By Noah Goodin
2020 has been a strange year as COVID-19 has swept the nation, and its effects can still be felt as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tips off the 2020-21 season on Wednesday with a slate of seven games.
The season will be very different than in years past, with Bethune-Cookman and Maryland Eastern Shore opting out of the season due to COVID-19 and programs not having a normal offseason to prepare.
Additionally, once conference play starts in January, the MEAC’s nine competing institutions will be broken into the Northern and Southern Divisions as a way to limit travel. Norfolk State was predicted to win the Northern Division, while North Carolina Central was voted on take the Southern Division crown.
Morgan State and North Carolina A&T State were predicted to finish second in their respective divisions.
After finishing second in the MEAC standings last season, Norfolk State looked poised for a run in the tournament. However, the pandemic shut down the season before the Spartans got to play a game. Norfolk State will return 10 players from last season’s team including Preseason All-MEAC players Joe Bryant and Devante Carter. Bryant was second on the team in scoring, averaging 12 points per game along with four boards and two assists while Carter put up 9.7 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, and three assists.
After winning the MEAC regular-season title, North Carolina Central was poised to claim its fourth straight MEAC championship before the pandemic ended the tournament prematurely. The Eagles will be led by seniors CJ Keyser and Jordan Perkins, who were each named Preseason All-MEAC.
Coach Levelle Moton enters his 12th season in Durham, looking to join Floyd Brown and John McLendon as the third coach in school history to win 200 games.
Morgan State won 15 games last season in coach Kevin Broadus’ first season in Baltimore, which was the most since the 2013-14 season. They bring back much of their rotation including senior forward Troy Baxter, who averaged ten points and five boards per game last season and was named Preseason All-MEAC.
Howard was the center of national attention this past summer, landing five-star recruit Makur Maker, who was the highest-ranked recruit to choose an HBCU in recent memory. Maker was named Preseason All-MEAC, and he joins a squad that returns reigning Rookie of the Year Wayne Bristol, Jr., who averaged 12.6 points per game last season and shot 43% from behind the arc.
The MEAC features a multitude of talented players this season, including North Carolina A&T State’s Kameron Langley, who was named the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year. Last season, Langley led the nation in assists per game (8.0), total assists (247), and triple doubles (2). He’s the MEAC All-Time leader in assists with 632 during his career.
He is joined on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by Maker and Keyser. Coppin State’s Dejuan Clayton and Koby Thomas were also named to the First Team.
The opening week schedule features four games against Power Five schools, including two games against Top-10 opponents. On Opening Night, Delaware State will visit Wake Forest, North Carolina Central will face fifth-ranked Iowa, and North Carolina A&T State will visit Illinois.
FAMU will take on Florida Gulf Coast and South Carolina State will host Appalachian State.
Coppin State will play Marshall.
North Carolina A&T State will take on SWAC foe Southern on Thursday. Howard will welcome Northeastern to D.C. on Friday and Norfolk State will face James Madison.
On Saturday, Coppin State will travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to square off with ninth-ranked Duke and Morgan State will face fellow Maryland and CIAA foe Bowie State. Howard will take on George Mason to wrap up the D.C. Paradise Jam, and South Carolina State will have a meeting with Bowling Green.
Please note games and times are subject to change.
Wednesday, Nov. 25
Mount St. Mary’s at Morgan State, 12 p.m.
North Carolina A&T State at Illinois, 2 p.m. – Big Ten Network
Appalachian State at South Carolina State, 2 p.m.
North Carolina Central at Iowa, 4 p.m. – Big Ten Network
Delaware State at Wake Forest, 4 p.m. – ACC Network Extra
Coppin State at Marshall, 6 p.m. – CUSA TV
Florida A&M at Florida Gulf Coast, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 26
Delaware State at Longwood, 12 p.m.
Tennessee State vs. Coppin State, 12 p.m.
North Carolina A&T State vs. Ohio, 2 p.m.
North Carolina Central vs. Southern, 4 p.m.
Howard vs. Belmont, 5 p.m. – ESPN3
Friday, Nov. 27
North Carolina A&T State vs. Chicago State, 3 p.m.
Howard vs. Northeastern, 5 p.m. – ESPN3
Norfolk State at James Madison, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 28
South Carolina State at Bowling Green, 12 p.m.
Coppin State at Duke, 2 p.m. – ACC Network Extra
Howard vs. George Mason, 3 p.m. – ESPN3
Norfolk State vs. Radford, 7 p.m.