History: North Carolina A&T has 16 conference titles, or 31.4% of all titles combined. However, they have won only once since their 1995 title (2013).
The MEAC traditionally doesn’t do well in the NCAA Tournament, but there are a few notable upsets in its history. In 2012, #15 Norfolk State knocked off #2 Missouri. In 2001, Hampton pulled off the 15-vs-2 upset when they knocked off Iowa State. At the time, they were the 4th #15 seed in history to win an NCAA Tournament game. Who was the third team to do it? Coppin State, who knocked off South Carolina in the opening round. The Eagles were nearly the first #15 seed to make it to the Sweet 16, losing by one to Texas. So, of the 11 all-time #15 seeds who pulled off the 15-vs-2 upset, three of them came from the MEAC.
Returning Champion: Howard. As the #1 seed, they cruised into the championship, defeating Norfolk State by a point. They avoided a “First Four” game but lost to Kansas by 28 in a 16-vs-1 matchup.
Format: This tournament is as straightforward as it gets. All eight teams make it, and they play a basic tournament format to determine the champion.
Favorite: Norfolk State (21-10, 11-3)
One of only two teams with an overall winning record, the Spartans own an impressive Quad 2 road win over VCU. Head coach Robert Jones is 209-147 at the helm with five 20+ win seasons (including three in a row). Junior guard Jamarii Thomas is the star of the show, averaging 17.5 points and 3.8 assists.
Contenders: North Carolina Central (17-12, 9-5), South Carolina State (14-17, 9-5), Howard (15-16, 9-5)
Live Long Shot: Maryland Eastern Shore (9-19, 4-10)
Preview:
The MEAC is a battle-tested league, as many of its members take the cash to go on the road in the non-conference against top-caliber competition. The eight teams combined to play 15 Quad 1 games (0-15).
North Carolina Central won three straight titles between 2017 and 2019. This year, they are a legitimate threat to Norfolk State. Little (5’9″) senior guard Fred Cleveland is their best player, averaging 15.1 points and 5.4 assists. They enter the tournament with four wins in their last five games.
South Carolina State was on a five-game winning streak before losing to North Carolina Central in the season finale. This is a deep squad with 11 players who average between 14.2 and 21.1 minutes. Because of the constant rotating of players, nobody averages more than 8.5 points.
Howard rotates ten players but relies heavily on a trio. Bryce Harris (16.3 points/7.6 rebounds), Seth Towns (14.4 points/6.3 rebounds), and Marcus Dockery (13.5 points) each play 30+ minutes. The Bison lost to Georgia Tech by three and Cincinnati by five (overtime) in the non-conference.
Maryland Eastern Shore is the live longshot because they have a win over Norfolk State, though they wouldn’t get another crack at them unless both squads are in the title game.
Bottom Line:
This conference is not typically won by an under-the-radar team. Most winners are at or near the top of the conference standings. I don’t expect that to change, as the top four teams have drawn away from the rest of the field.
Winner: Howard