An important MEAC men’s basketball matchup will take place the day after the Super Bowl as the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks and the Howard Bison will play each other for better positioning in the conference standings.
Howard is first in the MEAC at 7-1 and Maryland Eastern Shore is third at 6-2, respectively.
Howard comes in on a seven-game winning streak, with four of them being close victories. Maryland Eastern Shore was on a seven-game winning streak of their own
Ironically, Howard’s win streak began after these two teams played each other on Jan. 9 when the Hawks won 82-73.
Offense will be the key for both of these teams as Howard is third in the MEAC in field goal percentage at 46.5% and Maryland Eastern Shore is fifth at 43.8%. Howard also has the edge in 3-point shooting as they are second in the MEAC at 37%.
Howard will have much of that offensive talent on display tonight with Elijah Hawkins (13.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game), Shy Odom (9.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks per game), Jelani Williams (9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game), Steve Settle Ⅲ (11.4 points, six rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game) and Bryce Harris (6.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game).
Also, Maryland Eastern Shore has the pieces to be able to go at a fast pace once again as they will have Zion Styles (10.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game), Da’Shawn Phillip (10.1 points, three rebounds and one steal per game), Ahamadou Fofana (6.2 points and 1.5 steals per game), Nathaniel Pollard Jr. (10.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game) and Donchevell Nugent (5.9 points and 1.1 steals per game).
A win for either team will go a long way. If Howard wins, they will improve to 8-1 and solidify their place at the top of the MEAC. If Maryland Eastern Shore wins, they could potentially be moving on up to first place combined with a Norfolk State loss.
Who: Maryland Eastern Shore vs. Howard
When: Monday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Burr Gymnasium, Washington, D.C.
How to watch: Hubison