune-Cookman @ Boston University
Coppin State @ Louisiana Monroe
Norfolk State @ UTEP
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Maryland Eastern Shore @ American
Morgan State @ Old Dominion
South Carolina State @ University of Cincinnati
Savannah State @ Iowa
Delaware State @ Weber State
Hampton vs Howard (Game to Watch)