NORFOLK, Va. – North Carolina Central men's basketball officially enters March Madness as the Eagles begin the 2026 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament as the No. 3 seed, facing No. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore. The teams will meet in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 12, at 8 p.m. inside Norfolk Scope Arena.
Game 30:
#3 NCCU (12-16, 8-6 MEAC)
vs #6 Maryland Eastern Shore (9-22, 5-9 MEAC)
Thursday, March 12, 2026 – 8:00 p.m.
Scope Arena – Norfolk, Va.
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
Series History: NC Central leads the all-time series, 39-19, after sweeping the Hawks this season. The Eagles won both close contests by a combined six points. Turnovers played a major role in each matchup, as NCCU forced 22 in the first meeting and 23 in the second. This will mark the fifth MEAC Tournament meeting between the two programs, following matchups in 2012, 2017, 2022 and 2024. The Eagles have won all four previous tournament meetings.
Tournament History: NCCU has won four MEAC Tournament championships, including a three-peat from 2017-19. The Maroon & Gray hold a 12-2 record in the opening round of the MEAC Tournament since 2012. The last time the Eagles were a No. 3 seed was in 2022, when they defeated UMES 68-56 in the quarterfinals. Last season, the roles were reversed, as NC Central entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed and faced the No. 3 seed. The Eagles have not advanced to the MEAC championship game since 2019.
Scouting Maryland Eastern Shore: UMES finished the regular season 9-22 overall and 5-9 in conference play. Leading scorer Zion Obanla was named to the All-MEAC Second Team after averaging 10.4 points per game. In last year's MEAC Tournament, No. 8 Maryland Eastern Shore fell 77-70 to No. 1 Norfolk State. The Hawks last advanced past the quarterfinals in 2023, when they defeated No. 5 Morgan State before falling to No. 1 Howard.
Last Time Out: Trailing by 17 points to South Carolina State with 14:14 remaining, North Carolina Central attempted a comeback, using a 24-7 run to tie the game with 6:43 left. The Eagles ultimately fell 80-64 last Thursday at McDougald-McLendon Arena. Tekao Carpenter led all scorers with 21 points and sparked the comeback attempt before the Eagles ran out of momentum late.
2026 All-MEAC Honors: Three Eagles earned postseason conference honors. Gage Lattimore was named to the All-MEAC First Team, becoming the first Eagle since Fred Cleveland Jr. in 2024 to receive the honor. Lattimore averaged 17.2 points per game during the regular season and currently ranks second in the MEAC in scoring. The sophomore also ranks among the conference's top five in field goal percentage, second in free throw percentage, and first in three-point field goal percentage. Dionte Johnson and Kelechi Okworogwo were both named to the MEAC All-Defensive Team. Johnson ranks 10th nationally in steals per game and leads the conference in that category, while Okworogwo ranks in the MEAC's top 10 in rebounding and is tied for first in blocks per game.
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