ORANGEBURG, S.C. – North Carolina Central plays its remaining February games on the road, starting at South Carolina State on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. This will be the first meeting between the Eagles and Bulldogs since the 2025 MEAC Tournament semifinals.
Game 25:
NCCU (10-14, 6-3 MEAC)
at South Carolina State (6-18, 4-4 MEAC)
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 – 8:00 p.m.
SHM Memorial Center – Orangeburg, S.C.
ESPN+ | Live Stats
Series History: NC Central will finally get to play South Carolina State after winter weather altered the original date of Jan. 31. The Eagles went 1-2 against the Bulldogs last season. Both teams won their home contests and met again in the semifinals of the 2025 MEAC Tournament. SCSU won 88-67 and moved on to the championship game. NCCU leads the series 38-25.
Scouting South Carolina State: SCSU is led by the conference's preseason player of the year, Jayden Johnson. The guard leads the Bulldogs in scoring (12.7) and assists (3.4). Owen Bronston Jr. joins Johnson in double figures, averaging 10.9 ppg. Cameron Clark and Chris Parker are solid rebounders, averaging 5.4 and 5.1 per game, respectively. The Bulldogs are currently on a two-game losing streak, falling at home to Coppin State and on the road at Howard.
Last Time Out: NCCU bounced back from a loss against Coppin State last Saturday, winning 80-76 at home on Monday evening against Morgan State. The Bears tested the Eagles after NCCU was up big at the half. MSU couldn't complete the comeback attempt, falling for the second time this season to NC Central. With the win, NCCU ended MSU's six-game winning streak.
MEAC Standings Carousel: The MEAC standings have changed once again as Howard now has the top spot with a 7-3 conference record. After NC Central's win on Monday, the Eagles and Morgan State are now tied at second (6-3). Norfolk State also has six wins, but the Spartans have four losses. With two recent road wins, Coppin State has tied with the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks, who were first in the MEAC after a 4-0 start, but have lost six straight.
The Grind Continues: Three games are on the schedule for the Eagles this week. With Morgan State's game complete, the Eagles now travel to South Carolina State mid-week and Howard on the weekend. NC Central will not play another home game until March 5, closing out the regular season. With five games remaining, three games are against teams that NCCU has already played. Howard is the only team out of the three that has defeated the Eagles. NCCU was victorious in the first round of games against Maryland Eastern Shore and Delaware State.
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.
