DURHAM, N.C. – With the 2014-15 season on the horizon, the North Carolina Central University men’s basketball team announces a challenging 30-game slate in head coach LeVelle Moton’s sixth year at the helm.
“My philosophy on scheduling remains the same,” said Moton. “We will not shy away from top competition. We take every challenge head on and with the amount of newcomers we have to mix-in, this schedule will truly reveal what type of team we have.”
The schedule includes 12 home games, the lowest number of games inside McDougald-McLendon Gym since the 2011-12 campaign when the Eagles played 11 games at home and went 8-3, while the maroon and gray will play 15 road matchups and three neutral site contests.
The slate boasts games against seven schools that participated in postseason play last year with four teams competing in the NCAA Tournament (North Carolina, Creighton, Cincinnati, and Memphis), two in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (Norfolk State and East Tennessee State), and one in the College Basketball Invitational (Hampton).
Game one of the 2014-15 season will see NCCU head down the road to Chapel Hill to face the Tar Heels of North Carolina on Friday, Nov. 14 at 8:00 p.m. and the contest will be broadcasted live on ESPNU. UNC owns a 1-0 record against the maroon and gray with the only meeting taking place on Nov. 11, 2009, which was Moton’s debut as head coach. The Eagles are 1-13 all-time against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference with the lone win coming against NC State on Nov. 20, 2013.
The first contest in front of the maroon and gray faithful is set for Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7:00 p.m. as the Eagles host the Mighty Believers of the College of Faith in the first meeting between the two teams. NCCU will look to add to its 23-game home winning streak that dates back to Jan. 8, 2013. Over the last five seasons, the Eagles are 50-13 inside McDougald-McLendon Gym.
“To see how the atmosphere has changed in our building over the last few years been amazing,” said Moton. “Our fans are as loud as anyone in the MEAC and they truly embody the motto ‘Protect the Nest’ and we plan to do everything possible to keep that going. Our fans are the reason we have been so successful at home.”
After the home opener, the maroon and gray will have just three home contests the rest of the calendar year as the Eagles hit the road on Sunday, Nov. 23 in the second meeting all-time against Creighton in the opening round of the 2014 Emerald Coast Classic. The Blue Jays last hosted the Eagles back on Dec. 20, 2007. That contest is slated for a 4:00 p.m. tip inside the 18,975-seat CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb., and will be broadcasted live nationally on Fox Sports 1.
In the final round of the campus sites portion of the Emerald Coast Classic, NCCU reacquaints itself with the Bearcats of Cincinnati on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 7:00 p.m., with the matchup slated for television coverage on Fox Sports Ohio and ESPN3. UC won last year’s meeting 74-61 on Nov. 8.
The maroon and gray will spend the Thanksgiving holiday in sunny Florida as the Emerald Coast Classic will pit NCCU against Eastern Illinois at 12:00 p.m. on Nov. 28 and the winner/loser of the Northern Arizona/Southern matchup on Nov. 29 at either 12:00 or 2:30 p.m. All of those contests will take place inside The Arena at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla.
“Along with the opener down the road in Chapel Hill, this tournament will be exactly what we will need to see what type of team we have here at NCCU very early,” said Moton. “It will also serve as a great time for us to bond as a family during Thanksgiving. We can all take a moment and reflect on how blessed we are to play this game. With that said, there’s some top-flight competition in this field and we better come with the right mindset.”
After a Dec. 2 matchup at home against Johnson & Wales at 7:00 p.m., the Eagles will hit the road for a unique two-game MEAC road swing that begins on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m. against Maryland Eastern Shore. The Hawks nearly derailed the Eagles last season inside the Hytche Arena as the maroon and gray of NCCU snuck out with a 66-62 win against a very tough UMES squad.
On Sunday, Dec. 7 at 6:00 p.m., Moton and his squad will play in the first of two NBA arenas as the Eagles participate in the 2014 Big Apple Classic against Howard University inside the 18,103 seat Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for this team to play on a huge stage in one of the nicest arenas in the country,” said Moton. “I am really excited that Jordan Parks (Queens, N.Y.) gets to play a game in front of his family during his senior season, but this is a conference game so we better be ready.”
Three days later, the maroon and gray head back down to College Park, Md., to face the Maryland Terrapins, now members of the Big Ten Conference, in the second matchup all-time at 7:00 p.m. inside the Comcast Center. Maryland leads the series 1-0 and that game will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network.
The second and final NBA venue the Eagles will play in during the 2014-15 campaign will occur on Dec. 15 at 8:00 p.m. as the Tigers of Memphis welcome in NCCU to the 18,119-seat FedEx Forum. These two teams are meeting for the first time in program history.
