The non-conference/guarantee game season is over for the MEAC and conference play begins Saturday with men’s and women’s basketball doubleheaders around the league.
Here’s a look at each MEAC program heading into the race for the conference title.
Coppin State
Men: 2-15
Women: 2-13
Outlook: Both Eagle programs are struggling with the men surrendering 87 points per game. Three separate times, CSU has given up 100 points so they’ll need to put a solid defensive effort together when they visit Delaware State this Saturday.
The Coppin women have one Division I win to their credit and have an entirely new roster and coaching staff trying to get on the same page. They’ll see a mirror image of themselves this weekend against the Delaware State women, so this could be Division I win No. 2 for the Eagles.
Delaware State
Men: 5-10
Women: 3-12
Outlook: The Hornet men can claim an in-state rivalry win over Delaware as well as solid efforts against Temple and Rutgers.
But a loss to Division II Virginia State and a 56-point beatdown at Miami (FL) are the lowlights on a solid non-conference schedule.
Picked 5th in the preseason polls, getting off to a good start against Coppin State this Saturday will be huge for DSU.
The women meanwhile have had a tougher time at 3-12 and are still looking for their first Division I win of the season.
With just two returning players from the 2024-25 team on the roster this season, it may just be a matter of chemistry, but time is of the essence with a Coppin State team equally hungry for a win coming into Dover this weekend.
Howard
Men: 9-6
Women: 10-6
Outlook: The clear class of the MEAC right now, the Howard men and women start their march towards March with a visit to South Carolina State this weekend.
The Bison men are benefitting greatly from the return of wing Bryce Harris, who missed most of 2024-25 with a foot injury and solid play from point guard Cam Gillus. That one-two punch, along with contributions from freshman center Danas Kazakevicius makes Howard tough to beat.
Speaking of tough to beat, the Howard women have been successful everywhere from the Burr to Providence to Cincinnati, winning games that would be considered upsets for most, but Ty Grace expects her team to win and it shows.
Forwards Zennia Thomas, Nile Miller and Sa’lah Hemmingway give the Bison a height and skill advantage in the paint while guards Zoe Stewart, Ariella Henigan and Destiny Bynum-Johnson can pick up the slack on both ends of the floor as well.
As good as last season’s Norfolk State women’s team was it appears this year’s Howard team could match or even surpass them.
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Men: 4-13
Women: 7-10
Outlook: UMES’ men have survived a tough non-conference schedule with balanced scoring, but they’ll need to ramp it up this weekend when they open up conference play against Morgan State.
Having 6’9 Aussie Joseph Locandro certainly helps; the big man is averaging 11 points on 52 percent shooting from the field.
The Fighting Hawk women have had better luck in their non-conference showings, including wins at Loyola Chicago, Wichita State and Mt. St. Mary’s, as well as home wins against UMBC and Monmouth.
UMES’ veteran core of Ashanti Lynch, Brianna Barnes and Lainey Allen are the reason for their early success and that level of experience can only help as MEAC play begins with a visit from Morgan State.
Morgan State
Men: 3-11
Women: 1-15
Outlook: It has not been pretty for the Bears’ basketball teams, who have just one Division I win between them. The good news MEAC play offers a clean slate.
The Morgan men have three players averaging double figures – Alfred Worrell Jr., Elijah Davis and Rob Lawson – so they can score. That will come in handy in MEAC play, but they need to get stops as they’re surrendering 82 points per game currently.
The Morgan women are having trouble scoring, averaging just 51 points per game. Senior guard Ja’la Bannerman is the lone Lady Bear in double figures, averaging 11.7 points per game and scoring a season-high 32 at Central Florida Dec. 14.
Bannerman will need some help if MSU is going to make some noise in conference play.
Norfolk State
Men: 6-10
Women: 5-10
Outlook: The school that swept the MEAC tournament last March is still the school to beat until further notice, but sweeping changes for both men’s and women’s teams will require some time for the Spartans that the league has had to watch out for to emerge.
The Spartan men have had close games throughout their non-conference schedule, including a controversial one-point loss at James Madison that turned against them on a foul that wasn’t called a foul.
Still, NSU will be a dangerous team, led by New Hampshire transfer Anthony McComb III and Elijah Jamison.
The Norfolk State women, led now by former Coppin State coach Jermaine Woods, are working several new players into a mix that features returners Da’Brya Clark and Anjanae Richardson.
One of those newcomers is Hampton transfer Jasha Clinton, who leads the team in scoring, assists, steals, and field goal percentage. Woods brought Cire Worley from Coppin with him, so there’s a lot to like – and potentially fear – about the Norfolk State women.
North Carolina Central
Men: 4-11
Women: 3-10
Outlook: The NCCU men had a rough start to the season which inspired head coach LeVelle Moton to explain how the NIL game has tripped up smaller schools.
In MEAC play however, everyone is equal and Central has a couple of transfers that could lead them back to the promised land. Sophomore guard Gage Lattimore is averaging 19 points per game while 6’9 forward Khouri Harvey is averaging 14 points and seven rebounds per contest.
Central gets to see how good they can be early with a visit from Norfolk State.
The same holds true for the Eagle women as they’ll start conference play against NSU.
MEAC preseason player of the year Morgan Callahan is living up to that billing, leading Central in points while forward Aniya Finger is averaging double figure points and Delaware State transfer Najah Lane has shored up the point guard spot, averaging over 4 assists per game.
Saturday’s game against Norfolk State is a good chance for Central to break out of their middle-of-the-pack status in recent years and establish themselves as a true MEAC contender.
South Carolina State
Men: 1-14
Women: 3-12
Outlook: A true example of how the transfer portal can decimate a program, the Bulldog men, MEAC finalists a year ago, have one just one game with a new cast of characters.
With Howard coming into Smith-Hamilton-Middleton this weekend, it is going to be an early test for Erik Martin’s team. Sophomore guard Jayden Johnson is the lone returner from last season, and he has stepped up averaging 11 points per game and leading the Bulldogs in assists (55).
Just ahead of him on the scoring list is JUCO transfer Owen Bronston Jr., a 6’5 guard with size and scoring capability.
The Bulldog women are already playing with house money, as they’ve already surpassed their win total from a season ago.
Returning All-MEAC selection Angie Juste-Jean is part of a senior trio with Shaunice Reed and Lamiyah Harris that account for half of SCSU’s total production. They’ll look to start MEAC play on the right track against North Carolina Central.
