Game Notes:
NCCU at Maryland (PDF)
NCCU Sports Network Broadcast link
http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/nccu.portal?mode=link&eventId=117961&broadcastType=audio
ESPN3 Link:
http://es.pn/MBK-NCCUvsMD (#NCCUvsMD)
THE GAME
NCCU takes on the University of Maryland for the first time since moving to the NCAA Division I level. The Terps are going through their swan song in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) before heading to the Big Ten next year. The Eagles' last meeting against an ACC foe saw the maroon and gray upset NC State 82-72 in overtime on Nov. 20, their first victory against ACC competition. This also marks the final game in the calendar year of 2013 where the Eagles have enjoyed the most success putting up a remarkable 23-5 record since Jan. 2.
THE SERIES
NCCU and Maryland have never met on the hardwood, but the Eagles are 1-13 all-time against current members of the ACC.
NCCU SPORTS NETWORK
Tune in to the Denny's of Durham Pregame Show beginning at 2:15 p.m. as the Eagles will make their debut on 99.9 HD3 - The Ticket, while also broadcasting across the Heritage Sports Radio Network's vast array of 17 terrestrial radio stations starting with SiriusXM Channel 110. Fans can also listen on both NCCUEaglePride.com and on the NCCU Sports Network App as play-by-play voice Chris Hooks will call the action live from the Comcast Center. To interact with the broadcast follow @NCCUAthletics on twitter, use the hashtag #NCCUMBB, and send an e-mail to nccusn@nccu.edu or whooks@nccu.edu.
SCOUTING REPORT: MARYLAND TERRAPINS
-Maryland is coming off an 85-74 win over Tulsa on Sunday night inside the Comcast Center to move to 8-5 on the year, as head coach Mark Turgeon earned his 300th career victory.
-The Terps got back on track after a disappointing 83-77 home loss to the Terriers of Boston Univ. eight days ago and saw the debut of sophomore guard Seth Allen who fractured his foot in late Oct. Allen ended the night with 15 points, but it was junior Dez Wells who led the way with 18 points in the victory.
-Former Wichita State head coach Mark Turgeon
in his his third season at Maryland just earned win No. 50 on Sunday evening. The Terps won 25 games last season that included a run to the NIT semifinals.
-Maryland has four student-athletes averaging double figures led by Wells (15.7 ppg) who was 13th in the ACC in that category entering the Tulsa contest. His teammate sophomore Jake Layman was 14th in the league averaging 14.7 points a game. Redshirt junior forward Evan Smotrycz drops in 12.5 points a game, while Allen scored 15 points in his lone game of the season thus far.
-Smotrycz entered the weekend in the Top 10 in rebounding, now ripping down 7.1 boards a game and played NCCU on Dec. 14, 2010 when he suited up for Michigan. He scored 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting with two rebounds and two assists in the Wolverines 64-44 victory.
- The Terps entered the weekend No. 13 in the ACC from the foul line shooting 63.6 percent as a team, tied for 10th in field goal percentage (45.0 percent), and fifth in three-point percentage (36.1 percent).
-Maryland has already beaten one MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) team this year taking down Morgan State 89-62 on Nov. 29.
INGRAM RANKED AMONG MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS NATIONWIDE
According to Valueaddbasketball.com's John Pudner, who uses an equation that combines offensive and defensive components to determine which players bring the most value to their respective teams, Ingram boasts a rating of 6.65 points. Ingram sits ahead of Duke's Jabari Parker (6.31 points), Louisville's Russ Smith (6.08 pts), while only a few points behind NC State's T.J. Warren (No. 25, 6.77 points) and North Carolina's Marcus Paige (No. 26, 6.74 points). Utah's Delon Wright is currently ranked at the top of the list with 9.40 points.
NCCU'S RPI IN THE TOP 100 FOR THE FIRST TIME
NCCU's 7-3 start of the season has not only gotten noticed by voters in the mid-major polls, but for the first time since becoming a full-time member of the NCAA Division I level, the maroon and gray;s RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) has the Eagles sitting at No. 82 in the nation, breaking into the top-100 for the first time.
JEREMY INGRAM: MEAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK... AGAIN
For the second time this season, North Carolina Central University senior guard Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) has been named MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Player of the Week for his performance on the hardwood for the maroon and gray, the league announced Monday. In two games last week, Ingram averaged 30.5 points, shot 58.8 percent from the field (20-for-34), and shot a stellar 50 percent from three-point range (9-for-18) as the Eagles went 1-1. His highlight performance came against now No. 10 Wichita State on Sunday evening as he lit up the Shockers for 27 points in the second half to finish with a career-high 37. The maroon and gray nearly dug out of a 16-point halftime deficit against the unbeaten Shockers, who managed to hold on for a 77-66 victory. With his 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) performance from behind-the-arc, Ingram joined an illustrious class of Eagles (MarQus Johnson, Shawn Ray, Michael Hadley, LeVelle Moton, and Landon Clement) who all hit at least seven three-pointers in a game. The nation's third leading scorer at 24.6 points a game has scored in double figures in 50 games during his career, dropped-in 20-plus points on 15 occasions and is now No. 26 on the all-time scoring list at NCCU with 1,063 points, needing 11 to tie Clifton Daye (1990-93) with 1,074 career points to move into the Top-25. Not to be overshadowed, earlier in the week NCCU beat Winthrop after an 11-day layoff 72-66, which was also led by Ingram's game-high 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting. This honor marks the third time in the last two years Ingram has earned that recognition.
"POOBIE" MOVING UP ALL-TIME STEALS LIST
Senior point guard Emanuel Chapman is No. 1 all-time in assists and is currently moving up the charts in the steals category. Chapman has recorded 127 thefts in his four seasons at NCCU which places him tied with NCCU great Jimmie Walker (1992-94), needing eight to tie Stanley Melvin (1974-78) for seventh all-time.
