The first full week of HBCU basketball in the 2025 calendar year is over, and it left much to be desired.
Inclement weather forced several games to be postponed, many of which had serious implications on conference standings.
That being said, there were enough hoops to gain an accurate assessment of the current state of HBCU basketball at the Division II and NAIA levels.
Florida Memorial gets a clean sweep
It was a great week for Florida Memorial on the men’s and women’s side, with both teams leaving unscathed in a pair of doubleheaders.
They started the week on Wednesday, taking turns blowing out Webber International University by 19 and 25-point margins, respectively.
The women’s dominance carried over to their Saturday matchup against the College of Coastal Georgia, where they beat them 77-58 to extend their win streak to nine games.
Meanwhile, Florida Memorial’s men battled down to the wire against College of Coastal Georgia, eventually coming away with a 68-58 win.
While the Lady Lions are on a quest for their second straight regular season (and tournament) Sun Conference championship, the men are looking for their first regular season title since 2016-2017.
Lincoln (Mo.) men keep win streak going
The Blue Tigers at Lincoln University of Missouri (Mo.) have been on a tear, currently riding a six-game win streak.
This includes two wins this past week against Drury on Thursday and Southwest Baptist on Saturday, improving their overall record to 12-3.
After losing their first three games in conference play, Lincoln (Mo.) is starting to creep up the standings, having won four straight against Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) opponents.
They will have a significant test in their next outing against Missouri-St. Louis is a team that is a half-game ahead of them in the conference standings.
Elizabeth City State women trending up
Elizabeth City State’s Lady Vikings have benefitted from the calendar turning to 2025, starting the year by turning their fortunes around after a slow start.
The Lady Vikings improved to 3-0 since the new year began, including two wins this past week against Livingstone and Johnson C. Smith.
They improve their overall record to 7-7, including a 4-2 record against the CIAA.
The reigning CIAA championship runner-ups are now entrenched in a close race for the CIAA North division title.
Elizabeth City State is one of five teams in the division with a winning conference record.
The Lady Vikings will not return to the court until January 18, when they travel to face Bluefield State.
Jordan Hinds is the best play in the CIAA
In Bluefield State’s only contest of this past week, senior guard Jordan Hinds showed why he’s the runaway favorite to win the CIAA Player of the Year award.
Hinds helped lead the Big Blue to a 104-95 win over King (TN), posting a full line of 24 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and a block.
This marked the 10th time he’s scored at least 20 points this season and the third time he’s recorded at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
He is the top scorer on a Bluefield State team that leads the conference in scoring, with a 15-point advantage over the second-place team.
It would be surprising if anyone other than Hinds was named the CIAA Player of the Year at the end of the season.
Jamal Gibson and Amayoa’ah Phillips duel
The most entertaining game of the week arguably came in an HBCUAC matchup between Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) and the University of the Virgin Islands.
In the end, the Virgin Islands won 89-87, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the second half.
This game was all about a duel between each team’s top stars, Jamal Gibson and Amayoa’ah Phillips.
Gibson put on another dazzling performance, putting up 33 points on 85% shooting and 12 rebounds.
Not to be outdone was Phillips, who countered by scoring 26 points on 75% shooting. This capped a stellar week for the junior guard that began with a season-high 33-point performance against Talladega.
