THE GAME
North Carolina Central University has won five straight games and has moved into a three-way tie for first place in the MEAC and will battle Morgan State to break one of those ties in a crucial Monday night showdown in league action. These two programs have a tradition-enriched rivalry that dates back to 1938.
THE SERIES
NCCU and Morgan State will meet for the 86th time in program history on Monday night with the Eagles holding a 45-40 series advantage. These two teams have split the last two meetings including last seasons 69-61 win in the last matchup on Jan. 28, 2013 by the maroon and gray.
NCCU SPORTS NETWORK
The NCCU Sports Network will wall-to-wall coverage of Monday's MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) doubleheader beginning at 5:15 with the Denny's of Durham Pregame Show. Join Jonathan Duren and play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network Chris Hooks as they will call the live action from McDougald-McLendon Gym in the first game while Hooks and NCCU Hall of Famer Joe Simmons will have the call for the men's contest that will be broadcasted live on 99.9 HD3-TheTicket. Fans can watch the live video for just $8.95 per game or listen to live audio for free on www.NCCUEaglePride.com or on the NCCU Sports Network App. Interact with the broadcast by following @NCCUAthletics on twitter using the hashtag #NCCUMBB or send an e-mail to whooks@nccu.edu and nccusn@nccu.edu.
SCOUTING REPORT: MORGAN STATE
-Morgan State enters Monday night's showdown with a 6-11 overall record, 4-1 in MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) play following the heartbreaking 68-67 overtime defeat to NC A&T on Saturday night. The Bears led the contest throughout, but a 14-for-24 (58.3 percent) from the foul line compared to the Aggies 29-for-37 (78.4 percent) effort from the line aided in the comeback. In the extra session, Justin Black drilled a fade away baseline jumper with 11 seconds left to give MSU the 67-66 lead, but A&T's Jeremy Underwood didn't panic, racing the ball up for the floor, finding Richaud Pack who connected on a layup in transition with seven seconds left. After a Black charge and Aggie turnover with 3.8 seconds left, the Bears missed a buzzer-beater which sent NC A&T to the improbable win.
-The loss for Morgan State and Savannah State on Saturday night gives the Eagles a chance earn a spot in the driver's seat in the MEAC with a win and a Tiger loss to Norfolk State as all three times have one loss in the league. SSU is currently a half-game ahead of both MSU and NCCU.
-The Bears are led by eighth year head coach Todd Bozeman who has lifted Morgan State to the top of the heap in the MEAC compiling a 134-111 mark that includes an NIT (National Invitational Tournament) appearance in 2008 and two trips to the NCAA Tournament (2009 and 2010). Bozeman has a career record of 169-173 in 10 seasons as a head coach that includes his stint as the head coach at Cal.
-Morgan State arguably has the most talented roster in the league that is led by a group of four seniors headed up by combo guard Justin Black, who at 6-2, 220-pounds is a major candidate for first team All-MEAC honors. He's third in the league in scoring (18.8 points per game) and second in the league in steals at 2.1 thefts per game. Standing at 7-2, Ian Chiles is second on the team averaging 15.2 points a game and is second in the MEAC with 49 blocks on the year, averaging 2.9 swats a game. Chiles also is 10th in the league in rebounding grabbing 6.2 boards a game, and is 14th in the conference with 2.2 offensive rebounds per contest. The third leading scorer on the team and just as dangerous 6-5 senior guard Anthony Hubbard drops in 11.4 points per contest shooting 40.7 percent from the field. He's also the Bears top rebounder grabbing 6.7 boards per contest which is eighth in the conference. Junior guard and Bozeman's son, Blake, is the top three-point threat on the team shooting 32.9 percent from beyond-the-arc, placing him 14th in the league. His 29 three-pointers, 1.7 per game, puts him 12th in the conference.
-As a team, Morgan State presents a lot of challenges both offensively and defensively as the Bears are fourth in the league averaging 71.0 points a game, while sitting 10th in the MEAC allowing 75.4 points a game. MSU is 13th in the conference from the foul line (59.1 percent), third in field goal percentage at 42.0 percent, and 13th in three-point field goal percentage at 27.3 percent. The Bears allow their opponents to shoot 45.8 percent from the floor. On the boards, MSU is second in the MEAC snatching an average of 36.8 rebounds per game, but are 12th in allowing its opponents to snag an averaged of 39.8 per contest. Morgan State is also second in the MEAC in blocks shots at 4.8 per game, third in steals with 7.4 per contest.
-Looking deeper into their schedule, the Bears have faced a daunting one to say the least with games against now 17th ranked Ohio State (89-50), Oregon (97-76), Vanderbilt (75-66), LaSalle (78-59), Ohio (65-62), Maryland (89-62), UC Irvine, and Cal-State Northridge on the road. Morgan State did beat Marist in overtime (74-67) and High Point (85-74) before bolting out to a 4-0 record in conference play.
NCCU VS. MEAC
Throughout NCCU's illustrious basketball history, the Eagles have taken on every team in the conference that it helped start back in 1970. NCCU is 287-264 against MEAC opponents all-time.
Bethune-Cookman- 5-4
Coppin State- 6-3
Delaware State- 18-13
Florida A&M- 8-2
Hampton- 45-31
Howard- 36-26
Md. Eastern Shore- 18-16
Morgan State- 45-40
Norfolk State- 8-27
North Carolina A&T- 68-75
Savannah State- 6-8
SC State- 24-19
