NORFOLK, Va. – North Carolina Central University arrives to the MEAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the third time in the last four years looking for its second tournament championship in the same time span.  The Eagles open their run against ninth-seeded Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday, March 8 in the quarterfinal round.

GAME NOTES
2016-17 Regular Season
North Carolina Central (22-8, 13-3 MEAC)
Vs.
Bethune-Cookman (10-21, 6-10 MEAC)
Wednesday, March 8, 2017 – 6:00 p.m.
Scope Arena – Norfolk, Virginia
Audio: NCCU Sports Network
Video / Stats: MEACHoops.com and ESPN3
 
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
STARTING FIVE:
1. Coach Moton is 6-4 all-time in the MEAC Tournament.
2. NCCU's 13-game win streak from Jan. 11 to Feb. 25 is the second-longest win streak in the Division I era for the Eagles.
3. NCCU is 340-278 all-time against the MEAC.
4. Coach Moton is 86-27 all-time in regular season MEAC play.
5. This is NCCU's third trip to the tournament as the No. 1 seed.
 
THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE
NCCU earned three individual awards for the 2016-17 season as Patrick Cole was named MEAC Player of the Year as well as First Team All-MEAC, and head coach LeVelle Moton earned his second MEAC Coach of the Year award.  Dajuan Graf was also voted Second Team All-MEAC.  Cole finished the season as th­­­e leading assist maker in the league with 5.8 per game, and that is good for 22nd in the nation in NCAA Division-I.  He also finished third in scoring with 19.8 points per game, and fifth in rebounding with 6.9 per outing.  Moton coached the Eagles to a 23-7 record, and are ranked as one of the top-10 most improved in NCAA Division-I, and the Eagles also carried a 13-game win streak during the year.  Graf finished as the second leading assist man in the MEAC with 5.2 per game, and was top-15 in scoring with 14.1 points per game.  He was also one of the most efficient shooters, making 47.8 percent of his shots, good for top-10 in the league.
 
FLYING HIGH IN THE MEAC
NCCU sits in the top-four of every MEAC stat category except for one, and within the individual stat categories over 20 spots are taken up by Eagles.  As a team, the Eagles are first in five separate categories.
 
HELPER, HELPER
Senior guards Patrick Cole and Dajuan Graf have been scoring the ball well this season, but they have also gotten their teammates involved as the top two assisters in the MEAC.  Cole is first with 5.7 per game, followed by Graf at 5.2.