Complete Game Notes as PDF   

NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
North Carolina Central (19-6, 11-0 MEAC, 6-6 Road)
vs.
Florida A&M (1-23, 1-10 MEAC, 1-8 Home)
Monday, February 16, 2015 - 8:00 p.m.
Lawson Center (9,639) - Tallahassee, Fla.
TV/Video: none
Audio: NCCUEaglePride.com
 
The Game:  The NCCU Eagles visit the Florida A&M Rattlers on Monday inside the Lawson Center, the site of the Eagles' last loss to a MEAC team. Although 1-23 this season, the Rattlers are the last MEAC squad to beat NCCU, as the Eagles have defeated 29 straight conference opponents since the Jan. 11, 2014 loss in Tallahassee. The Rattlers are coming off their first win of the season on Saturday versus NC A&T.
 
SCOUTING REPORT:  FLORIDA A&M
- The Rattlers of Florida A&M are coming off their first win of the season, a 57-50 victory over North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Feb. 14., to up their overall record to 1-23.
- Junior guard Jermaine Ruttley leads FAMU in scoring (16.5 points per game) and rebounding (6.5 boards per game), and is tied for the team-high in assists (2.0 assists per game).
 
SERIES VS. FLORIDA A&M
This will be the 13th meeting between the Rattlers and the Eagles since they first met in 1940. NCCU leads the series 10-2, including a 7-2 advantage since rejoining the MEAC.
02/02/15 - NCCU 85, FAMU 43 (Durham, N.C.)
02/10/14 - NCCU 92, FAMU 49 (Durham, N.C.)
01/11/14 - FAMU 63, NCCU 60 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
02/09/13 - NCCU 51, FAMU 43 (Durham, N.C.)
01/12/13 - NCCU 85, FAMU 62 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
02/04/12 - NCCU 78, FAMU 61 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
01/07/12 - FAMU 62, NCCU 60 (Durham, N.C.)
02/26/11 - NCCU 58, FAMU 55 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
01/29/11 - NCCU 61, FAMU 59 (Durham, N.C.)
 
NCCU'S RPI AMONG TOP 110
According to NCAA.com (as of Feb. 13), NCCU's RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) is 108 out of 351 teams across the nation.
 
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. 12:
CATEGORY                          NCCU    NCAA
Opp. Field Goal Pct.        35.4%    3rd
Opp. Three-Point FG Pct.             26.2%    4th
Opp. Points Per Game   55.1        6th
Scoring Margin  +13.3     17th
Field Goal Percentage    47.4%    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 (35.4%), fourth in three-point percentage defense (26.2%) and sixth in scoring defense (55.1 points allowed per game). At the end of NCCU's historic 2013-14 season, NCCU ranked fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.1%) and 10th in scoring defense (59.5 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 62.7 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.
 
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 81 baskets from behind the arch, which sits ninth in Division I.
 
SCENARIOS FOR MEAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
NCCU needs two more conference wins for at least a share of the MEAC regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the MEAC Tournament. Three wins and the Eagles earn the outright MEAC regular-season title for the second straight year. NCCU would be the first team to repeat as MEAC regular-season champs since Morgan State won three in-a-row from 2007-10.
 
NATION'S THIRD-LONGEST HOME WIN STREAK
NCCU boasts a 32-game home win streak, which ranks third in Division I behind Gonzaga and Arizona. The Eagles have not lost at home since Dec. 4, 2012 (Eastern Kentucky, 57-63). The last MEAC team to beat NCCU in Durham was Savannah State on Feb. 11, 2012 (67-57).  Since then 23 consecutive conference opponents have left McDougald-McLendon Gym with a loss.
 
HOWEVER... NATION'S LONGEST HOME WIN STREAK IN CALENDAR DAYS
Although NCCU's 32-game home win streak ranks third in the NCAA Division I in terms of the number of games, when looking at the length of the streak in calendar days, NCCU tops the nation.
Last Home Loss:
NCCU - Dec. 4, 2012
Gonzaga - Dec. 8, 2012
Arizona - Feb. 10, 2013
Wichita State - Feb. 27, 2013
 
MOTON SITS AMONG NCCU TOP 5 IN WINS
Head coach LeVelle Moton recorded his 100th victory against S.C. State on Jan. 10, 2015, becoming the fifth coach in NCCU men's basketball history to reach the 100-win milestone. Here is a list of the coaches with the most wins in program history:
Most Victories   W            L              Pct.        Years
1. Floyd Brown  251         194         .564        1952-70
2. John McLendon           239         68           .779        1940-52
3. Gregory Jackson          164         78           .678        1991-00
4. Michael Bernard          115         56           .673        1985-91
5. LeVelle Moton             108         73           .597        2009-
 
NCCU VS. MEAC
Now that NCCU is back and established in the  conference that it helped start back in 1970, the Eagles are 311-264 against MEAC opponents all-time. The Eagles have beaten 29 straight MEAC teams, and have a 45-3 record against league foes since the start of 2012-13 season.
Bethune-Cookman         7-4
Coppin State                      7-3
Delaware State                 19-13
Florida A&M                       10-2
Hampton                             46-31
Howard                                40-26
Md. Eastern Shore          20-16
Morgan State                    47-40
Norfolk State                     11-27
North Carolina A&T         70-75
Savannah State                 9-8
SC State                               27-19
 
20-WIN SEASONS
NCCU needs one win to post its third consecutive 20-win season, something that has not happened for the Eagles since 1990 under the direction of head coach Michael Bernard. John B. McLendon was the only other coach to lead the Eagles to three straight 20-win seasons from 1948-51. Here's a look at all 17 of NCCU's 20-win seasons.
Year       Coach    W            L              Pct
1939-40 William Burghardt            22           4              .846
1946-47 John McLendon                20           5              .800
1948-49 John McLendon                25           5              .833
1949-50 John McLendon                24           5              .828
1950-51 John McLendon                28           7              .800
1953-54 Floyd Brown       24           7              .774
1954-55 Floyd Brown       20           7              .741
1956-57#              Floyd Brown       23           6              .793
1987-88%             Michael Bernard               26           3              .896
1988-89$              Michael Bernard               28           4              .875
1989-90%             Michael Bernard               23           5              .821
1992-93&             Gregory Jackson               26           4              .867
1993-94 Gregory Jackson               20           5              .800
1995-96%             Gregory Jackson               20           7              .741
1996-97%             Gregory Jackson               20           6              .769
2012-13 LeVelle Moton  22           9              .709
2013-14@            LeVelle Moton  28           6              .823
-17 (20-win seasons)
 
#-Advanced to Second Round of NCAA Playoffs
%-Advanced to NCAA Regional Championships
&-Advanced to NCAA Quarterfinals / "Elite Eight"
$-Won the NCAA Division II National Championship
@-Won MEAC Regular Season & Tournament