NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
 
North Carolina Central (18-6, 10-0 MEAC, 5-6 Road)
vs.
Bethune-Cookman (8-16, 4-5 MEAC, 3-7 Home)
Saturday, February 14, 2015 - 4:00 p.m.
Moore Gym - Daytona Beach, Fla.
TV/Video: CatEyeNetwork.tv
Audio: NCCUEaglePride.com
(Complete Game Notes as PDF) 

THE GAME:  The NCCU Eagles bring a 28-game win streak against MEAC teams down to Daytona Beach to play the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, but the Eagles have lost six of their 11 road games this season. NCCU has won four straight in the series with B-CU, with the Wildcats' last victory coming in the 2012 MEAC Tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C.
 
SCOUTING REPORT:  BETHUNE-COOKMAN
- The Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman are coming off a 75-70 road win at Delaware State on Feb. 7.
- Redshirt-junior point guard Ricky Johnson has averaged 21.7 points in the Wildcats' last six games, including 28 points against Stetson on Feb. 3.
 
SERIES VS. BETHUNE-COOKMAN
This will be the 11th meeting between the NCCU Eagles and the B-CU Wildcats. NCCU has a 6-4 series advantage, including the last four in-a-row. B-CU's last win over the Eagles was in the 2012 MEAC Tournament (March 8, Winston-Salem, N.C.) when the Wildcats made a jumper in the closing seconds for a 60-59 victory.
 
NCCU'S RPI AMONG TOP 110
According to NCAA.com (as of Feb. 12), NCCU's RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) is 108 out of 351 teams across the nation. Bethune-Cookman is 343.
 
EAGLES SOARING AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE
NCCU is ranked among some of the top schools in the nation (NCAA Division I) in a few statistical categories listed below, as of Feb. 11:
CATEGORY                          NCCU    NCAA
Opp. Field Goal Pct.        35.5%    3rd
Opp. Three-Point FG Pct.             26.5%    4th
Opp. Points Per Game   55.3        6th
Scoring Margin  +13.3     17th
Field Goal Percentage    47.2%    32nd
 
DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
Under the leadership of sixth-year head coach LeVelle Moton, NCCU believes its identity is rooted in playing defense. As evidence, the Eagles rank among the NCAA Division I top-10 in three key defensive categories: third in field goal percentage defense (35.5%), fourth in three-point percentage defense (26.5%) and sixth in scoring defense (55.3 points allowed per game).
 
JORDAN PARKS NAMED TO LOU HENSON AWARD WATCH LIST
NCCU senior forward Jordan Parks (Queens, N.Y.) has been named to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List, announced Jan. 21.  The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the Division I Mid-Major Player of the Year.
 
JORDAN PARKS ON THE MARK
After leading the nation in field goal shooting last season at 65.9 percent, NCCU senior forward Jordan Parks ranks fifth in the NCAA Division I at 62.0 percent, which leads the MEAC.
 
NIMROD THE PLAYMAKER
NCCU senior point guard Nimrod Hilliard, a transfer from Lamar University, continues to lead the MEAC and ranks 12th in the nation with an average of 6.1 assists per game. He has distributed double-figure helpers in two of his last three games.
 
McDONALD AN ARCH EXPERT
Ronald McDonald knows golden arches. Anthony McDonald knows three-point arches. The NCCU senior sharp-shooter tops the conference and ranks 12th in the country with 3.2 made three-pointers per game. He has a MEAC-high 77 baskets from behind the arch, which sits ninth in Division I.