After losing in the MEAC conference tournament semifinals against runner-up Delaware State Friday, North Carolina understands the program will be waiting to find out where it will be slotted in the NIT instead of the NCAA Tournament come Sunday afternoon.
NCCU was 25-7 this season. The Eagles were unbeaten against conference opponents until the league tournament. The team boasted one of the nation’s longest home winning streaks.
That resume is almost illegitimate being part of a one-bid in the eyes of the tournament selection committee, however.
NCCU head coach Levelle Moton understands that reality, but has a difficult time accepting that the MEAC being considered a weak conference leaves his team with no room for error regardless of how impressive their accomplishments are on the surface.
“I think we’re condemned to a one-bid conference,” Moton told the Herald Sun. “We can only play who’ll schedule us. These bodies and committees get together and they don’t understand that. We call from the East Coast to the West Coast to try and get games and it’s not easy.
The Eagles’ strength of schedule ranking No. 348 in Division I basketball does not help matters. Neither does not posting a single win against a top RPI 100 team.
“No one wants to play us, so we have to go on the road,” Moton said “No one wants to go to our gym and play us. I guess that’s respect for the program. Our body of work is what it is. I don’t think our body of work gets respect, and I’ll be the first one to say that.”
