The MEAC is a frustrating conference to me, at times. Not because the basketball is at a really low level (which, it is, though, it’s nowhere near the SWAC), but because it is actually an interesting league every year, despite the level of play, but it just doesn’t seem like it is run very well. First of all, they don’t ever have an actual conference schedule that they stick to, but that’s a minor issue. The general issues come down to quirky things that just appear to be thoughtless and half-assed. For instance, the two best teams in the league this year were Norfolk St., who went 16-0 in conference play, and N.C. Central, who was one game behind at 15-1. But, NCC’s one loss was NOT to Norfolk. Think about that…yes, that’s right – that means that the two teams didn’t play. Two conference foes that didn’t play once all year. Fortunately for the league (unfortunately, if you actually want some light shined on the f’ed-upness of the league), NCC did lose at Savannah St. on February 16th. But, what if they hadn’t? How do you break a tie between two 16-0 teams? Strength of schedule? Margin of victory? It doesn’t matter how – it all fails.
Okay, didn’t mean to distract from another interesting year in the MEAC. Aside from Norfolk St. and N.C. Central, who were clearly the class of the league – which is surprising, considering the defending league champs, Savannah St. returned their whole starting lineup, but finished 4th. Hampton has played really well lately and jumped to 3rd place by the end. And, Morgan St. has won 5 straight entering the tournament and seems to be coming together at the right time. N.C. A&T could be a dark horse, as they have been solid all year. As for disappointing years other than Savannah St.? That is easy – Delaware St. has been a lot worse than they anticipated when the season started, as has Bethune-Cookman. Neither team were even competitive, despite having the talent level to at least entertain possible top-of-the-league finishes.
CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 12 points)
#5 Morgan St. vs #7 N.C. A&T
Welcome to the first Dayton Invitational First Four Play-In Game. The winner of this one should just pack their bags for Dayton, as they are destined for the First Four. Hell, maybe they should just bite the bullet and start scouting Western Kentucky. Both of these teams were sleeping giants in this tournament, but the top two teams just seemed too good. But, with that insane quarterfinal day, the door was opened, and these two teams stormed through it.
Nobody has either of these teams winning this tournament, so we can officially crown Alex as the 2013 CTC MEAC champion – his first ever CTC conference title.
SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 8 points each)
#5 Morgan St. vs #8 Bethune-Cookman
If you haven’t been following the MEAC tournament, then you may have missed some of the maddest madness you will find. The quarterfinal round, played over Wednesday and Thursday, were utterly ridiculous. After the top two seeds lost on Wednesday, the 3- and 4-seeds followed suit on Thursday, clearing the way for a dark horse winner here to head to Dayton for the First Four. BC started it all with an overtime upset over undefeated Norfolk St. on Wednesday afternoon. Morgan capped it off with an overtime upset of #4 Savannah St. on Thursday night. Now, they will face for a title shot on Saturday.
Alexi, Caleb, Dave, and Lynch have Morgan here. Everyone else has already lost, so they are BC fans (and, who wouldn’t be as the alma mater of John Chaney?). All championship picks were wiped out in the MEAC quarters.
#6 Delaware St. vs #7 N.C. A&T
To think that it might finally all fall in place for the DSU Hornets this year is shocking. After finally being pegged in the preseason as a real favorite for this league, they bumbled their way to a .500 season in the conference, and now they might be the favorite to win this tournament. If it isn’t them, though, it is probably N.C. A&T, who handled 2nd-seeded N.C. Central on Wednesday in impressive fashion. Winner of this one gets on ESPN on Saturday.
No one has either of these teams winning this game. Yes, it’s been a crazy MEAC…
QUARTERFINALS (March 13th & 14th – 4 points each)
#1 Norfolk St. vs #8 Bethune-Cookman
With Kyle O’Quinn now in the NBA, Norfolk’s program-changing team from 2011-12 is essentially a thing of the past. They had to completely remake the roster this year, and I’d say they did an “okay” job. They completed a perfect 16-0 MEAC schedule (that didn’t include a game against 15-1 N.C. Central) to gain the top seed in this tournament in hopes that they could get back to the Dance and wreak some havoc again. Their first test is against the alma mater of John Chaney, as BC knocked off Coppin St. on Tuesday to get to the quarters. BC is no tough out, as they have talent, so this won’t be a walk in the park for the league’s top team.
