Monday, March 7, 2005

MEAC Tournament Preview

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference was an extremely balanced league that came down to the final week, before Delaware State edged out Coppin State and Hampton for the title. Overall, seven teams finished with 10 wins or more in conference play. However, only 3 finished above .500 throughout the entire season.
Favorites: Delaware State won their last five games to claim the regular season championship. If you look at the statistics, they don't jump out at you. They are not anywhere near the top in scoring, but are fourth in defense. Jahsha Bluntt is their go-to-player, while Terrance Hunter and Aaron Williams are also solid performers. Coppin State has a great duo in Nicholas King and Darryl Proctor. They are deep and balanced. Hampton have won 12 of 15, and are one of the hottest teams in the league. 6-11 Bruce Brown and 6-7 Devin Green are two of the better players in the conference, and can carry the Pirates to the Tournament.
Sleepers: South Carolina State leads the conference in scoring and is second in defense. They have won 9 of 11, and probably have the most talent in the league. The Bulldogs are very deep and have a go-to-guy in Thurman Zimmerman. Florida A&M is fairly hot right now, and also own wins over Delaware State and Coppin State. Tony Tate is the best point guard in the league, and leads it in assists.
Prediction: I think that South Carolina State is going to make a run from the #4 seed to win the league title. They have a great offense-defense balance, and have the weapons necessary to get a championship. Hampton is going to be a tough match-up for anyone with their size. However, I'm going with the upset, and I'm going with the Bulldogs.

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