THE GAME
North Carolina Central University hits the road for another tough swing as the Eagles begin the journey that is MEAC play as the maroon and gray face off against the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore.  NCCU will play three games in five days with the opportunity to start 2-0 in conference and start the league season off on the right foot.

NCCU SPORTS NETWORK
The NCCU Sports Network will hit the air with the Nationwide Insurance Pregame Show presented by the Amber Craig Agency at 6:40 p.m. from Hytche Arena in Princess Anne, Maryland at 6:40 p.m.  Play-by-play voice Chris Hooks will call the action in the 36th meeting between these two programs.

SCOUTING REPORT:  MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
-The University of Maryland Eastern Shore enters Friday's MEAC opener with a 3-6 record on the year, but with momentum in-tow as the Hawks are coming off a 65-52 victory over winless UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) on Tuesday night.  UMES stormed out to a 39-16 halftime lead and cruised from that point on in the first home contest for the Hawks.  Three student-athletes scored in double figures led by 6-4 senior guard Devon Walker's 16 points.  Walker shot 4-for-10 from three-point range, while his teammates Devin Martin and Michael Myers both pocketed 15 points in the win.  Martin finished the night going 3-for-5 from-deep, while 6-9 forward Myers went 6-for-7 from-the-field with eight rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes.  The stingy Hawk defense held the Retrievers to 7-for-25 (28.0 percent) shooting in the first half and won the rebound battle 40-to-25.

-The Hawks are led by 6-9 power forward Michael Myers who tops the squad averaging 13.2 points a game, while grabbing a team-best 5.8 rebounds per affair.  Myers shoots a stellar 54.7 percent from the field.  6-4 Junior guard Devin Martin is second on the roster averaging 10.8 points a game going 13-for-40 (32.5 percent) from beyond-the-arc.  His teammate Devon Walker, a 6-4 senior guard, is the most dangerous three-point threat shooting 19-for-53 from way-downtown (35.8 percent), while 6-2 freshman Ryan Adino has come off-the-bench to drain 12 three-pointers on the year.

-Entering Friday's play, UMES was shooting 40.3 percent from-the-field as a team, 31.8 percent (50-for-157) from three-point range and averaged 56.6 points per game, while allowing 66.8 points per game and boast respectable wins over Mount St. Mary's (53-41), Forham (72-66), and UMBC (65-52).

-UMES is under the leadership of first-year head coach Bobby Collins who spent the previous four seasons at Winston-Salem State University where he went 115-100 in eight seasons, but from 2010-14 when the Rams moved back to the NCAA Division II level, he amassed a 79-35 record, winning at least 10 CIAA games each year and made two NCAA Regional First Round appearances during that span.  It was the 2012-13 campaign where Collins and WSSU went 21-7 overall and finished 13-3 in the CIAA.  During that season, the Rams were ranked as high as No. 7 in the nation and were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  Collins also spent time as Hampton's head coach where he took the Pirates to the NCAA Tournament after a shocking MEAC Tournament run as the seventh seed.  He has amassed a 183-173 record over his 13 seasons as a head coach and will look to bring UMES back to the upper echelon of the MEAC.

SERIES VS. MD. EASTERN SHORE
UMES and NCCU have met 35 previous times with the Eagles owning an 19-16 lead in the series, taking over since moving to the NCAA Division I level going 6-1 against the Hawks since 2009.  Here's a look at the last seven matchups between these two teams.
    
2/3/14- at Md. Eastern Shore   66-62 W
2/4/13- at Md. Eastern Shore   82-54 W
3/6/12- vs. Md. Eastern Shore# 60-43 W
1/30/12-  vs. Md. Eastern Shore  77-46 W
1/10/11- vs. Md. Eastern Shore  67-61 W
2/10/10- vs. Md. Eastern Shore  73-71 W
1/21/09- vs. Md. Eastern Shore  58-73 L
#-2012 MEAC Tournament (Opening Round)

NCCU'S RPI IN TOP 120
According to NCAA.com, NCCU's RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) is 109 out of 349 teams across the nation.

EAGLES SOARING AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE
NCCU is ranked among some of the top schools in the nation in a few statistical categories listed below as of Thursday, Dec. 3:

CATEGORY                   NCCU    NCAA
Opp. Points Per Game    54.1      13th
Opp. Field Goal Pct.      34.3%    9th
Opp. 3-Point FG Pct.     27.0%    30th
Scoring Margin             +15.0      T-48
Assists Per Game         14.7       T-97th
Steals Per Game            9.1        28th