DURHAM, N.C. – The MEAC Basketball Tournament will be a quarterfinal rematch of a year ago for the North Carolina Central women.

For the second consecutive year, the Eagles (5-9 MEAC, 9-19 overall) will enter the tourney as the No. 5 seed and take on No. 4 seed Coppin State (6-8 MEAC, 9-22 overall). The matchup is set for Thursday, March 12, at noon inside the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Va. The MEAC released the women's bracket on Thursday night, March 5.

The Eagles are seeking a better result than last year when they lost to Coppin State 57-48 in the quarterfinals. A win next week would send NCCU to the semifinals for the second time in three years.

The victor in Wednesday's quarterfinal between top-seed Howard and No. 8 South Carolina State will await the NCCU-Coppin State winner in the semifinals on Friday, March 13, at 12 p.m.

NCCU enters the tournament after topping South Carolina State 67-41 Thursday in the last game of the regular season. The Eagles played Coppin State twice during the season, both losses but the outcomes were decided by single digits – 77-70 in Baltimore, Md., on Jan. 10 and 75-68 in Durham, N.C., on Feb. 14.

The MEAC Tournament will be held from March 11 to March 14. The quarterfinals are scheduled for March 11 and March 12 with two games set each day at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Friday's semifinals on March 13 are 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and the championship game is Saturday, March 14, at 4 p.m. ESPN+ will livestream each game and ESPNews wlll televise the finals.

For more information about the 2026 MEAC Basketball Tournament, visit www.MEAChoops.com. 
 
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.