Around the MEAC With BV Sports' Herb White
March Madness Hits the MEAC
By Herb White, AOL Black Voices MEAC Columnist,
Posted: 2007-03-05 12:48:42
The MEAC basketball tournament, which runs March 5-10 in Raleigh,
N.C., has its share of story lines. With the league assured of only
the automatic berth in the NCAA tournament, everyone's scrambling for
the top spot and a case of March Madness.
Start with the women, where 23-6 Coppin State ran roughshod over the league in going 18-0. Who's capable of stopping the Eagles? The pickings are pretty slim, but the best candidates are N.C. A&T and Delaware State, both 17-12, 12-6 in league play. A&T leads the league in scoring at 70.6 points per game, but is equally porous, allowing an average of 70.5. Three Aggies - Amber Bland (20.1 points per game), Ta'Wuana Cook (14.3) and Brittany Taylor-James (13.7) are among the league's top five scorers. Cook is also the league's assists leader at 4.38 a game.
Delaware State wins with defense, allowing only 53.6 points per game. The Hornets don't score often at 56.6 per outing, so their margin of error is miniscule. Raquel Callier, who averages 13.7 points per game, leads DSU.
If the tournament goes like the regular season, the most drama will be found in who gets to be the sacrificial lamb in the final. Coppin State tops the field in scoring margin at 11.8 points per game and scoring defense at 52.9 per game. Junior Rashida Suber is the league's No. 2 scorer at 19.1 points per game and seniors Talia Sutton and Tamieka Noel are third and fourth in rebounding at 7.4 and 7.2 respectively.
On the men's side, league bully Delaware State (16-2, 19-11) is on a roll heading into the postseason. The Hornets won seven straight to close the regular season and are poised to earn a second tournament title in three years with a defense that allows a paltry 58.8 points an outing. DSU isn't flashy, but with the tandem of Jahsha Bluntt and Roy Bright averaging 15.8 and 15.2 points per game, the Hornets have consistency and balance that no one else has matched.
Second-seed Florida A&M is primed for a run at the title with an offense that gets into gear early and often. The Rattlers average 71.1 points per game, so FAMU knows how to find the basket. Trouble is, they allow opponents to find it as well at 71.3. If the Rattlers find a fix for the week, they could be dancing on Saturday.
The most dangerous squad could be third-seed N.C. A&T, which is climbing back to respectability under coach Jerry Eaves. The Aggies went 14-16 in the regular season and average a league-best 73 points per game. Guard Steven Rush may be the conference's best pure shooter, averaging 17.1 points per contest.
Start with the women, where 23-6 Coppin State ran roughshod over the league in going 18-0. Who's capable of stopping the Eagles? The pickings are pretty slim, but the best candidates are N.C. A&T and Delaware State, both 17-12, 12-6 in league play. A&T leads the league in scoring at 70.6 points per game, but is equally porous, allowing an average of 70.5. Three Aggies - Amber Bland (20.1 points per game), Ta'Wuana Cook (14.3) and Brittany Taylor-James (13.7) are among the league's top five scorers. Cook is also the league's assists leader at 4.38 a game.
Delaware State wins with defense, allowing only 53.6 points per game. The Hornets don't score often at 56.6 per outing, so their margin of error is miniscule. Raquel Callier, who averages 13.7 points per game, leads DSU.
If the tournament goes like the regular season, the most drama will be found in who gets to be the sacrificial lamb in the final. Coppin State tops the field in scoring margin at 11.8 points per game and scoring defense at 52.9 per game. Junior Rashida Suber is the league's No. 2 scorer at 19.1 points per game and seniors Talia Sutton and Tamieka Noel are third and fourth in rebounding at 7.4 and 7.2 respectively.
On the men's side, league bully Delaware State (16-2, 19-11) is on a roll heading into the postseason. The Hornets won seven straight to close the regular season and are poised to earn a second tournament title in three years with a defense that allows a paltry 58.8 points an outing. DSU isn't flashy, but with the tandem of Jahsha Bluntt and Roy Bright averaging 15.8 and 15.2 points per game, the Hornets have consistency and balance that no one else has matched.
Second-seed Florida A&M is primed for a run at the title with an offense that gets into gear early and often. The Rattlers average 71.1 points per game, so FAMU knows how to find the basket. Trouble is, they allow opponents to find it as well at 71.3. If the Rattlers find a fix for the week, they could be dancing on Saturday.
The most dangerous squad could be third-seed N.C. A&T, which is climbing back to respectability under coach Jerry Eaves. The Aggies went 14-16 in the regular season and average a league-best 73 points per game. Guard Steven Rush may be the conference's best pure shooter, averaging 17.1 points per contest.
2005-06-09 12:23:55
