We’re in the midst of Championship Fortnight, so let’s gear up for the continuing action by breaking down each of the Other 26’s conference tournaments as they get under way.

MEAC Tournament

Dates: March 10-14

Site: Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, VA)

What to expect: Despite losing several key players from last year’s 28-6 unit, North Carolina Central reloaded with talented transfers and dominated the MEAC for the second straight season. Led by Lamar transplant Nimrod Hilliard (11.6 PPG, 6.4 APG) and big man Jordan Parks (14.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG), the Eagles have counterbalanced a slightly less efficient offensive attack with an even more dominant defense, holding opponents to a paltry 41.3 percent effective field goal percentage (third-best nationally) and just 54.7 points per game. The most credible challengers in Norfolk this week will be Norfolk State, Delaware State and Maryland-Eastern Shore – led by Mike Myers, who draws an incredible 9.1 fouls per 40 minutes of action. The Spartans, playing in their home town, probably have the best shot at ending North Carolina Central’s two-year run.

Favorite: North Carolina Central. The Eagles are the most experienced team in the country (per KenPom) and have not lost a MEAC contest since January 11, 2014. Only three conference opponents have scored more than a point per possession against their defense this season. LeVelle Moton’s crew is the clear favorite in Norfolk.

Darkhorse: Norfolk State. The Spartans, despite being the #2 seed here, remain a darkhorse because of North Carolina Central’s dominance. They had the Eagles on the ropes back in mid-January and only have to travel a mile or two for this week’s tournament. An upset is certainly possible.

Who wins: North Carolina Central. You don’t go undefeated (16-0) in conference play without being substantially better than the rest of the field, so count on North Carolina Central – in just its eighth year at the Division I level – to reach its second-straight NCAA Tournament.

Player to watch: Amere May and Kendall Gray – Delaware State. May has gone off for 40-plus points twice this season, include a 48-point effort against St. Francis-Brooklyn in December. Gray logged an incredible 33 points and 30 rebounds against Coppin State on Thursday. Expect some big numbers from these guys at the Scope.

Tommy Lemoine (250 Posts)

This entry was posted on Monday, March 9th, 2015 at 11:31 am by Tommy Lemoine and is filed under microsites, other 26. Tagged: delaware state, levelle moton, meac, MEAC Tournament, norfolk state, north carolina central, umes. 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.