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Tournament time round the corner
Lut Williams
BCSP Editor
As the hoops season enters its final month or so, here's how the conference races are looking.
CIAA
Virginia Union in the East and Johnson C. Smith in the West are both undefeated in divisional play and setting the pace in the men's competition as the conference enters the final three weeks of the regular season. The CIAA Tournament will be held Feb. 24-28 in Charlotte, N.C.
VUU (5-0, 15-3) is on a 13-game winning streak while JCSU (4-0, 14-6) is headed in the opposite direction, losing two of its last three games and four of its last seven. The two leaders will meet Thursday nite (7:30 p.m.) in Charlotte in what could be a preview of the tournament's championship game. At 11 a.m. Thursday, the conference will hold a press conference at the downtown Convention Center to make announcements of new tournament sponsors, events and celebrity appearances.
On the women's side, a hot battle is raging in the East between Bowie State (3-1, 10-9), St. Paul's (3-1, 9-11) and Virginia State (2-2, 17-4). Eric Tucker's Lady Broncos of Fayetteville State (3-0, 15-6) have a two-game lead in the West.
SIAC
After defending champion Benedict's 55-45 win at Claflin last Thursday, the two SIAC men's leaders have now exchanged wins on each other's home court.
Benedict (13-1, 15-2) has now moved past Claflin (15-2, 16-2) into first place as the teams head for a likely showdown at the league's tournament set for March 4-8 at Fair Park Arena in Birmingham.
Head coach Lonnie Bartley's Fort Valley State (15-0, 16-4) Lady Wildcats and Clark Atlanta (12-1, 16-2) are locked in a similar battle on the women's side. The only loss on CAU's conference ledger is a 93-77 decision to FVSU Saturday.
MEAC
The North Carolina A&T Lady Aggies sit atop the MEAC with an unblemished 8-0 mark in league play. Patricia Bibbs' troops (15-5 overall) have won nine straight including a 56-51 victory over their nearest pursuer, Delaware State (7-1, 11-10) on Jan. 19.
The men's race is customarily bunched with Morgan State (7-2, 12-10) and surprising Bethune-Cookman (5-2, 11-9) setting the pace. Norfolk State (5-3, 8-12) is another game back in the loss column but four others, Hampton, Coppin State, Florida A&M and S. C. State all have four league losses.
Could be another surprise winner in the MEAC like seventh-seed Coppin State a year ago come tournament time, March 9-14 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
SWAC
Alabama State (8-1, 11-8) is holding off defending champion Jackson State (7-2, 8-13) in the SWAC men's race and the two appear headed for a showdown at the March 11-14 Tournament in Birmingham's Fair Park Arena. They'll meet again in the regular season on March 5.
Cynthia Cooper's Prairie View A&M (8-1, 11-10) Lady Panthers have a one-game lead over Southern (7-2, 10-7) in the ladies race.
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