Last go-round in CIAA
Lut Williams
BCSP Editor
CIAA basketball is in its last week of regular season play before next week's (Feb. 25-March 1) Tournament in Charlotte, and though brackets won't be announced until Sunday, Feb. 24, the top teams and opening round pairings are all but set.
On the men's side, head coach Shawn Walker
and his first-place Elizabeth City State
(20-4, 13-3) Vikings take a 13-game winning streak into the final week with
games against their closest pursuers. The Vikings played Tuesday (2/19)
at third-place Bowie State (18-7, 12-5) before wrapping up the first part
of its season Thursday (Feb. 21) at second-place
Virginia Union (17-6, 12-4).
Regardless of the outcomes of those games, ECSU, VUU, BSU, St. Augustine's (15-8, 11-6), Johnson C. Smith (16-9, 10-7) and Fayetteville State (12-12, 8-8) will enter the tournament as the top six seeds and avoid the Wednesday, Feb. 27 opening round games.
The only seeds left to be determined on the men's side are sixth and seventh with Livingstone and Virginia State entering the week tied with 6-10 league marks. Both have two games this week that will determine their final seeding.
The only question about the top six seeds on the women's side is at No. 6, where the battle between Elizabeth City State (5-11), Livingstone (5-12), St. Paul's (5-12) and Virginia State (4-12) will go down to the wire.
SIAC
With the SIAC Tournament (March 5-8) scheduled a week after the CIAA Tourney this season, conference teams have two weeks of regular season play left.
Benedict (19-4, 16-2) has a commanding four-game lead on its men's counterparts with four games left on its schedule. All four games are on the road but against teams at the bottom half of the current standings. Tuskegee (13-6, 12-2) has a slim half-game lead over Fort Valley State (15-7, 12-3) in the women's race. Kentucky State (13-7, 10-3) is lurking just behind in third place. Tuskegee hosts Kentucky State Saturday (3 p.m.) in a key matchup of conference leaders.
MEAC and SWAC
Play over the last week in the SWAC and MEAC was marked by slip-ups by two teams at the top of the standings.
The women of Prairie View had their 12-game conference win streak snapped by Jackson State (70-60, OT) Saturday. The Lady Panthers (16-8, 11-1) still hold a slim half-game lead over JSU headed into games this week at Arkansas-Pine Bluff and at Mississippi Valley State. In the MEAC, the men of Morgan State (16-9, 10-2) could not avoid the upset bug as they also fell in overtime on their home floor to Florida A&M, 90-89. The Bears have fallen into a tie for the top spot with new head coach Anthony Evans' squad at Norfolk State (14-10, 10-2). Morgan State will host Howard and Hampton this week while Norfolk State hits the road to play at S. C. State (Sat.) and at Winston-Salem State (Mon.).
The women of N. C. A&T (19-5, 12-0) kept their conference record clean with victories over UMES and Delaware State. The Lady Aggies lead is at three games with its only conference matchup this week is at SC State Monday.
SWAC men's leader Alabama State (14-8, 10-2) has home dates against Alcorn State (Sat.) and Southern (Mon.)
© 2008 Azeez Communications, Inc.