As we inch closer to conference play, the HBCU non-conference gauntlet is almost over. The identity of most of these teams will not be revealed until January. It’s been a turbulent few weeks across the SWAC and MEAC, where no team currently owns a winning record and offensive efficiency continues to lag behind the national field.
There is no SWAC or MEAC team that has a winning record while Hampton and North Carolina A&T sit at 5-5 and 3-3 respectively. Six SWAC programs have zero or one win while one of the MEAC preseason favorites in South Carolina State is winless. Norfolk State and Howard are right on the fringe of a .500 record, and both are playing significantly better than earlier in the season.
Offense continues to be the downfall for nearly every HBCU program. The MEAC does not have an offense inside the top 300 and the SWAC’s best offense (Alabama State) is ranked 226th. Some of the metrics are based on facing some of college basketballs best teams on the road, but a lot of those bad habits carry over into conference play. Usually the team(s) who flourish during conference play get their offense in order and can play just enough defense to sit atop their respective conference.
Hampton's Heating Up
Coming into the season, Hampton was one of the highest ranked HBCU’s via KenPom. After starting 2-5, the Pirates finished the week 3-0 to get their record back even on the year. When you take out the power-conference losses – the remaining losses are by two possessions or less. A few things bounce their way during those stretches and we could be looking at a seven-win team with serious momentum.
The Pirates have four players who average double figures, led by Michael Ely (11.3) and Xzavier Long who is averaging a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Offensively it is not pretty as they struggle to find consistent offense outside of the free-throw line where 24% of their total points come from. That needs to improve if they want to continue this surge.
Having multiple players who get downhill while also garnering second-chance points by being a dominant offensive rebounding team is the recipe that got the Pirates back afloat. The schedule is manageable coming up, as there are no more power conference games and more home games. Seven of their first 10 games have been on the road or in a neutral setting. With a softer schedule on the horizon and having over a week off to tune up some things – Hampton is a team that can continue to surge as they have this week.
Stock Riser Team of the Week: Prairie View A&M
The Panthers are 3-6 but both losses this week came by a combined four points. They jumped from 328 → 300 in KenPom and haven’t played a home game in almost a month (2-0 at home so far). They have three very winnable games upcoming before brutal trips to LSU and Texas A&M. Tai’Reon Joseph is leading the Panthers in scoring with around 20 points per night, but their balance is what makes them dangerous. Currently they have six players who average seven or more points per game. Not many HBCU teams have that kind of balance and that is paying dividends early on.
With the pace the Panthers play at, protecting the ball is a big factor in how much success they have. So far, so good as they are one of the nations best at protecting the ball while also being elite at turning teams over. This is a critical component for the Panthers because their offense is outside the top 300. When they are forced to execute in the half court they struggle, which is why being disruptive in transition fuels their offense to get easy baskets.
Not many mid-major programs go to North Texas and pretty much control that game from the tip. The largest lead the Mean Green had was three-points which was at the end of the game and the margin they won by. Not to mention, they performed that well without having any outliers in their box score. North Texas was +4 in free-throw attempts, +12 in rebounding and held the Panthers to 3-12 from three. When you play with the effort level and can cause havoc – it leads to performances like this against a top 150 team.
If the Panthers can take care of business at home against two non-division one programs and steal the South Dakota game, they’ll be sitting pretty when they finally sleep in their own beds again once conference play begins.
Weekly Player Spotlight
Quion Williams, Arkansas Pine Bluff
There is not a lot of sunshine in Pine-Bluff Arkansas when regarding its basketball team, but they did finish the week with a win over a top 200 team. Quion Williams has been a glimmer of hope for Golden Lion fans. He’s scored 12+ points in three straight and averaged over five rebounds and five assists during that span. In road games against Portland and Vanderbilt, he combined to score 51 points. As he is carrying a heavy offensive load for the Golden Lions, the defensive intensity never wavers. During this four-game stretch, he has 2+ steals in each game. Things will lighten up for the Golden Lions in the next few weeks as they’ll finally get their first home game of the year. As we get into SWAC play – Williams is a name to watch as he stuffs the stat sheet trying to get the Golden Lions back on track.
Fazi Oshodi, Southern University
Fazi finished the week averaging around 16 points and did so in an awkward stretch. Against Northwestern State he made all six of his three-point attempts but followed that up by going 0-5 in the following game. Despite not making a three, Fazi found a way to be productive and impact the game in more ways. He shot an efficient 13-19 this week and did not attempt a single free throw. Southern is coming off a 2-0 week and is the highest rated team in the SWAC. A lot of that success has come with the emergence of Fazi and his ability to put pressure on the defense.
Asjon Anderson, Alabama State
Anderson was the top scorer of all HBCU players this week. He poured in around 24 points per game to go along with four assists on a respectable 37% three-point shooting clip. Alabama State went 1-2 this week, but nearly upset New Mexico in the process. Anderson poured in 30 points in that game and despite the loss, he helped move the Hornets up about 15 spots on KenPom. Being consistent is something that Anderson does not have an issue with. He has scored 14+ points in every game and is coming off a KenPom MVP performance in the near upset of the Lobos. That type of performance can further boost his confidence and help lead the Hornets to a big upcoming week.
Freshman Spotlight: Milhan Charles, Arkansas Pine Bluff
The 6'7" French wing has been one of the most intriguing young players in the SWAC. His versatility and multi-position defense make him one of the league’s highest-upside freshmen and he is a perfect secondary option behind Quion Williams. Charles has scored double figures in five of the nine games, including scoring double figures at Oklahoma and SMU. Currently during this four-game stretch, he is averaging around 11 points and five rebounds while shooting 44% from the floor. The most interesting fact behind those numbers is that he has yet to make a three-pointer. That is not his strength, so he does not force them or play out of character and that says a lot about a freshman who knows what he is and isn’t, and still finds ways to be effective.
Weekend Games to Watch
North Carolina A&T @ North Carolina Central [Saturday, December 7th]
Norfolk State @ James Madison [Saturday, December 7th]
Alabama A&M @ Lipscomb [Sunday, December 8th]