title image via Kevin L. Dorsey / NCCU Athletics
Courtesy of North Carolina Central Athletics
The North Carolina Central University men’s basketball team looks to bounce back into the winning column as the Eagles travel to Howard University and Norfolk State University. NC Central takes on the Bison on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 4:00 p.m. and will visit the Spartans on Monday, Feb. 19 at 9:00 p.m. Both games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks.
Full Game Notes: Game 23 at Howard
(Updated game notes for the Norfolk State game will be posted before Monday’s game.)
Week 15 vs. Howard & Norfolk State
2023-24 Regular Season
North Carolina Central (13-9, 5-2 MEAC)
at
Howard (10-14, 4-3 MEAC)
Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024 – 4:00 p.m.
Burr Gymnasium – Washington, D.C.
Watch: ESPN+
Tickets: Purchase HERE
Follow: Live Stats
at
Norfolk State (15-9, 5-2 MEAC)
Monday, Feb. 19, 2024 – 9:00 p.m.
Joseph Echols Hall – Norfolk, Va.
Watch: ESPNU
Tickets: Purchase HERE
Follow: Live Stats
NC CENTRAL BENCH
NCCU is coming off a 79-72 loss handed by Morgan State University in overtime on Feb. 5. With four scorers in double figures, NC Central would fall in its first loss at home since Dec. 2. Sophomore Perry Smith Jr. earned his first career double-double in the outing while senior Fred Cleveland Jr. was two assists shy of a double-double in a 12-point performance.
The Eagles were without their third-leading scorer, sophomore Po’Boigh King in the match-up against the Bears. Junior Keishon Porter stepped up big in King’s absence scoring 17 points to lead all Eagles.
Up until Thursday, NC Central led the country in three-point percentage defense. The Eagles are currently second by a tenth of a percent (25.8 percent) behind the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The team is also 13th in the nation in fast break points per game (15.36). NCCU leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in scoring offense (75.1), defense (66.7) and margin (+8.4).
The Bison and Spartans visited McDougald-McLendon Arena for the MEAC’s opening weekend. Howard lost 73-54 on Jan. 6. And Norfolk State was defeated 60-58 on Jan. 8.
HOWARD BENCH
The last outing for Howard University was at Delaware State University in a close 75-71 victory. Bryce Harris led all scorers with 23 points. Before the MEAC game at DSU, Howard competed in the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic in Newark, N.J. on Feb. 3 losing 63-61 against Hampton University.
The Bison are second in scoring offense, just one-tenth point shy of NCCU at 75.0 points per game. Harris is the third leading scorer in the MEAC averaging 16.2 points per game. Howard is the top defensive rebounding team in the conference (25.12 per game) and also leads in three-point percentage (35.8 percent) and three-point attempts per game (7.8) in the MEAC.
The Eagles have won 14 games against HU in 19 competitions. NCCU has now won two games in a row over Howard.
NORFOLK STATE BENCH
Norfolk State University’s last game was on Feb. 5 at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The Spartans were handed their second conference loss of the season falling 69-60. This loss keeps NSU tied for first place in the MEAC standings with NC Central.
The leading scorer in the conference, Jamarii Thomas, was held just short of his average scoring 16 points at UMES. The Spartans sit atop the MEAC in team field goal percentage (45.1 percent) and opponent field goal percentage (40.6 percent). NSU is currently in the top–20 in the nation in bench points per game (29.38 – 19th) and turnovers forced per game (15.38 – 18th).
NCCU had a 12-9 advantage over the Spartans in their history of playing one another. The last loss against Norfolk State University for NC Central was in the MEAC Basketball Tournament semifinals in 2023.
