DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University finishes up its holiday trip in Florida for the 2018 Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 23 and 24. The Eagles will open up against Nicholls, and will face either Southern or Western Michigan in the final round.
GAME NOTES
2018-19 Regular Season
North Carolina Central (1-4, 0-0 MEAC)
Vs.
Nicholls (2-4, 0-0 Southland)
Friday, Nov. 23, 2018 – 11:00 a.m. CT
The Arena – Niceville, Florida
Video: EmeraldCoast.TV
Stats: EmeraldCoastClassic.com
North Carolina Central (1-4, 0-0 MEAC)
Vs.
TBA
Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 – TBA
The Arena – Niceville, Florida
Video: EmeraldCoast.TV
Stats: EmeraldCoastClassic.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 COLONELS
Nicholls State brings a 2-4 record to the Emerald Coast Classic, with wins over Mississippi College and Idaho. The Colonels are led in the backcourt by Jeremiah Jefferson who averages 17.7 points per game and shoots 40.8 percent from the arc, as well as Kevin Johnson who dishes out 4.8 assists per contest. Nicholls was felled their last time out at Ole Miss, 75-55, and Johnson had nine points, six rebounds and four assists.
LAST FIVE VS NICHOLLS:
First Meeting
SCOUTING THE FIELD
NCCU will face either Southern or Western Michigan in the final round of the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday, Nov. 24. The Eagles have faced the Jaguars twice and are 1-1 all time, and were bested by the Broncos in their only meeting. SU is currently 0-4, and Eddie Reese leads the Jaguars in scoring with 14.5 points per game. WMU is 3-2, paced by Seth Duggan with 16.4 points and 10.4 boards per contest.
LAST FIVE VS SOUTHERN:
11/21/15................... vs. Southern 63-68 L
11/19/17................... vs. Southern 80-67 W
LAST FIVE VS WESTERN MICHIGAN:
1/2/08 at WMU........... 43-79 L
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.
50-50
NCCU shot over 50 percent in back-to-back games for the first time since 2017 when the Eagles shot 62.9 percent against Warren Wilson and 51.1 percent at George Mason for a two-game percentage of 57.0 with 67 made field goals. Here's a look at the Eagles' best two-game shooting performances in the Division I era.
60.7% vs. JWU, at MDES (Dec. 2-5, 2014, 74 FG)
59.4% vs. BSC, at MVSU (Dec. 20-22, 2014, 74 FG)
58.6% vs. VUL, at FAMU (Jan. 8-12, 2013, 71 FG)
57.5% vs. MSU, vs. BCU (Feb. 21-28, 2015, 58 FG)
57.1% at NSU, vs. HOW (March 6-12, 2014, 57 FG)
57.0% vs. WWC, at GMU (Nov. 18-20, 2018, 67 FG)
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.
