North Carolina Central University "Eagles"
(0-0 overall, 0-0 MEAC, 0-0 Road)
vs.
University of Cincinnati "Bearcats"
(0-0 overall, 0-0 AAC, 0-0 Home)
Friday, November 8, 2013- 8:00 p.m. (EST)
Fifth Third Bank Arena - Cincinnati, Ohio
TV/Video Coverage: ESPN3.com
Radio Coverage: None
Twitter Talk: #NCCUMBB
Game Notes: NCCU vs. Cincinnati (PDF)
WatchESPN Link (ESPN3): http://es.pn/MCB-NCCUvsCINCY
THE GAME
North Carolina Central University begins the 2013-14 campaign on the road for the first of four games in the Global Sports Hoops Classic. The Eagles are looking to recapture the magic of the 2012-13 season when the maroon and gray finished 15-1 in league play and lost two contests when the calendar flipped to 2013. During that magical run, NCCU won 20 or more games for the first time at the NCAA Division I level.
THE SERIES
NCCU and Cincinnati have never met on the hardwood. In fact, the Eagles have only faced two teams (Rutgers and SMU) in the brand-new American Athletic Conference posting an 0-2 record since reclassifying to the NCAA Division I level in 2007. NCCU is 1-3 against teams from the state of Ohio with the lone win coming against Central State (OH).
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI "BEARCATS"
The Bearcats of Cincinnati are coming off a 2012-13 where they finished 22-12 overall, finishing ninth in the Big East Conference with a 9-9 mark. Since the program began in 1901, Cincinnati has a winning percentage of 63.1 percent (1,655-968) and has registered six Final Four appearances, eight trips to the Elite Eight, and has reached the Sweet 16 on 10 occasions. The Bearcats have 37 conference championships with the last coming in 2004. UC was picked fourth in the AAC preseason coaches' poll behind defending national champion Louisville, UConn, and Memphis. Temple (Fifth), SMU (sixth), Houston (seventh), USF (eighth), and Rutgers (ninth). The Bearcats return two starters from last year's squad led by their leading scorer redshirt senior Sean Kilpatrick who averaged 17.0 points a game last year. Kilpatrick earned first team All-American Athletic Conference by the league's coaches after averaging 2.41 three-pointers last season and leads all current AAC student-athletes with 1,444 career points. In two exhibitions contests, Kilpatrick poured in an average of 22.0 points per game. Senior forwards Justin Jackson and Titus Rubles are two more Bearcats to look out for in Friday night's matchup as Jackson ranked eighth in the Big East in blocked (1.37 per game), and Rubles is UC's returning leader in rebounds (5.9 per game) and assists (2.0). Cincinnati begins the season with a seven-game homestand and is led by eighth year head coach Mick Cronin who has compiled a 135-100 record during his tenure in Ohio's version of the Queen City. Cronin's coaching career spans 11 seasons where he has complied a 204-124 record at both Murray State and Cincinnati. The former Cincinnati and Louisville assistant is an astounding 52-9 in nonconference home games during his tenure, winning 85.2 percent of their contests inside Fifth Third Bank Arena. In fact, UC has won 39 of their last 43 non-league home games. Throughout the illustrious history of UC basketball the Bearcats are 91-21 in season openers, including an 80-10 mark at home. Cincinnati is 15-0 all-time against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
UP NEXT
The Eagles return to the nest for the home opener of the 2013-14 campaign as the Wildcats from Johnson & Wales University make the trip to the Bull City on Monday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m. These two program have met three previous times with the maroon and gray winning by an average margin of 65.7 points. During his tenure, LeVelle Moton is 4-0 in home openers at NCCU.
INGRAM, CHAPMAN EARN ALL-MEAC PRESEASON HONORS
With the season approaching, the North Carolina Central University men's basketball program is slated to finish third in the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) and has two student-athletes, Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) and Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) picked to the All-MEAC squad, the league announced. "The preseason projections are just that…projections," said NCCU head men's basketball coach LeVelle Moton. "Games and championships are won on the court and we will prepare with that in mind, so as great as it may be that we were chosen third, we take it as it is, a prediction." Ingram earned his second spot on the first team All-MEAC roster after his excellent junior season where he finished the regular season second in the MEAC in scoring at 15.7 points a game, sixth in free-throw percentage (79.8 percent), third in three-point percentage (39.4 percent), and fourth in three-pointers made (2.0 per game). The shooting guard scored a career-high 32 points against Bethune-Cookman on Feb., and dropped-in 20 points or more eight times in his junior season. Ingram earned MEAC Co-Player of the week honors on Feb. 25 and also garnered MEAC "Most Valuable Player" award on CollegeInsider.com. Chapman earns his first spot on the All-MEAC squad on the third team, but it doesn't come without merit. The senior point guard has recorded the most assists in the league over the last two seasons with 342 helpers in his last 63 games, an average of 5.43 per game. The closest student-athlete was former South Carolina State guard Khalif Toombs who amassed 295 helpers over the last two seasons. "To whom much is given, much is required," said Moton. "Those two young men have worked extremely hard to get the recognition for their play. Now the challenge for them is to maintain that level throughout the year because they are no longer under the radar." NCCU actually received four first place votes falling just behind Morgan State who was chosen second, while the defending regular-season champion Spartans of Norfolk State earned the top spot by garnering 14 first place votes. The Eagles finished ahead of Hampton (fourth), North Carolina A&T (fifth), Savannah State (sixth), Delaware State (seventh), Bethune-Cookman (eighth), Coppin State (ninth), Florida A&M (10th), South Carolina State (11th), Howard (12th), and Maryland Eastern Shore (13th). The maroon and gray finished the 2012-13 campaign with a 22-9 record that included a 15-1 mark in conference action to finish in second place in the league. When the calendar flipped to 2013, the Eagles went an astounding 16-2 that included an 11-game winning streak, which was the longest span of consecutive victories since the 1995-96 season. Under the tutelage of now fifth year head coach LeVelle Moton the Eagles are 39-24 overall, 25-7 in the MEAC since becoming official members of the league. Taking in consideration the year prior when the maroon and gray played a full conference schedule but weren't eligible for postseason play, the program is 54-39 overall, 40-13 against MEAC opponents.
