DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University starts its full-week holiday trip at George Mason on Tuesday, Nov. 20 in the final campus-site game of the Emerald Coast Classic before heading to Florida for the bracketed portion of the tournament. 

GAME NOTES
2018-19 Regular Season
North Carolina Central (1-3, 0-0 MEAC)
at
George Mason (1-3, 0-0 A-10)
Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018 – 7:00 p.m.
Eagle Bank Arena – Fairfax, Va.
Video: ESPN+
Stats: GoMason.com
 
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
STARTING FIVE:
1. Head coach LeVelle Moton has now won 172 games at NCCU, and has passed Gregory Jackson for the third-most wins all time at NCCU.
2. NCCU has now won over 1200 games in the 84th season of the program history.
3. This is the eighth consecutive year NCCU has participated in a Global Sports tournament.
4. NCCU will meet a SWAC opponent for the fifth-straight year during the Emerald Coast Classic.
5. NCCU went 6-8 in non-conference play in the 2017-18 season.
 
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
George Mason had a similarly tough start to the season as NCCU, as the Patriots picked up their first win in four attempts in a 69-65 victory over Southern.  GMU is led by Otis Livingston II who had a team-high 17 points in the win over the Jaguars.  He is currently averaging 10.3 points and 5.8 assists per outing.
 
LAST FIVE VS GEORGE MASON:
12/9/17.......................... at George Mason              65-77 L
 
LONG DISTANCE CONNECTIONS
NCCU set new Division I era records with 17 made three-pointers and 34 assists against Warren Wilson on Nov. 18, and also tied a school record for most points in a 123-57 victory.  The Eagles also had six players record double-digits.
 
EMERALD COAST GOLD
NCCU will compete in the Emerald Coast Classic for the second time, after playing in the inaugural staging in 2014.  The Eagles faced Eastern Illinois and Northern Arizona in the bracketed portion, and won both games to clinch the Consolation Bracket Championship.  2018 will also mark the eighth-consecutive year the Eagles will play in an event sponsored by Global Sports, starting with the Global Sports Hoops Showcase in Eugene, Oregon in 2011.
 
THREE IN FIVE
NCCU made its third NCAA Tournament appearance within the last five years, and the Eagles are still on the hunt for their first win.  NCCU's first trip was as a No. 14 seed against Iowa State, and the Eagles were defeated 93-75 during the 2014 tournament.  In 2017, the Eagles also went to Dayton for the First Four and were felled by UC Davis, 67-63.  During the 2018 tournament, the Eagles were bested by Texas Southern, 46-64.
 
LONG ROAD AHEAD
NCCU will play just four games at home at McDougald-McLendon Arena before January, the fewest since the 2014-15 season where the Eagles also hosted four bouts.
 
OUR HOUSE
NCCU is enjoying one of its most successful spells in the Division-I era, as the Eagles have made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and 2017 for the first time since transitioning.  Since 2016, the Eagles are 24-4 at McDougald-McLendon Arena and 13-3 against MEAC opponents.
 
WELCOME HOME
NCCU is 10-1 in home openers at McDougald-McLendon Arena since 2007.  High Point dropped the Eagles 73-64 in 2008, since then NCCU has won nine straight home debuts.
11/21/07........................ vs. Tennessee Tech          73-70 W
12/3/08.......................... vs. High Point.....               64-73 L
11/18/09........................ vs. N.C. Wesleyan             85-70 W
11/12/10........................ vs. Johnson & Wales        90-30 W
11/13/11........................ vs. Johnson & Wales        115-41 W
11/12/12........................ vs. Johnson & Wales        109-46 W
11/11/13........................ vs. Johnson & Wales        98-47 W
11/18/14 ....................... vs. College of Faith           123-65 W
11/16/16........................ vs. Allen.............               78-54 W
11/17/17........................ vs. Warren Wilson            101-76 W
11/18/18........................ vs. Warren Wilson            123-57 W
 
BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS
For the first time in the Division-I era, NCCU has captured back-to-back MEAC Tournament championships, and will head to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years.  This is also the first time the Eagles have won the tournament without being the No. 1 seed, winning the tournament as the No. 6 seed for the first time since Hampton in 2015.  The Eagles are also the first back-to-back MEAC Tournament champion since Hampton in 2015 and 2016.
 
TRIPLE THREAT
Junior guard Randy Miller Jr. put up a remarkable 21 points with five made threes in back-to-back games at Cincinnati and Bowling Green, matching a feat from Reggie Gardner Jr. who also made five treys in consecutive games during the 2017-18 season at Marshall and Illinois.  Over the two games, Miller was 10-for-15 (66.7%) from the arc, and 15-for-23 (65.2%) from the floor.
 
CLOSING TIME
NCCU has excelled with a lead in the second half over the past few seasons, as the Eagles were 14-1 after leading after 20 minutes in the 2017-18 season.  NCCU was also 18-2 when leading with five minutes remaining, and 19-1 when ahead with 60 seconds to go.  Since 2016, the Eagles are 34-4 when leading at the half, 44-4 when leading with five minutes left, and 45-1 when leading with one minute.