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Hoops Round-up
Lut Williams
BCSP Editor
Conference basketball play began in earnest with the new year and though it's early, patterns are already emerging.
CIAA
To say its tightly bunched at the top of the CIAA men's race would be an understatement.
Following Monday's (Jan. 11) results, six teams are within one game of each other in the loss column in conference games that will be the first determinant of seeding for the Feb. 22-27 Tournament in Charlotte.
So far, Bowie State (6-2), St. Augustine's (6-2), Chowan (5-2), Livingstone (5-2), Shaw (5-2) and Virginia Union (7-3) have taken turns beating up on each other and none has emerged as a clear favorite. Lurking another game back in the loss column are Elizabeth City State (4-4) and two-time defending tournament champ Johnson C. Smith (3-4).
Conference newcomer Chowan, under head coach Jim Tribbett, is perhaps the most surprising of the contenders. The Hawks have split with Virginia Union and own recent wins over Bowie State (74-73) and Elizabeth City State (63-54) during a four-game win streak. The Hawks have three players scoring in double figures, all among the top 15 scorers in the CIAA - 6-5 senior guard Jaleel Nelson (17.8 ppg.), 6-4 sophomore guard Mark Brown (14.4 ppg.) and 6-6 senior forward Lando Morrison (13.3 ppg.). Morrison also leads the league in field goal percentage (.614) and is third in rebounding (8.8 rpg.).
Big games this week on the men's side Saturday have Livingstone hosting Bowie State and Shaw hosting Elizabeth City State. On Monday, BSU is at JC Smith and ECSU is at St. Aug's.
On the women's side, Shaw avenged an early season 70-58 loss to Virginia State, its only loss of the season so far, with a 51-44 win over the Lady Trojans Monday taking over sole possession of first place with a 6-1 mark. VSU, Bowie State and Fayetteville State all have two losses in conference play.
MEAC
Preseason favorites Morgan State (men) and North Carolina A&T (women) are setting the pace in the MEAC.
For the men, Todd Bozeman's MSU Bears (10-7) are off to a 3-0 start in conference play and are currently tied with Clifford Reed's Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman (10-6, 3-0) atop the conference.
B-CU, led by the playmaking ability of point guard C. J. Reed (16.6 ppg., 4.7 apg.) and the strong play of forward Alexander Starling (12.2 ppg., 8.1 rpg.), tries to keep pace this week hosting Delaware State Saturday and Maryland-Eastern Shore Monday. MSU has a non-conference date on the road at Winston-Salem State Saturday and travels to South Carolina State Monday.
Patricia Bibbs' Lady Aggies (8-7, 3-0) lead Fred Bachelor's UMES (4-7, 2-0) squad by a half-game entering play this week. A&T hosts Howard (6-8, 2-1) Saturday and Norfolk State (2-9, 0-3) Monday. UMES is at Florida A&M Saturday and at Bethune-Cookman Monday.
SIAC
Clark Atlanta (6-1) and Tuskegee (5-1) are the early men's leaders in the SIAC while Fort Valley State (8-0) has yet to lose on the women's side.
After opening the season with a loss to Stillman, CAU, under head coach Darryl Jacobs, has run off nine consecutive wins in impressive fashion. They've beaten both 2008-09 powers Claflin and Benedict and subdued 2009 Tournament champ LeMoyne-Owen. The Panthers host Kentucky State Saturday. Najee Lane (14.4 ppg.) is the Panthers' scoring leader while the team is the toughest to score on in the conference surrendering just 52 points per game.
Head coach Leon Douglas has Tuskegee playing well. The Golden Tigers, whose only conference loss was to CAU (61-58), are riding a four-game win streak. Douglas's balanced attack has six players averaging between 6 and 12 points per game. They host Miles Saturday and LeMoyne-Owen Monday.
Lonnie Bartley's Lady Wildcats of FVSU (13-0) have a date at their nearest pursuer, Benedict (8-3, 5-1) Saturday. FVSU travels to Kentucky State on Tuesday.
SWAC
The momentum of Prairie View A&M winning its first football title in 45 years is carrying over to the hardwood as both the Panthers men and women sit atop the SWAC hoops standings.
Byron Rimm's Panthers (3-0) are tied with Tevester Anderson's Jackson State squad at the top of the SWAC race. The Panthers are second in the league in scoring (70.0 ppg.) and first in scoring defense (65.2 ppg.). Six-seven forward Darnell Hugee is among the league's scoring and rebounding leaders (15.2 ppg., 6.2 rpg.), and is leading the league in field goal percentage (.596). PVA&M and JSU have a showdown Saturday in Jackson. PV travels to Grambling Monday while JSU hosts Texas Southern. Cynthia Cooper's Lady Panthers are atop the women's race at 3-0. Alabama A&M (3-1), Alabama State (3-1) and Texas Southern are tied for second.
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