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College Basketball Preview - Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

Fri 4th, November 2011

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -

OUTLOOK: The Morgan State Bears were the cream of the crop in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference until last year. The Bears won three straight MEAC regular-season titles, before relinquishing the crown to Bethune-Cookman. Now, Morgan State seems poised to reclaim their rightful place at the top of the conference, and it comes into this season with a veteran club after finishing fourth last year with a 10-6 league ledger. However, for the Bears to reach the top of the MEAC mountain they will have to overcome the reigning tournament champs, the Hampton Pirates. The Pirates ripped off an impressive 24 victories and finished the season with an 11-5 conference mark.

Those aren't the only two teams that have a shot at the title though, and while Morgan State and Hampton are considered the elite, programs like Coppin State, NC Central and Norfolk State could have a say in the final outcome. Coppin State has a strong backcourt and is also coming off an 11-5 showing in league play. As for the Spartans of Norfolk State, their ability to rise to the challenge will rest largely on the play of center Kyle O'Quinn, who has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win MEAC Player of the Year honors. As for the NC Central Eagles, they bring the x-factor into the mix, because they are now eligible for postseason play and should instantly cause trouble in their new conference.

Not every team has a shot though, and the biggest surprise could be Bethune- Cookman. Last year, the Wildcats finished op top of the regular season standings with a 13-3 mark, but instead of battling for the league title this season the team will likely be fighting to stay out of the cellar against the likes of NC A&T, Delaware State, Howard, SC State, Savannah State, Florida A&M and Maryland-Eastern Shore.

CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Morgan State

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Morgan State, 2. Coppin State, 3. Norfolk State, 4. Hampton, 5. NC Central, 6. Bethune-Cookman, 7. North Carolina A&T, 8. Delaware State, 9. Howard, 10. South Carolina State, 11. Savannah State, 12. Florida A&M, 13. Maryland-Eastern Shore

TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:

MORGAN STATE: Last year the tandem of Kevin Thompson and DeWayne Jackson showed flashes of brilliance, but they were unable to carry the Bears to a fourth straight MEAC regular-season title. Now the two forwards have a year of experience under their respective belts and because of that, Morgan State opens the year as a legitimate contender for the title. Both Thompson and Jackson were selected as a Preseason First Team All-MEAC members and rightfully so, as Thompson is coming off a season in which he posted 13.1 ppg and a team-best 9.1 rpg, while Jackson led the club with 14.5 ppg. Also adding to the mix is the return of senior point man Larry Bastfield. Bastfield is not much of scorer (5.1 ppg), but he did lead the team with 105 assists last year, proving he is like having another coach on the court. A big contributor this season could be Justin Black, who was outstanding in his first season and was a huge help off the bench, posting 7.2 ppg and 64 assists, which was the second most on the team. There is immense talent on the roster and if it comes together quickly Morgan State could be in for a big year.

COPPIN STATE: The Eagles finished 11-5 last year in MEAC action, but suffered an early exit from the league tournament with a loss to Norfolk State. There are plenty of players on the roster that have the heart-breaking, two-point loss fresh in their memory and that has given them more than enough reason to come out this year with something to prove. The top-four scorers from a year ago are back, but none more important than Michael Harper. The senior led the team with 15.2 ppg and was lethal from long range, connecting on 43.8 percent of his three-point attempts. Akeem Ellis gives the team a physical presence down low and should improve upon his 12.2 ppg and 5.8 rpg from a year ago. Antonio Williams is not much of a scorer, but he definitely knows how to fight in the paint and should give Ellis more than enough help. Coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell has a veteran club, one that knows just getting to the MEAC Tournament isn't enough.

