2019-20 Regular Season
North Carolina Central (0-1, 0-0 MEAC)
Vs.
USC Upstate (1-1, 0-0 Big South)
Monday, Nov. 11, 2019 – 7:00 p.m.
McDougald-McLendon Arena – Durham, N.C.
Video/Audio: NCCU Sports Network
Stats: NCCUEaglePride.com
 
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
STARTING FIVE:
1. NCCU begins its 87th season of men's basketball with over 1,200 wins.
2. Coach Moton will coach his 11th season with NCCU, and is just the third coach in program history with 10+ seasons.
3. NCCU will face seven opponents for the first time during non-conference play.
4. NCCU has won its last nine home openers
5. NCCU is 14-1 at home during non-conference play since 2016.
 
SCOUTIING THE  SPARTANS
USC Upstate will make its first trek to McDougald-McLendon Arena, carrying a 1-1 record after winning its home opener against Truett McConnell,103-62.  Through the Spartans first two games, Brandon Martin has been at the forefront, averaging 11.5 points and 5.0 rebounds off the bench in 18.0 minutes per game.  Everette Hammond is the squad's leading scorer with 16.0 points per contest as well.
 
LAST FIVE VS. USC UPSTATE
First Meeting.
 
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
 
MEAC TOURNAMENT THREE-PEAT
NCCU has won the MEAC Tournament for the third consecutive year, and became the first MEAC school to clinch three-straight bids since North Carolina A&T won seven consecutively from 1982-88.  The Eagles have now captured the tournament crown for the fourth time in the eight years that they have been eligible for the MEAC Tournament since transitioning to Division I.
 
PARTY LIKE IT's 1989
NCCU recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of its 1989 NCAA Division II National Championship, where it defeated Southeast Missouri State, 73-45, setting a record for the largest margin of victory in the title game that still stands to this day.
 
TWO'S COMPANY
NCCU returns just two starters from the 2018-19 club, Randy Miller Jr. and Jordan Perkins.  In total, four Eagles come back for the 2019-20 campaign, including Jibri Blount and Nicolas Fennell.  Perkins and Miller contributed 559 of the Eagles' 2,429 points last year (16.4 ppg), and with Blount and Fennell the quartet comprised 856 points last year (25.2 ppg).
 
THREE'S A CROWD
Miller and Perkins both landed on the Preseason All-MEAC list, along with Blount for their contributions to the Eagles' 2019 tournament championship run.  Miller earned second team honors after averaging 13.3 points per game and finished top-10 in the MEAC by shooting 37.1 percent from the arc with 66 made triples.  Blount averaged 10.1 points and 4.4 boards off the bench last year, and reached a season-high with a 34-point explosion at Howard.  Perkins averaged 4.3 assists per contest and finished sixth in the MEAC in that category, and also was ranked fourth in the league with a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.  Perkins also motored the Eagles with a team-high 125 assists, and a team second-most 25 steals.