“Memphis is one of the premier programs in the nation,” said Moton. “Another extremely hostile environment that will test every aspect of this team, which we look forward to.”
After a Dec. 17 home contest against Barber-Scotia College at 7:00 p.m., Moton’s troops will face both Mississippi Valley State (Dec. 20) and Jackson State (Dec. 22) on the road. This will mark the first time since the move to the NCAA Division I level that NCCU will play in the state of Mississippi. The Eagles have never met MVSU and are 0-2 against Jackson State with the last meeting taking place on Nov. 29, 2008.
The final game of 2014 will see NCCU looking for revenge against IUPUI on Monday, Dec. 29 at 7:00 p.m., as the Jaguars bested the maroon and gray 71-65 on Dec. 7 in Indianapolis, Ind., last season.
After a nearly two-week layoff, the Eagles focus in on conference play at home with a Jan. 10 matchup against SC State (4:00 p.m.) and a Jan. 12 (7:30 p.m.) contest against Savannah State.
On Jan. 17 and 19, the Eagles will embark on the Norfolk State (6:00 p.m.) /Hampton (8:00 p.m.) MEAC road swing looking to get out of the gates quickly in league action. Both the Spartans and the Pirates are perennially in the top of the standings in MEAC play.
“Every year I say this, the MEAC is as tough as any league in this country,” said Moton. “This conference has plenty of great coaches and players, we just have to keep the same mentality of getting better every day and taking it game-by-game or possession-by-possession. If you lose focus, that’s when you get beat in this league.”
The maroon and gray return to the Nest on Jan. 24 and Jan. 26 for games against Coppin State (4:00 p.m.) and Delaware State (7:30 p.m.). NCCU has won the last two matchup against both the Eagles and the Hornets.
The final game of January sees the Eagles traveling to Johnson City, Tenn., to face the Buccaneers of ETSU inside the Freedom Hall Civic Center for the second meeting all-time, the first of which came on Jan. 20, 1979. The Bucs finished their final season in the Atlantic Sun 19-16 overall, 10-8 in league action as ETSU has returned to the Southern Conference after departing nearly a decade ago.
February begins with a home matchup against Florida A&M (Feb. 2- 7:30 p.m.) and then three straight road games that includes the short jaunt to the Gate City as the Eagles face the arch-rival Aggies of North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 6:00 p.m. inside the Corbett Sports Center. In Moton’s tenure, NCCU is 6-2 against A&T.
A week later, the maroon and gray make the vaunted MEAC Florida trip taking on Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 4:00 p.m. inside Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, Fla., and then head to the Lawson Center in Tallahassee, Fla., for a Monday night, Feb. 16 matchup at 8:00 p.m. against Florida A&M. The Eagles suffered their only conference loss at FAMU last season on Jan. 11 by the tally of 63-60.
On Feb. 21, the Eagles will host the Bears of Morgan State as these two teams last met in the 2014 MEAC Championship Game on March 15 with the maroon and gray outlasting MSU 71-62 to claim the title. That contest is slated for a 4:00 p.m. tipoff.
After a week break, NCCU hosts Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 4:00 p.m.
The ides of March will see the maroon and gray head down to Savannah State on Monday, March 2 at 8:00 p.m. inside Tiger Arena.
The final regular season contest of the year will end at McDougald-McLendon Gym as the Eagles and the Aggies will meet on Friday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m.
The 2014 MEAC Basketball Tournament will take place from March 9-14 inside the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
By the Numbers:
12- Number of Home Games: Under Head Coach LeVelle Moton, NCCU is 50-13 inside McDougald-McLendon Gym, including a 23-game winning streak at home dating back to Jan. 8, 2013.
10- Conferences that NCCU will face (Atlantic Coast Conference, American Athletic Conference, Big East, Big Sky, Big Ten, MEAC, Ohio Valley Conference, The Summit League, Southern Conference, SWAC)
10- States that NCCU will visit during the 2014-15 season: Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia
7- Opponents that made the postseason in 2013-14: NCAA Tournament (Cincinnati, Creighton, Cincinnati, and Memphis); CollegeInsider.com Tournament (Norfolk State and East Tennessee State); College Basketball Invitational: (Hampton)
5- In-State Opponents: Barber Scotia College, College of Faith (Charlotte), Johnson & Wales University, University of North Carolina, and North Carolina A&T
5- Possible First Time Opponents: College of Faith, Eastern Illinois, Memphis, Mississippi Valley State, and Northern Arizona
2- Number of NBA Arenas the Eagles will play in: Barclays Center (Home of the Brooklyn Nets) and FedEx Forum (Home of the Memphis Grizzlies)