NORFOLK STATE: Usually to persevere through a regular season, or even claim a tournament title a team needs more than one productive player. That is the case for Norfolk State just like any other squad, but the Spartans possess something no other contending team in the MEAC has and that is a pure center. O'Quinn was picked as the preseason favorite to win conference Player of the Year honors, and with good reason. The big man performs well at both ends of the floor, and he has the ability to take over a game. Last year, O'Quinn averaged 16.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg and also racked up 110 blocks. There is no doubt that he will be near the top of the league in several statistical categories again this season, but the question for Norfolk State is who is going to step up and play the Robin to O'Quinn's Batman. Chris McEachin posted 10.3 ppg last year in just 18 games, but the guard shot well under 40 percent and will need to be more consistent in a relatively inexperienced backcourt. If coach Anthony Evans can find some diamonds in the rough to put along side O'Quinn, the Spartans should compete with any team in the conference.

HAMPTON: The Pirates claimed 24 victories last year and made a trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning the MEAC Tournament for the first time since 2006. There were plenty of reasons to believe Hampton could repeat and head back to the Big Dance, but visions of a repeat became blurry when Kwame Morgan went down with a severe leg injury. Morgan suffered the injury over the summer and has already endured two surgeries and it seems as if his season could be over before it even starts. Morgan averaged 16.1 ppg last year and led the conference with 100 three-pointers, which is the second-most in school history. That is a large void that will not likely be filled off the bench, and that means more pressure will fall on the shoulders of Darrion Pellum. Pellum led the team with 17.5 ppg last year and he is a pure scorer who should better those numbers this season. What could have been another magical run for Hampton has turned into a huge question mark before the first tip-off of the season.

NC CENTRAL: The Eagles were in limbo last season, and have landed in the MEAC and are now eligible for tournament action. If the Eagles are going to make waves in their first season of MEAC action, then Landon Clement and Nick Chasten will have to be at their best. Clement is a three-point assassin who last year drilled 109 baskets from long range, en route to averaging a robust 18.7 ppg. As for Chasten, he will be the man in the paint for NCCU, and will need to produce nightly because there is not much experience down low for coach LeVelle Moton's club. Chasten posted 11.7 ppg last year, and that is an area where he will need to improve, but he does not need to work on his rebounding, because the forward pulled down 7.1 per game in 2010-11. As of now it would appear David Best will be working with Chasten, and he could add a boost to the team. Last year he played mostly as a reserve, averaging just 3.7 ppg and 4.1 rpg.

BETHUNE-COOKMAN: The Wildcats breezed through the 2010-11 regular season, posting a 13-3 league record en route to the regular-season title. However, the team ran into Morgan State in the MEAC Tournament and its magical season came to an end. Repeating last year's success will be hard with only two of the team's top six scorers from last year back in the fold. Garrius Holloman is the top performer back for the Wildcats after scratching out 11.5 ppg and 6.6 rpg. Holloman is solid as a rock in the paint and will do battle with just about anyone. However, there is not much starting experience after Holloman. Sure, Stanley Elliot started 32 games last year, but he managed just 5.1 ppg. Kevin Dukes was a key reserve last year, but now he will be relied on to play a starting role and it is unclear if he can handle the added minutes. Regardless, last year's impressive run could be a distant memory after this season.

NORTH CAROLINA A&T: There is plenty of starting experience returning for the Aggies, but they are still nothing more than mediocre and that is largely due to the fact that the team lost its top player, Thomas Coleman (17.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg). Without Coleman, Nic Simpson and Marc Hill will be looked upon to lead the charge for the Aggies. That should be no problem, since they were solid contributors last year. Simpson is coming off a strong season in which he averaged 13.3 ppg, but he shot well under 40 percent from the field and must have better shot selection this year. The game plan for the Aggies will run through Hill, who posted 10.8 ppg in 2010-11, but more importantly led the team with 100 assists. Adrian Powell and R.J. Buck also have starting experience, so even though the team is picked to finish in the middle of the MEAC pack, there is enough talent to cause trouble for some of the league's better teams.

