JC of HBCUSportsBlog is the RTC correspondent for the SWAC and MEAC Conferences.

Unlike its black college counterpart, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference knows how to effectively manage its early season maulings. The conference is a combined 15-36 so far, not bad given early season opponents have included Kansas, Michigan, Kentucky and Oklahoma. The MEAC is quickly emerging as one of the mid-major conferences to watch. They may not be primed to run upset city, but they are quickly preparing to take up residence.

THIS WEEK

Hampton University and Morgan State University are the cream of the crop in the MEAC. The two teams have wins over George Mason University and Marshall University, and will begin a stretch of competition against comparable mid-major teams. You know, the Mount Saint Marys and Akron Zips of the world.

WHAT’S HELPING

• Half of the conference averages more than ten assists per game, which is causing defensive breakdowns, because four of those six teams are averaging more than 60 points per game.
• Six teams are defending the interior pretty well, averaging more than four blocks per game through at least three games for each team.

WHATS HURTING

• The entire conference is averaging more than 11 turnovers per game, and ten of the teams are averaging more turnovers than assists.
• Only two teams are shooting better than 31 percent from three-point range, which won’t bode well come tournament time for the lucky number 15 seed.

WHATS NEXT?

Here are a few of the upcoming key match-ups for MEAC teams. They aren’t necessary bracket busters, but the RPI will matter at the end of the regular season for seeding in the national tournament.

• Coppin State @ Morgan State – Dec. 6 – In their first meeting since the 2008 MEAC championship game, Morgan and Coppin lock up in the first of two Baltimore City showdowns. Coppin is led by senior guard Tywain McKee, who shot the Eagles into the NCAA tournament last March, and himself into consideration for the Bob Cousy award.
• North Carolina A&T @ Akron  – Dec. 13– The A&T offensive attack works inside out, with forwards Ed Jones, Robert Johnson and Nicholas Wilson averaging a combined 35 points and 12 rebounds per game. If this attack continues into conference play, it could be a formidable force come tournament time in Winston-Salem, NC.

rtmsf (3998 Posts)

This entry was posted on Monday, December 1st, 2008 at 5:27 pm by rtmsf and is filed under Checking In On. Tagged: conference check-ins, coppin st, ed jones, hampton, meac, morgan st, nicholas wilson, north carolina a&t, robert johnson, tywain mckee. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.