Alex and Lohse both have the huge upset pick of BC in this one. Dave has already lost it, picking Coppin St., so he wouldn’t mind an upset here. Eight people (Cheryl, Gersh, GrossJr, J, Rikey, Scoot, Teddy, and Waters) have Norfolk winning the whole thing, so they need them to get past this tough quarterfinal first.
Bethune-Cookman 70 – Norfolk St. 68 (OT)
MADNESS! Adrien Coleman scored the last 5 points in regulation to tie it, and then Pendarvis Williams missed a free throw that would have tied it in OT for Norfolk, and the Spartans lose their first conference game of the year – at a terrible time. Wow!
Alex and Lohse hit the BIG upset here. Dave is happy that the other 21 people missed it. Eight people lose their champions here.
#2 N.C. Central vs #7 N.C. A&T
The league’s #2-seed didn’t get a walkover in the quarters, either, as NCC has to take on a tough in-state rival in NC A&T in the late game Wednesday. NCC looked, for most of the year, like the best team in the league, going 15-1 against a really tough unbalanced schedule. But, there is some depth in the league this year, so they will have to earn their way to the final if they want to finally get a shot at Norfolk. N.C. A&T took care of business against FAMU on Tuesday to earn the right to matchup with Central here.
Gersh, GrossJr, J, and Teddy all have A&T in a nice upset pick here. Cheryl, GrossSr, and Primm have already lost this game with FAMU. The other 17 all have Central winning this game, with 13 of them picking them to take the title.
N.C. A&T 55 – N.C. Central 42
MADNESS AGAIN!!! Right after watching the #1-seed go down in overtime, the 2nd-seeded Eagles of N.C. Central followed suit – just simply not showing up against their in-state rivals, N.C. A&T. A&T has shown signs of really solid play all year, and it all came together now. They might actually be the favorite remaining now. Who knows? This thing is WIDE OPEN now.
Gersh, GrossJr, J, and Teddy hit a nice upset pick here, while 13 people lose their MEAC champion just hours after 8 other lost theirs. GrossSr (Savannah St.), Lynch and Primm (Hampton) are the only three that got their MEAC champions even out of the quarterfinals.
#3 Hampton vs #6 Delaware St.
Hampton had a really nice season in the MEAC, including a red-hot finish. Now, they get a shot at a DSU team that knocked off Howard in the opening round.
Alex, GrossSr, and Lazarow are the only three with DSU in this one – with none of them having the Hornets going any further. The other 21 people all have Hampton here, including Lynch and Primm, who have the Pirates cutting down the nets.
Delaware St. 63 – Hampton 60
The third MEAC quarterfinal saw the third top-3 seed fall. Unbelievable Madness going on in Norfolk this year for the MEAC. Delaware St. led most of the way, and may be finally putting the pieces together here. With everything upside-down, who knows about this tournament now.
Alex, GrossSr, and Lazarow are the only three to hit this upset. Two more people lost their champions, leaving only GrossSr (Sav State) with a chance to get his champion out of the quarters.
#4 Savannah St. vs #5 Morgan St.
This is one of the better matchups that the MEAC tournament could offer. And, with the top two seeds losing on Wednesday night, this game might give us the MEAC favorite going forward. Both teams took care of inferior opponents on Tuesday night and now will battle for a spot in the MEAC semis.
This is a pretty nice CTC battle, too, as eleven people have (Cheryl, GrossJr, GrossSr, J, Lazarow, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, Rikey, RDoc, and Scoot) Savannah St. and the other 13 have Morgan. Alex, Alexi, Caleb, Dave, and Lynch have Morgan going to the finals, though no one has them winning it. GrossSr, Mac, and Primm all have SSU in the finals, with GrossSr having them winning this tournament.
