Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Notebook
MEAC Celebrates Dr. King Day by Airing Three Nationally Televised Games
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day by having three of its games nationally televised on ESPNU. With this honor being firsts for many of the teams, it made the day off turn into a day on.
After going much of the season with a zero consistently present in their win column, the North Carolina A&T Aggies (1-13, 1-4) made a change on Sunday after gaining their first win of the season over the Bethune-Cookman College Wildcats (7-9, 3-2), defeating them in a thrilling 69-67 victory. What also marked a first was that the game was the Wildcats’ debut on ESPNU; however, it was the Aggies who stole the spotlight.
Sophomore forward Jason Wills made the two game-winning free throws with 7.3 seconds remaining in the game. He also led the Aggies with 20 points overall. Senior guard/forward Michael Hayes added 16 points including five three-pointers.
The Delaware State Hornets remain undefeated in the MEAC after defeating the Howard University Bison 60-46 last Saturday and most recently, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks 70-67 on Monday. At the half, the Hornets led 31-13 over the Hawks and had their biggest lead, 34-14, with 18:14 remaining in the second half. The Hawks have struggled this season, having only one win in the conference and four wins overall. It is also the Hawks that are expected to finish in last place after posting a 2-26 overall record and gaining only one win in the conference last season.
The Morgan State University Bears are still searching for their first win of the season and hoped for that goal to be accomplished when they hosted Norfolk State in a nationally televised game on Monday night. Their goal, however, was not met as they suffered an 81-53 loss to the Spartans, making their record 0-15 overall and 0-4 in the conference. On the other hand, the Spartans are tied for third place in the MEAC with a 4-2 record in the conference and 5-11 record overall.
Unlike the Bears, the Coppin State University Eagles (4-12, 4-1) sit comfortably in second place in the MEAC. The Eagles were able to gain a win after snapping a nine-game losing streak against the Hampton University Pirates 72-65 in a home game on Monday.
Lastly, the Florida A&M Rattlers improved to 4-2 in the MEAC and 8-9 overall when they defeated the South Carolina State University Bulldogs 72-65. FAMU is also the only team in the MEAC closest to gaining a winning percentage in their overall record, which stands at 8-9. The Bulldogs, who were selected to finish in first place according to the preseason polls, have not been able to match the expectations as they currently sit in seventh place in the MEAC with only two wins in the conference.
MEAC Weekly Honors
Bethune-Cookman College forward Michael Williams II was named the MEAC Player of the Week after averaging 17.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in their three games last week.
Coppin State University guard Tywain McKee was named the MEAC Rookie of the Week after averaging 19.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last week. This is the fourth time this season that McKee earned Rookie of the Week.
Upcoming Games
Sat. 1/21 – Howard at Bethune Cookman (4 P.M.)
Sat. 1/21 – Coppin State at N.C. A&T (4 P.M.)
Sat. 1/21 – UMES at Florida A&M (4 P.M.)
Sat. 1/21 – Morgan State at S.C. State (6 P.M.)
Sat. 1/21 – Delaware State at Hampton (6 P.M.)
Mon. 1/23 – Savannah State at Hampton (7 P.M.)
Mon. 1/23 – Coppin State at S.C. State (7:30 P.M.)
Mon. 1/23 – Morgan State at N.C. A&T (7:30 P.M.)
Mon. 1/23 – UMES at Bethune Cookman (7:30 P.M.)
Mon. 1/23 – Howard at Florida A&M (7:30 P.M.)
Mon. 1/23 – Delaware State at Norfolk State (8 P.M.)
Most Anticipated Game
On Saturday, Jan. 21, Delaware State faces off against Hampton, which will be the first meeting between the two teams since the 2005 MEAC Tournament championship game where the Hornets came away with the win, gaining entrance into the NCAA Tournament. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
