MEAC Monday: Bethune-Cookman and NC Central are heating up; Norfolk State picks up major win

If you don’t like Mondays, let #MEACMonday be your pick-me-up!

It’s another week of MEAC action and the conference had some good moments last week. Here’s your weekly MEAC update.

Weekly Rankings

1. Howard (5-2)
2. Bethune-Cookman (4-4)
3. Norfolk State (4-6)
4. North Carolina Central (4-5)
5. Morgan State (2-4)
6. Savannah State (3-7)
7. Delaware State (2-6)
8. North Carolina A&T State (2-6)
9. Florida A&M (2-6)
10. Maryland Eastern Shore (1-8)
11. South Carolina State (1-8)
12. Coppin State (0-8)

What’s Going on in the MEAC?

After losses to Miami and Nebraska, Bethune-Cookman got things back on track with wins over Stetson and Florida Atlantic. Point guard Malik Maitland had 23 points in the win over Stetson, while Soufiyane Diakite had 15 in the win over Florida Atlantic — a huge non-conference victory.

After starting the season 1-5, the NC Central Eagles are heating up. The MEAC’s favorite coach, Lavell Moton, is putting things together during a three-game win streak. The Eagles are currently undefeated at home.

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Terry Harris dropped 27 points as North Carolina A&T dropped a close one to Presbyterian. Jacksonville and the College of Charleston both snuck past South Carolina State last week. In the two-point loss against Jacksonville, SC State’s Damni Applewhite scored 22 points. He’s currently averaging 20 points as the Bulldogs’ best scoring option.

Howard was off this week but its Beltway Rival from Baltimore was not. Morgan State played a close game at George Mason, as Kyson Rawls dropped 18 points off the bench. The Bears has had five different leading scorers in their six games this season.

Norfolk State dropped close games to Stony Brook and Kent State. But luckily for the Spartans, their biggest non-conference win was over a rival. They defeated Hampton 94-89 in double overtime in the 49th “Battle of the Bay” since 1997. It is not a pretty rivalry, but it rarely disappoints. What makes this win sweeter is that it is a slight jab at Hampton after its infamous departure from the MEAC this year. Yeah, that win meant a lot.

Player of the Week: Nic Thomas, Norfolk State

When you beat a rival and score 25 points in the process, you’re Player of the Week material. It took two overtimes for NSU to defeat Hampton, but Nic Thomas did not care about it. He played a whopping 45 minutes and was ice cold. His free throws and clutch shooting in overtime helped the Spartans at the end.

Thomas also hit four threes, grabbed six rebounds and also dished out three assists. He ranks within the top 10 in the MEAC in scoring.

Games to Watch This Week

Monday

UMBC at Coppin State
Florida A&M at DePaul
Morgan State at Virginia

Tuesday

Bethune-Cookman at Saint Mary’s

Thursday

Bethune-Cookman at San Jose State

Saturday

Towson vs. Morgan State
American at Howard

Sunday

Tennessee State at Coppin State
SC State at Virginia Tech
Florida A&M at Georgia Tech