Nobody wants to play in the NIT when you have the chance to get in the major leagues AKA the NCAA Tournament. That certainly rings true for the likes of the Hampton Pirates and the Norfolk State Spartans, who are regarded as the favorites to win the MEAC tournament that begins this coming Wednesday. With an automatic bid up for grabs, will either Hampton or Norfolk State snare the title? Or will another team turn on the heat and top the tourney?
Read on for a breakdown of the MEAC tournament. You can also check out our preview for the MAC tourney.
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Favorites
Hampton Pirates
The Pirates are aiming to grab another place in the Big Dance and the only way they can get it is if they successfully defend their conference tournament title. That’s going to be easier said than done, but the Pirates have the pieces to accomplish that mission.
For one, they have the high-scoring tandem of Reginald Johnson and Quinton Chievous, who are just two of the four returning players from last year’s roster. Johnson is second in the conference in scoring with 18.2 points per game, while Chievous mustered 17.3.
Hampton is a tenacious rebounding team, one that ranks fifth in the nation with 42.1 boards per contest. The Pirates get either Maryland-Eastern Shore or Morgan State this Wednesday.
Norfolk State Spartans
Casual college hoops fans remember Norfolk State from its takedown of No. 2 seed Missouri in the first round of the 2012 NCAA tournament. That team was led by Kyle O’Quinn.
This time around, the Spartans are hoping Jeff Short will lead them back to the promise land by way of a conference title. Short is Norfolk State’s best player this season with the senior guard averaging 15.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Short showed he’s ready for the conference tournament when he dropped five threes and scored 18 points in the Spartans’ 83-63 win over Hampton on Thursday.
This team more than just Short, though, as the Spartans also have D’Shon Taylor, who acts as a perfect sidekick for Short. Taylor is second on the team both in scoring and rebounding with 13.4 PPG and 5.3 RPG. Norfolk State’s biggest asset is its offense that averages 74.5 PPG, tops in the MEAC.
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Sleeper
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats
Considering that they returned just two players who stepped on the floor last year, a fourth-place finish in the regular standings isn’t too shabby for the Wildcats.
Head coach Gravelle Craig has definitely made the most out of what’s left on his roster, which also got a tremendous lift from transferees Jordan Potts and Mario Moody. Potts came in from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and immediately became the team’s leading scorer with 16.1 PPG. Moody on the other hand chips in 12.9 PPG.
Both players practically answered huge questions about where Bethune-Cookman will get its offense prior to the season, as the Wildcats went from averaging 57.0 PPG last year to 69.7 this campaign.
Bethune-Cookman won’t also be unfazed should it face either chalks in Hampton or Norfolk State in the tournament. The Wildcats hung tough with Hampton in a close 75-70 loss on January 9 and beat Norfolk State on the road on January 11, 72-70.
Long Shot
Coppin State Eagles
With four players that average at least 10 points per game this season, the Eagles can flat out score. As a team the Eagles generate a respectable 71.1 PPG and their 7.6 three-point made per game is the best in the conference.
Unfortunately, Coppin State doesn’t have at least a decent defense to complement whatever the Eagles are doing on the other side of the ball. Coppin State allows 80.3 points per game, which is one of the worst in all of college basketball. The Eagles get North Carolina A&T in the first round of the MEAC tournament, a team they beat on January 27, 73-68, so at least they have that going for them.
Writer’s Prediction
Hampton beats South Carolina State in the finals.
