Complete Game Notes (PDF)
THE GAME
North Carolina Central University returns to the Bull City for a two-game weekend homestand with a chance to push its record above .500 for the first time at this point in a season since the move to the Division I level. The Eagles enter the contest with two straight wins, including a 66-58 decision over Western Illinois on Wednesday night.
THE SERIES
NCCU and Florida A&M University are meeting for the fourth time in program history, the first of which since Dec. 27, 1967. The Eagles hold a 3-0 record all-time against the Rattlers in a series that dates back to 1940. NCCU is 251-250 all-time against MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) teams and are 4-2 against the league in its final season before becoming an official member of the conference.
NCCU TO PROMOTE PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS
NCCU Department of Athletics and the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development are partnering to promote Prostate Cancer Awareness. The game against Florida A&M University will be called “Together 4 The Cure.” The men’s team will wear blue T-shirts during warmups and the coaches will wear blue ties.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY “RATTLERS”
Florida A&M University enters the weekend matchup with a 7-12 record overall, 2-5 within the MEAC, but comes into the fourth meeting winners of two-in-a-row. The Rattlers beat conference bottom dweller 45-38 on Saturday, Jan. 22 and on Monday night pulled perhaps the biggest upset of the conference season to this point with a 62-58 win over Hampton. Prior to the two wins last week, the Rattlers had lost seven straight, after a two-game winning streak in mid-December. FAMU is coached by Eugene Harris who is in his fourth season at the helm and enters with a record of 36-60. As a team, Florida A&M boasts a very tough team defensive allowing opponents to shoot just 41.0% which is second in the league, and they are No. 1 in the conference in rebounding averaging 39.0 boards a game as a team. The Rattlers are led in scoring by 6-6 forward Amin Stevens who is ninth in the MEAC averaging 14.5 points a game, while he is fourth in the conference grabbing 8.4 rebounds a contest. Stevens has turned it up a notch in the league raising his average just a hair above three points a game as he is averaging 17.9 points and 11.4 rebounds in conference play. He sits fourth in offensive rebounds at 3.2 and fifth in defensive rebounds at 5.2 per game. His teammate Larry Jackson is second on the squad with 6.2 boards a game. Florida A&M has struggled away from Leon County this year as they have yet to win on the road both in and out of conference play going 0-11 at this point. Starting shooting guard Avery Moore is hitting an average 2.3 three-pointers a game good enough for fifth in the league, while his teammate Brandon Hosley is hitting 35.0 percent of his threes which is ninth in the league. Rattler big man Yannick Crowder comes into the game fifth in the MEAC in blocked shots at 2.1 per game.
UP NEXT
The Eagles compete in their final contest in the month of January inside the friendly confines of McDougald-McLendon Gym as NCCU hosts league-leading Bethune-Cookman at 7:30 p.m. on Monday Jan. 31. Following that game, the Eagles hit the road for two straight to begin the month of February against Howard University on Feb. 5 (4:00 p.m.), and the Panthers of High Point University on Feb. 7 (7:00).