Morgan St. 64 – Savannah St. 61
And, there it is – all four top seeds lose in the quarterfinals, and the MEAC is officially upside-down with the 5, 6, 7, and 8-seeds are the final four in this crazy tournament. Morgan had a 5-point lead at the half, but gave it all back and looked like they might give it away. But, Justin Black hit a clutch three to send the game to OT and then another one in the overtime that was the difference. What a performance by Mr. Black on this one, and Morgan is the top seed remaining.
That’ll do it. GrossSr loses his champion, and not a single championship pick made it out of the quarters. I’m guessing that this is a first in CTC history. 13 people did get this one right, including Alex (who is KILLING this tournament), Alexi, Caleb, Dave, and Lynch, who keep alive a finalist.
OPENING ROUND (March 11th & 12th – 2 points each)
#8 Bethune-Cookman vs #9 Coppin St.
This was a disappointing season for both of these teams, as they both thought that they might compete for a top spot in the MEAC. BC thought that because they had a solid returning roster, while Coppin thought that because, well, they always compete in this league. But, both struggled at various times during the season. CSU enters the tournament on a high, while BC has been struggling. That was apparent on Thursday – the last day of the regular season in the MEAC – when Coppin handled BC in Baltimore by 8. The winner here moves on to face the undefeated top-seeded Norfolk St. squad.
Only nine people (Alex, Bry, Cheryl, Doogan, GrossJr, Lohse, Primm, RDoc, and Scoot) took BC here as the favorite, while the other 15 have Coppin. There are some bigger implications, though. Alex and Lohse have BC beating Norfolk in the quarters. Dave has Coppin beating Norfolk. So, at least – maybe two – people will lose a semifinalist in this one.
Bethune-Cookman 89 – Coppin St. 76
Adrien Coleman and Kevin Dukes combined for 50 points for the alma mater of the great John Chaney and the Wildcats move on to face #1 and undefeated Norfolk St. in the quarters on Wednesday.
15 people missed on this upset pick, including Dave, who loses a semifinalist. Alex and Lohse both keep alive the possibility of a big quarterfinal upset pick of BC over Norfolk.
#7 N.C. A&T vs #10 Florida A&M
N.C. A&T had a pretty solid year, but a tough unbalanced conference schedule dropped them to 7th place in the league. FAMU was the opposite – their conference schedule was rather soft, bolstering them to the 10-seed. So, an underseeded 7-seed against an overseeded 10-seed. You know what that means? Why, Upset City, naturally. The winner here will face 2nd-seeded N.C. Central.
Eight people (Cheryl, Dave, GrossSr, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, Scoot, and Stumpf) have FAMU in the upset. Cheryl, GrossSr, and Primm all took them a step further to the semis. GrossSr even has them going all the way to the finals. Gersh, GrossJr, J, and Teddy all have N.C. A&T beating N.C. Central in the quarters, though none of them have them going to the finals.
N.C. A&T 65 – Florida A&M 54
In a close game throughout, the Aggies pulled away late to win going away, ending the Rattlers’ season. A&T moves on to face their in-state rival N.C. Central in one of the better quarterfinals in the Wednesday quadruple-header.
Eight people missed on this upset pick, including Cheryl and Primm, who lost semifinalists, and GrossSr, who actually lost a finalist with this one. Gersh, GrossJr, J, and Teddy all kept alive semifinalists.
#6 Delaware St. vs #11 Howard
This was supposed to be “the year” for DSU. But, as usually happens to this program down in Dover, it didn’t happen. They have been hyped up for a couple years now and just never live up. They have made a habit of playing up…and down…to their competition. They grab some really good wins and then head-scratching losses. And, that was the case again this year, losing to MD-E.Shore and S.C. State – the two worst teams in the league. But, they beat N.C. A&T, Morgan St., and lost by 1 in triple OT on the road at Hampton. They did sweep Howard this year – their opening round opponent. The Bison had another rough year in the nation’s capital. The winner of this one will take on 3rd-seeded Hampton in the quarters.
Eight people (Bry, Caleb, Doogan, GrossJr, J, PapaCim, Scoot, and Waters) went for the big upset pick with Howard here. Alex, GrossSr, and Lazarow have the most at stake with Delaware St., as they all have them in the semis.
