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MEAC Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

By Herbert Seward III

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: The MEAC logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Yale Bulldogs and the Howard Bison at Burr Gymnasium on January 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: The MEAC logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Yale Bulldogs and the Howard Bison at Burr Gymnasium on January 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – DECEMBER 03: Martez Cameron #2 of the Morgan State Bears (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – DECEMBER 03: Martez Cameron #2 of the Morgan State Bears (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

Teams To Watch

The Favorites – North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T

Both of these squads have practically mirror images of each other the whole year. Both teams have been extremely consistent throughout the conference season, and both have injections of high-major talent on their roster that’s been hard to deal with for everybody else. Their first two regular-season meetings were exciting, high-wire affairs. There could very well be a rubber match in the MEAC final with all the marbles for an NCAA tourney berth on the line.

The Contenders – Norfolk State, Bethune Cookman

There are two degrees of contrast here; You’ve got the grizzled young veterans on the Norfolk State squad, with players that have seen both NCAA and NIT post-season action (who could forget that NIT upset of the Crimson Tide the last time the Spartans were there?) and you got the upstarts that are arguably one of the best defensive team in the conference. Both squads have the chops to make a run to the championship game and then all bets are off. Good backcourt tandems are essential to great tourney runs, and Norfolk has a good duo to lean on. the same can be said for stellar defense. We may very well see both of those variables in the MEAC final.

The Darkhorse – Morgan State

Kevin Broadus had his work cut out for him this season, inheriting a program that was in dire need of an infusion of confidence and new team identity. Count those checkboxes filled, as the first-year MEAC coach has brought a toughness to this Bear’s team that hasn’t been there in a long time.

They finished in the upper half of the MEAC race this year, and are playing their best basketball going into the MEAC tournament. If there’s a squad outside of the top 4 that could make a Cinderella run to the MEAC title and an NCAA tourney bid, it’s the new-look, new-attitude Bears.