Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Week 7 Women’s Major Division Top 5

Week 7 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Women’s Major Division Top 5 saw a new participant enter the mix, while the remaining four teams played musical chairs.  5.Alabama State Hornets ( 12-12, 9-4)  The Hornets enter the Week 7 polls after previously falling outside the top 5. Alabama State went 2-1 last week. The Hornets started the week off with a 67-53 defeat at the hands of Grambling before bouncing back with an 86-70 win over Mississippi Valley on February 12. Alabama State is third in the…

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Week 6 Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Major Division Women’s Basketball Top 5

Week 6 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Major Division Women’s Basketball Top 5 saw a fair amount of shuffling in polls, with a new entrant into the top 5.  5. Norfolk State Lady Spartans ( 11-12, 6-2) The Lady Spartans enter this week’s polls at No. 5 after being outside of the top 5 the previous week. Norfolk State went 1-0 last week, defeating North Carolina Central 58-45 in their lone outing. The Lady Spartans are currently second in the MEAC, trailing Howard.  4. Alcorn State Lady…

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Week 6 Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Women’s Mid-Major Top 5

Week 6 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab saw no new teams enter the polls and was largely a slight reshuffling of the proverbial deck.  5.Fayetteville State Lady Broncos (16-3, 10-2)  The Lady Broncos of Fayetteville State fall a spot to No.5 in this week’s rankings. FSU split a pair of games, starting the week off with a 50-36 loss to Winston-Salem State on February 7, but bouncing back to decisively defeat Shaw 73-37 on February 9. The Lady Broncos currently sit second in the CIAA’s Southern Division,…

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Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Major Division Top 5

The winds of change swept through Week 5 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab with a tornadic force, as three new teams entered the mix and a new team occupies the pole position.  5. Tennessee State Tigers (9-4)  After being unranked the previous week, Tennessee State enters the polls at No. 5. The Tigers split their games last week, surprisingly falling 90-85 to Tennessee Tech, but rebounded with a 77-68 win over Eastern Illinois. Tennessee State is currently tied for second place in the Ohio Valley Conference, trailing…

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2026 Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Ben L. Cavil Sr “Big Ben” Award candidates

The Ben L. Cavil Sr “Big Ben” Award was established to recognizeand reconstruct the historical resistance of HBCUsby analyzing the cultural climate of HBCU athleticprogram by highlighting the sports career of BenL. Cavil Sr.  Cavil was an All-American fullback at Wiley College in the mid 1920s. Honorees of this prestigious award must embody the characteristics that defined Ben L. Cavil Sr – determination, diligence, teamwork, integrity, performance, fraternal and communal engagement.  Here are this year’s nominees for the “Big Ben” award.  Andrew Body | Alabama State | Corpus Christi, TX…

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Dr Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Week 16 Major Division Top 7

Week 16 of Dr. Cavil’s comes at the end of another spectacular season of HBCU football culminating in an exciting and unforgettable Celebration Bowl. No new teams joined the party and each of the top 7 held on to their respective seats.  7 Grambling State Tigers (7-5, 4-4)  Grambling stays at No.7 in the final rankings. The Tigers finished the season with a 7-5 mark, their best record since putting together a 6-5 campaign in the 2019 season. Grambling was able to place three players on the All-SWAC First Team…

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Week 15 Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Major Division Top 7 

Week 15 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab saw no invitees to the party but did see some shuffling of the proverbial deck. 7. Grambling State Tigers (7-5, 4-3) The Tigers of Grambling State University remain at No.7 in the Week 15 rankings. In their most recent and final outing of the season, Grambling suffered a heartbreaking 28-27 loss to Southern in the Bayou Classic. The Tigers were unable to convert a potential go-ahead field goal and then fumbled in Southern territory on the would-be game-winning drive, leaving…

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Week 13 Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid-Major Top 7

There was a rarity in this week’s Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid-Major Division Top 7 in that there was no movement in the rankings, with all teams standing pat from the previous week. 7 Virginia State Trojans (6-4, 4-3) The Trojans of Virginia State University remain at the No.7 spot in this week’s rankings. VSU was last in action when they took on in-state rival Virginia Union and the Panthers defeated the Trojans 14-3. The Trojans finished the 2025 campaign 6-4, their fourth consecutive winning season dating…

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Week 14 Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Major Division Top 7

As the 2025 season draws closer to its end, Week 14 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Major Division saw no new attendees to the proverbial party. However, there was some shuffling amongst the top 7.  7 Grambling State Tigers ( 7-5, 4-3)  Grambling falls in this week’s rankings from the sixth spot from the previous week. In their most recent outing, the Tigers suffered a heartbreaking, disappointing 28-27 defeat at the hands of rival Southern in the 52nd Bayou Classic, their fourth consecutive defeat in the Classic.…

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Week 11: Dr. Cavils Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid-Major Top 7

Week 11 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab saw no new attendees to the proverbial party, with all 7 teams remaining the same from the previous week.  7 Virginia State Trojans (6-4, 4-3)  Image via Chris Waugaman Although they haven’t played since November 8, Virginia State remains at No.7 in the Week 11 rankings. In their most recent and final outing, the Trojans were bested in a defensive struggle 14-3 by Virginia Union. The Trojans have won 6 or more games in every season since the 2022 campaign. …

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