Delaware St. 73 – Howard 61
The Hornets of DSU dominated this game pretty much wire-to-wire and will now take their underachieving bunch into a quarterfinal game with Hampton. Howard’s season comes to an early close, yet again.
16 people got this one right, including Alex, GrossSr, and Lazarow, who keep alive a semifinalist.
#4 Savannah St. vs #13 MD-Eastern Shore
For years and years, UMES had been the doormat of this league. Then, two years ago, they broke out with a surprisingly good season with a team that almost completely came back the next year. But, the next year (last year) was riddled with injuries and inconsistent play. Now, this year, they are back to doormat status. As for their opponent in the quarterfinals, Savannah St., they know nothing but success in the MEAC. Their first year as a full-fledged D-I program was last year and they won the MEAC regular season title. But, they did fall short in the conference tournament, falling to Norfolk St., who, as we all know, went on to upset Missouri in the NCAA Tournament. Now, with everyone back, the Tigers were supposed to dominate – it didn’t happen. They finished in 4th place and, oftentimes, looked actually a full step behind a brand-new Norfolk St. team and an N.C. Central team that is probably the best in the league. Also finishing behind a red-hot Hampton team has forced them into this first-round game with UMES.
Bry, Dave, and Waters all went with this big upset pick. GrossSr has the most to lose with Sav State here, as he picked them to win this whole tournament. Mac and Primm also have them in the finals.
Savannah St. 59 – MD-Eastern Shore 44
In what was a close game for a lot of the way, the Savannah St. Tigers avoid a really bad upset here, as they pull away late. Deven Williams had 26 of the Tigers 59, and Savannah St. moves on to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Bry, Dave, and Waters miss a big upset pick. GrossSr keeps his MEAC champion in place; Mac and Primm keep alive a finalist.
#5 Morgan St. vs #12 South Carolina St.
The Bears of Morgan St. had an uncharacteristically terrible 2011-12 season, and looked on their way to another disappointing 2012-13 year, but down the stretch, they started to play up to their limitless potential and shot all the way up to 5th in the league. There is no question that the talent on this roster rivals anyone in the MEAC, but when will they put it together is still up for question. As for S.C. State, well, they are just a flat-out bad team. Ranked above on Grambling in most of the tempo-free numbers for most of the season, but don’t let your guard down, as their two MEAC wins this year were head-scratchers against Delaware St. and N.C. A&T, who were playing really well when they took defeats to S.C. State.
GrossJr and Primm both took a shot at this big upset pick. While six people have Morgan going to the finals (Alex, Alexi, Caleb, Dave, Lohse, and Lynch), no one picked them to win the whole thing.
Morgan St. 61 – South Carolina St. 52
Down three at half, Todd Bozeman must have laid into his Morgan St. Bears club, as they came out in the second half and took control of this game, finishing off a 9-point win that puts them into the quarters against #4 Savannah St.
GrossJr and Primm miss a nice upset pick here, while Alex, Alexi, Caleb, Dave, Lohse, and Lynch all keep alive a finalist.
CTC UPDATE
Championship Picks
- #1 Norfolk St. (8)
- #2 N.C. Central (13)
- #3 Hampton (1)
- #4 Savannah St. (2)
Biggest Upsets
- R1 – #13 MD-Eastern Shore (Bry, Dave, Waters)
- QF – #10 Florida A&M (Cheryl, GrossSr, Primm)
- SF – #10 Florida A&M (GrossSr)
- Champ – #4 Savannah St. (GrossSr)
Previous CTC Champions
- 2008 – Alexi
- 2009 – Lynch
- 2010 – Bry
- 2011 – Doogan
- 2012 – Dave
2013 Scores
- Alex – 44
- Lohse – 34
- Gersh – 28
- Teddy – 28
- GrossJr – 20
- J – 20
- Lazarow – 18
- GrossSr – 16
- Alexi – 14
- Doogan – 14
- LohseJr -14
- Lynch – 14
- Bry – 12
- Caleb – 12
- Stumpf – 12
- Dave – 10
- RDoc – 10
- Waters – 10
- Cheryl – 8
- Rikey – 8
- Mac – 6
- Primm – 6
- Scoot – 6
- PapaCim – 4
