The MEAC standings continue to shift as February basketball sharpens the separation between contenders and chasers. Four teams enjoyed undefeated weeks, while three programs went winless. A reminder of just how volatile this league can be from game to game.
Five of the eight teams either maintained or improved their KenPom rating, and with six teams playing just one game this week, the calm before the storm is officially over. A heavy closing stretch looms for much of the conference.
Home court proved decisive, with home teams being a perfect 5-0 with an average margin of victory of 14 points. Offensively, six players eclipsed the 20-point mark, led by Norfolk State Spartans guard Elijah Jamison’s 28-point explosion. And for the third time this season, the MEAC has a new team sitting alone atop the standings.
Morgan State Jumps NCCU For First Place
Morgan State seized sole possession of first place with a 1-0 week, knocking off Maryland Eastern Shore to extend their win streak to six which is the second-longest active among HBCU programs. They now lead the MEAC with six conference wins and continue to surge at the right time.
Even with just one game played this week, Morgan State posted the conference’s top-rated offense. More impressively, they’ve held the MEAC’s best offensive efficiency during their entire six-game winning streak. The defense hasn’t been flawless, but one area has been elite: three-point defense. Over this run, opponents are shooting under 30% from beyond the arc, a number that travels in March.
Senior guard Alfred Worrell Jr. continued his scoring tear, dropping 24 points against a stout UMES defense, marking his fifth straight game with 23+ points. Complementing him was senior forward Marland Harris who earned Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors after a standout double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 steal) in the victory. Since returning from a four-game absence, Harris has swatted 3+ blocks in every outing, totaling 23 over the 6-game win streak.
With a tough upcoming slate (three games in five days), followed by four of their final six at home (where they're 2-1 in MEAC action), the Bears are positioned to make a serious push toward their first regular season conference title since 2009-2010 in which they took home the conference tournament title as well.
Right on their heels, North Carolina Central slipped to second after a 1-1 week (road loss to Norfolk State, home win over Delaware State), now at 5-2 in conference (9-13 overall). The Eagles remain the MEAC's premier offense overall by a wide margin, but three-point defense continues to plague them as opponents are hitting 36% from deep in league play.
Gage Lattimore, off to a scorching start earlier, has cooled off with single-digit outputs in two of his last three games, though Jae Slack has filled the void admirably, extending his double-digit scoring streak to seven games, the Eagles are going to need Gage to return to his earlier season form down the stretch.
NCCU climbed slightly in KenPom (345 to 343), but the schedule doesn't ease up: four games in seven days (two home, two road), including a potential massive first-place showdown against Morgan State on Monday, depending on weekend results for both sides.
Howard’s Under the Radar Dominance
The Howard Bison are quietly asserting themselves as one of the most formidable teams in the MEAC, operating under the radar while building a compelling case for conference supremacy. Coming off a 1-0 week in league play (1-1 overall record on the week after an OT loss to Yale), the Bison have strung together back-to-back undefeated weeks in conference action and currently ride a three-game win streak in MEAC play.
Their surge is even more impressive considering the rocky start: after opening 0-2 in conference play, Howard has flipped the script to 5-2 since then, boasting the league's top offensive and defensive efficiency during this stretch. They sit third in the MEAC standings at 5-3 trailing the two aforementioned teams in the opener. They have a win over NCCU but a loss to Morgan State which will be critical down the stretch when they get both teams next week as the race tightens.
What sets the Bison apart is their outright dominance in wins: their recent 28-point blowout victory marks their fifth MEAC win and third by 20+ points. Those three blowout victories alone outpace the rest of the conference combined. This level of win margin highlights a team not just winning, but overwhelming opponents with superior execution on both ends.
The driving force behind this rise is the dynamic duo of graduate guard Bryce Harris and junior guard Cedric Taylor III, who have been unstoppable lately. This week, the pair combined to average 19.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 52% from the field. Their impact earned them MEAC weekly honors: Cedric Taylor III claimed Player of the Week, while Bryce Harris earned Co-Defensive Player of the Week recognition. Both well-deserved nods to their scoring, rebounding, and lockdown defense.
The advanced metrics are beginning to reflect Howard’s steady climb as well, moving from 254 to 244 in KenPom this week. It’s incremental progress from a national perspective, but within the MEAC landscape, the Bison are trending upward at exactly the right time.
Best of the Rest
Norfolk State snapped a two-game skid with a gritty home victory over then first place North Carolina Central, snapping the Eagles' momentum while boosting their own push toward the upper half of the MEAC standings. Elijah Jamison exploded for the weekly conference-high 28 points on efficient shooting (8-of-11 FG, 3-of-4 3PT, 9-of-10 FT), showcasing why he's one of the league's most dangerous scorers. The Spartans now sit at 4-4 in conference play and hold a favorable remaining schedule, projected to win roughly four of their final six games. After a brief week off, they face Delaware State on Saturday, a winnable road test to build streak potential.
