MEAC
Biggest Surprise (North Carolina A&T)
The work of head coach Jay Joyner was impressive this year, even if the Aggies didn’t win the MEAC title. Little was expected of this team after losing their top five scorers off last year’s fourth place finish. Even after a rough non-conference season (not a huge surprise for a MEAC team), they played inspired basketball, ending up 13-3 in MEAC play before falling to tournament champion North Carolina Central.
Not a single player averaged double-digits on the deep roster that Joyner assembled, but this team had enough firepower to hang in the MEAC. The Aggies offense has been a weakness historically, but their defense picked up the slack this year. This team had no shot against power conference opposition; though Joyner has them as one of the MEAC’s consistent programs going forward.
Biggest Disappointment (Morgan State)
In what would be Todd Bozeman’s final year as head coach, the Bears were expecting another middle of the pack finish in the MEAC, which in itself would be disappointing for a team that hasn’t sniffed the NCAA Tournament since 2010. Unfortunately, things went far worse for a Morgan State team that started the year 5-5 despite a rough nonconference slate. They won just 4 MEAC games and finished second from the bottom in the weak league.
Their 9-21 mark was enough for Bozeman to lose his job as Morgan State became one of the worst teams in the nation, especially struggling on offense. The search continues for their next head coach, but the team’s three leading scorers should all be back next season. This roster clearly lacked talent, but with some development and a few new faces, maybe they can compete in the MEAC again very soon.