DELAWARE STATE: The Hornets claimed just nine wins a year ago and only five came in league action, but there is reason for optimism this time around. Clearly the team is not prepared to rise to the top of the conference, but there is enough talent to see a minor boost in the win column. If that is going to happen, Casey Walker will need to build off his first season. As a freshman, Walker averaged a team-best 13.3 ppg and has the potential to be one of the league's elite scorers. Marques Oliver should add some much-needed scoring punch after posting 10.5 ppg in 2010-11, but the key to success for Delaware State will be the play of Jay Threatt. Threatt only tallied 9.7 ppg a year ago, but he is an outstanding floor general and is coming off a season in which he dished out 179 assists.

HOWARD: The Bison won just four league games last year, but that number should increase slightly with the top three scorers back in the fold. Mike Phillips is a force in the paint and after posting 12.9 ppg and 7.2 rpg a year ago, he has the ability to turn into a double-double machine. Taking care of business in the backcourt will once again be Anton Dickerson, who posted 11.4 ppg. Dadrian Collins will definitely be relied on to help the cause offensively, but he needs to improve his dismal 32.7 percent shooting effort from a year ago. That number shows that Collins is careless with his shot selection. He will likely lose touches with Calvin Thompson back for a full season. Thompson only appeared in two games a year ago, but is ready to make a much bigger impact for Howard. However, even with a healthy Thompson the Bison are no better than a .500 club.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE: The Bulldogs averaged just 66.2 ppg last season, which is why the team only won five conference games, and the team's lone double- figure performer, Darnell Porter (12.3 ppg), is no longer on the roster. That means Brandon Riley and Omar Sanders needs to step up if South Carolina State is going to make a move in the MEAC. Riley was second on the team with 9.4 ppg and he is a dangerous three-point shooter (38 treys), so expect him to take more shots now that he will be relied on to carry the offensive load at times. As for Sanders, he is going to have to lead the way for SCSU in the paint and last year as a junior he pulled down 4.9 rpg, to go along with 7.1 ppg. The coaching staff would like to see him improve in the rebounding department.

SAVANNAH STATE: The Tigers will make their MEAC debut this season, but if it is to be a successful one the team will have to improve offensively. Last year the Tigers averaged just 60.6 ppg and that is a big reason why they finished just 12-18 overall. The top scorer from that club is gone, so that does not help the cause offensively, but the team does return Preston Blackmon and Joshua Montgomery. In 2010-11, Blackmon led the club with 123 assists and also posted 12.5 ppg. He has the potential to be an outstanding point guard and should give the Tigers an excellent chance at winning some league games. He will likely try to get the ball to Montgomery, who was a force at times last year. The junior guard averaged 10.3 ppg and was also solid on the glass, pulling down 5.5 rpg. Montgomery will be the team's best option in the paint, so expect his numbers to improve this year.

FLORIDA A&M: The Rattlers claimed seven victories in MEAC play last season and even though the team's top three scorers are back for another go, it could be another losing campaign for FAMU. Amin Stevens was a monster in the paint and along with being the team's only double-digit scorer (14.2 ppg), he also paced the squad with 8.2 rpg. Stevens should dominate the paint once again, but the Rattlers will also need production from the guard position. That will likely come from Avery Moore, who has a habit of launching three-point shots at an alarming rate. He drilled 79 treys last season, but that came on 242 attempts. Moore clearly has the ability to drain the three-point shot, but he needs to be more accurate, and perhaps a bit more selective.

MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE: Hillary Haley was a scoring machine for UMES last season, averaging 16.8 ppg to go along with 5.8 rpg. However, he was the only consistent offensive performer for the Hawks, which is why the team was saddled with 22 losses. Haley is back for another run, and he should continue to rack up the points. However, if this team wants to avoid the MEAC basement then others will have to step up. Look for Tyler Hines to be one of those players, as he is coming off a season in which he tallied 8.7 ppg and a team- best 7.5 rpg. Clearly he is solid on the glass, but the Hawks are going to need him to take the next step offensively -- something easier said than done when there appears to be few additional options at the moment.