NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
North Carolina Central (22-6, 14-0 MEAC, 8-6 Road)
vs. 
Savannah State (9-19, 4-9 MEAC, 7-4 Home)
Monday, March 2, 2015 - 8:00 p.m.
 Tiger Arena (6,000) - Savannah, Ga.
TV/Video: SSUathletics.com  
Audio: NCCUEaglePride.com  

Complete Game Notes as PDF   

THE GAME:  After winning the MEAC regular-season title for the second straight year, NCCU hits the road to play Savannah State. NCCU leads the series against the Tigers 9-8, but the Eagles have won just one of the last five match-ups in Savannah. NCCU boasts the nation's longest conference win streak with 32 straight victories over MEAC teams. 

SCOUTING REPORT:  SAVANNAH STATE
- The Tigers of Savannah State are riding a three-game win streak with victories over Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State.
- SSU played a brutal non-conference slate, including road losses at Louisville, Indiana, Miami, Kansas State, Tulane and LSU.
- SSU is led by senior guard Terel Hall as the lone Tiger to average double figures in scoring with 10.9 points per game. He also tops the team with 80 assists and is tied for the MEAC lead with 1.9 steals per contest.

SERIES VS. SAVANNAH STATE
This will be the 18th meeting between the Eagles and Tigers since they first met on Dec. 11, 1954. NCCU holds a slim 9-8 advantage in the series and has won the last four match-ups, but SSU has a 7-5 lead since 2009.
01/12/15 - NCCU 58, SSU 40 (Durham, N.C.)
03/03/14 - NCCU 64, SSU 57 (Durham, N.C.)
02/17/14 - NCCU 76, SSU 62 (Savannah, Ga.)
03/02/13 - NCCU 51, SSU 47 (Durham, N.C.)
02/16/13 - SSU 44, NCCU 36 (Savannah, Ga.)
02/25/12 - SSU 60, NCCU 47 (Savannah, Ga.)
02/11/12 - SSU 67, NCCU 57 (Durham, N.C.)
03/12/11 - SSU 64, NCCU 50 (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
02/06/10 - NCCU 65, SSU 60 (Durham, N.C.)
01/20/10 - SSU 46, NCCU 44 OT (Savannah, Ga.)
03/02/09 - SSU 69, NCCU 64 (Savannah, Ga.)
01/31/09 - SSU 67, NCCU 51 (Durham, N.C.)
(Winston-Salem, N.C.) = MEAC Bonus Game

EAGLES BACK IN MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
NCCU is back in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll (Feb. 23), reentering in the No. 25 spot. The Eagles were ranked as high as No. 24 before suffering a road loss at East Tennessee State University on Jan. 31 to end a 10-game winning streak. Since that time, NCCU has won six in-a-row to improve its overall record to 22-6.

NCCU REPEATS MEAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
NCCU clinched its second straight MEAC regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the MEAC Tournament by defeating Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 28. NCCU is the first team to repeat as MEAC regular-season champs since Morgan State won three in-a-row from 2007-10.

NCCU'S RPI AMONG TOP 115
According to NCAA.com (as of March 1), NCCU's RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) is 113 out of 351 teams across the nation. Savannah State is 323.

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. 28: 
CATEGORY        NCCU    NCAA 
Opp. Three-Point FG Pct.    26.9%    2nd
Opp. Field Goal Pct.    35.4%    3rd
Opp. Points Per Game    54.8    5th
Scoring Margin    +14.1    13th
Field Goal Percentage    48.2%    18th

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-5 in three key defensive categories: second in three-point percentage defense (26.9%), third in field goal percentage defense (35.4%), 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 third in the NCAA Division I at 63.4 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 11th in the nation with an average of 6.2 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 10th in the country with 3.2 made three-pointers per game. He has a MEAC-high 89 baskets from behind the arch, which sits 13th in Division I.

NATION'S SECOND-LONGEST HOME WIN STREAK
NCCU boasts a 34-game home win streak, which ranks second in Division I behind 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 25 consecutive conference opponents have left McDougald-McLendon Gym with a loss. 

HOWEVER... NATION'S LONGEST HOME WIN STREAK IN CALENDAR DAYS
Although NCCU's 34-game home win streak ranks second 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
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 61-13 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: 11-0 (1.000)
Total:     61-13 (.824)

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: 11-0
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    111    73    .603    2009-

NCCU VS. MEAC
Now that NCCU is back and established in the  conference that it helped start back in 1970, the Eagles are 314-264 against MEAC opponents all-time. The Eagles have beaten 32 straight MEAC teams, and have a 48-3 record against league foes since the start of 2012-13 season.
Bethune-Cookman    8-4
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        48-40
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    22    6    .786
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

ALL STARTERS ALL-MEAC; PARKS MEAC MVP
Breitbart Sports announced all five NCCU starters to its 15-player men's basketball All-MEAC Teams, and has NCCU senior forward Jordan Parks as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player. Parks, a 6-7, 200-pound forward out of Queens, New York, earned Conference MVP honors as the top-ranked player in the MEAC, coming in at #200 among NCAA Division I players at ValueAddBasketball.com. Parks and senior point guard Nimrod Hilliard were named to the All-MEAC First Team, senior center Karamo Jawara and senior shooting guard Anthony McDonald were selected to the All-MEAC Second Team, and junior guard Dante Holmes was placed on the All-MEAC Third Team.