NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
Morgan State (7-19, 5-7 MEAC, 2-15 Road)
vs. 
North Carolina Central (20-6, 12-0 MEAC, 9-0 Home)
Saturday, February 21, 2015 - 4:00 p.m.
 McDougald-McLendon Gym (3,116) - Durham, N.C.
TV/Video: NCCUEaglePride.com
Audio: NCCUEaglePride.com

Complete Game Notes as PDF   

Game Rosters as PDF 

THE GAME:  A rematch of the 2014 MEAC Tournament Championship Game... the NCCU Eagles versus the Morgan State Bears. A lot is on the line for NCCU, including the nation's longest conference win streak with 30 straight victories over MEAC teams, and a 32-game home win streak, which ranks third in the country behind Gonzaga and Arizona.

SCOUTING REPORT:  MORGAN STATE
- The Bears of Morgan State are coming off their worst loss in five years, a 93-65 defeat against Hampton on Feb. 16.  That setback ended a three-game win streak with triumphs over Savannah State, South Carolina State and Norfolk State.
- Cedric Blossom, a 6-6 forward, leads the Bears in scoring with an average of 14.7 points per game, while 7-0, 265-pound center Zech Smith tops MSU in rebounding with 6.8 boards per contest.

SERIES VS. MORGAN STATE
This will be the 88th meeting between the MSU Bears and the Eagles since they first met back in February 1938. NCCU holds a 47-40 series advantage over the Bears.  Since returning to the MEAC, NCCU is 3-1 against Morgan State.  Prior to the Jan. 23, 2012 match-up, these two teams had not met since Feb. 16, 1980. 
03/15/14 - NCCU 71, MSU 62 (Norfolk, Va.)***
01/27/14 - NCCU 53, MSU 52 (Durham, N.C.)
01/28/13 - NCCU 69, MSU 61 (Durham, N.C.)
01/23/12 - MSU 71, NCCU 64 (Baltimore, Md.)
*** = 2014 MEAC Tournament Championship Game

NCCU'S RPI AMONG TOP 120
According to NCAA.com (as of Feb. 19), NCCU's RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) is 117 out of 351 teams across the nation. Although the Eagles keep winning, their RPI keeps dropping. Morgan State is 333.

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. 18: 
CATEGORY        NCCU    NCAA 
Opp. Field Goal Pct.    35.2%    2nd
Opp. Three-Point FG Pct.    26.5%    4th
Opp. Points Per Game    54.8    5th
Scoring Margin    +13.7    14th
Field Goal Percentage    47.5%    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: second in field goal percentage defense (35.2%), fourth in three-point percentage defense (26.5%) and fifth in scoring defense (54.8 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 62.2 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 seventh in the country with 3.3 made three-pointers per game. He has a MEAC-high 85 baskets from behind the arch, which sits seventh in Division I.

SCENARIOS FOR MEAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
NCCU needs one more conference win for at least a share of the MEAC regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the MEAC Tournament. Two 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

NEST HAS BEEN PROTECTED
In Moton's six seasons, the Eagles have done just that - Protect the Nest, compiling a 59-13 home record during his coaching career. Here's how NCCU has fared at home since 2009:
2009-10:  7-4 (.636)
2010-11:  9-4 (.692)
2011-12:  8-3 (.727)
2012-13: 12-2 (.857) 
2013-14: 14-0 (1.000)
2014-15: 9-0 (1.000)
Total:     59-13 (.819)

WE MUST PROTECT THE NEST
During the 2013-14 season, North Carolina Central University went unbeaten at home going 14-0, marking that feat for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign. 
2014-15: 9-0
2013-14: 14-0
1989-90:  13-0
1997-98:  12-0 
1987-88:  12-1
1992-93:  11-1
1993-94:  11-1
1995-96:  11-1
1988-89:  9-1

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    109    73    .599    2009-

NCCU VS. MEAC    
Now that NCCU is back and established in the  conference that it helped start back in 1970, the Eagles are 312-264 against MEAC opponents all-time. The Eagles have beaten 30 straight MEAC teams, and have a 46-3 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        11-2
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's victory over Florida A&M on Feb. 16 provided the Eagles with a 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 18 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
2014-15    LeVelle Moton    20    6    .769
20-win seasons = 18

#-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