To be quite honest, the MEAC men’s basketball season has been a whirlwind with a clear leader in the clubhouse above the rest.
Only two teams have a record at or above .500 overall this season but four teams have .500 records within conference play.
It will be interesting to see which of the teams at the bottom of the standings will be able to play spoiler come tournament time.
Here is the MEAC Men’s Basketball Midseason Report Card.
Norfolk State Spartans: A
It’s fair to say that Norfolk State is the clear favorite to win the MEAC for the second straight season.
The Spartans are a perfect 5-0 in conference play, winning by an average margin of just under 15 points per game.
Outside the MEAC, the Spartans hold road wins over Bowling Green and UNC Wilmington. However, two of the Spartans four losses come against teams with losing records (New Mexico and Hampton) which keeps them from getting an A+.
With that being said, not only are the Spartans looking to be a shoe-in to win the MEAC, they could be a tough out for whatever opponent they face in the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina State Bulldogs: B-
The closest team to Norfolk State record wise is South Carolina State, sitting at 10-10 overall and 2-2 in MEAC play.
They hold non-conference wins against Tennessee State, Charleston Southern, High Point, South Florida and The Citadel.
They’ve lost to Loyola Maryland, Lipscomb, Morgan State and Coppin State. In addition, the Bulldogs have a negative point differential in four conference games.
North Carolina Central Eagles: C+
North Carolina Central is the only other team that remains unbeaten in MEAC play sitting at 2-0 (not including their win over Delaware State in the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic).
In their three wins against MEAC opponents, the Eagles have won by an average margin of 23 points.
Outside of those three wins, they have also beaten Gardner-Webb and USC Upstate (also hold wins over three Division III schools).
The Eagles are 5-9 against non-conference teams including losses against Alabama State, UNC-Asheville, The Citadel, UTEP and Sam Houston State.
Howard Bison: C+
Howard is definitely a team to look out for as a darkhorse to win the MEAC tournament as they have proven to be a tough out for any opponent they face.
Just three of the Bison’s losses have come by a margin of 10 points or more and were the closest team to taking down Norfolk State.
They have some impressive wins under their belt, including a blowout win against American as well as wins over Bradley, William & Mary, and North Carolina A&T.
Morgan State Bears: D+
Morgan State is a team with a deceptive record seeing just two of their six overall wins come against Division I teams.
Their only non-conference Division I win was versus Hampton and their lone conference win was over South Carolina State.
All of their losses against teams outside the MEAC have come by a margin of more than 10 points, including a 38-point loss to Longwood and a 37-point loss to George Mason.
Coppin State Eagles: D
Of all the teams in the MEAC, Coppin State was by far the hardest one to grade.
While they have the second best record in conference play at 3-1 with notable wins over South Carolina State and Howard, they are just 1-14 against non-MEAC teams.
Their lone non-conference win came against Loyola Maryland of the Patriot League which is an impressive one.
Although they have some good wins under their belt this season, it is not enough to give them higher than a D grade.
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks: D
Of Maryland Eastern Shore’s five wins so far this year, three have come against Division III schools.
Unlike Delaware State, the Hawks do have road wins against Division I schools Lehigh and Fordham.
They do have a signature performance going down the wire against the nationally ranked Uconn, though they lost.
On the flip side, they have a loss in each of their contests against MEAC opponents.
Delaware State Hornets: F
Delaware State only has two wins this season, coming against Cairn University, a Division III team and Regent University, an NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) team.
The Hornets have lost by an average margin of 13.5 and have lost their three conference games by a 18.3 margin.
They rank last in the MEAC in every offensive categories including points per game, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, assists and turnover margin.