South Carolina State absorbed a tough 28-point road setback at Howard, halting their three-game win streak and dropping to 0-1 for the week. The Bulldogs have shown real growth after a brutal 0-12 start, going 6-5 since with a solid 4-1 home mark in MEAC play. They now enjoy a full week off before hosting Morgan State in a pivotal home clash, kicking off three straight at home, a prime opportunity to pad their record before a tough four-game road finish.
Maryland Eastern Shore dropped a road decision to Morgan State, extending their slide to four straight losses after opening MEAC play 4-0. The offense remains stuck in neutral, but the defense continues to shine, allowing over 65 points just once during the skid, providing a foundation for potential turnarounds. After a grueling stretch of five games in eight days, UMES gets a much-needed week off before a massive Saturday matchup at Howard. If the defense holds and the offense finds rhythm, the Hawks could still make noise down the stretch in a tight conference race.
Week 6 in the SWAC: High Scoring Performers, Balance, & Southern's Surge
This past week showcased the conference's depth: three teams posted perfect weeks, six split 1-1, and home courts held strong with an 8-4 record. Standout individual performances lit up scoreboards, including 15 players scoring 20+ points and five eclipsing 30+ points, highlighted by Jackson State's Jayme Mitchell dropping a conference-high (and one of the nation's top marks last week) 39 points in a dominant win. The Jackson State-Mississippi Valley State matchup alone featured three 30-point scorers, underscoring the offensive firepower across the league.
Conference-wide, momentum is building in intriguing ways. Two teams ride 5+ game winning streaks, seven of the twelve squads hold winning SWAC records. All but one team has secured at least four conference victories, signaling a tightly bunched field as the postseason nears. Bethune-Cookman remains the class of the SWAC at 10-1 in league play, riding an eight-game streak, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff sits solidly in second at 8-3. Mississippi Valley State continues as the lone team still searching for that first SWAC win, but the rest of the pack is competitive and capable of upsets.
Southern Surging Back to Preseason Expectations
Among the most compelling stories is Southern's resurgence, clawing back toward the preseason expectations that pegged them as contenders. The Jaguars went 2-0 this week with both victories at home, extending their current streak to three games and vaulting them into third place in the standings at 7-4. Southern owns the distinction of being the only team to topple league-leader Bethune-Cookman in conference action this season. Despite the loss column, Southern is a few bounces away from being even better in SWAC play. Three of their four league losses came by two possessions or fewer, evidence of how close they've been to even greater heights.
What makes Southern particularly dangerous is their balance and depth. They rank among the top five teams in the SWAC in both offensive and defensive efficiency, boasting of one of the conference's deeper rotations with eight players averaging 7+. Leading scorer Michael Jacobs provides consistent production, but Demaiee Jones has emerged as a force, notching two double doubles this week and three in the last four games overall.
Under third-year head coach Kevin Johnson, who has already delivered 12+ SWAC wins in each of his first two seasons, the Jaguars are on pace for double-digit conference victories for the fifth straight year. With four of their final seven games on the road (where they're 3-2 so far), projections show them dropping just one more contest in that stretch. Even with that projection, they have a respectable 47% chance to win.
Southern's climb adds another layer of intrigue to a SWAC title chase where no lead feels safe and momentum can shift quickly. As the conference enters its final stretch, the Jaguars are positioned to make a serious push, not just for seeding, but to remind everyone why they were preseason favorites in the first place.
SWAC Week Six Recap
Bethune-Cookman continued its dominant stretch with a 2-0 week at home, extending their winning streak to eight, the longest active streak among HBCUs. The Wildcats overcame early adversity in their second game, rallying from a big deficit to win in overtime, all without Doctor Bradley in the lineup. Jakobi Heady earned Player of the Week honors, averaging 23 points and 7.5 rebounds. BCU’s strong week keeps them on pace for a third straight season with 10+ SWAC wins.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff also went 2-0 at home, averaging 84 points across the week and posting back-to-back perfect conference weeks. Quion Williams grabbed Co-Impact Player of the Week honors with 25 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. The Golden Lions are in position for double-digit SWAC wins for the first time since 2019, marking their best start through 11 conference games since 2018.
Alabama A&M split a pair of road games, marking back-to-back 1-1 weeks. Defensive struggles have been costly, with the Bulldogs allowing 80+ points in two of their last three contests. The schedule favors them down the stretch, with five of their final seven games at home, so do not count out the Bulldogs in catching fire at the right time
FAMU ended a four-game losing skid with a 1-1 week at home. After struggling to score, the Rattlers exploded for a season-high 100 points against PVA&M, with seven players in double figures, led by Jordan Chatman’s 18 off the bench. They face a challenging finish with four of seven games on the road, where they are 2-3 in conference play. It has already been a successful campaign in year one for Charlie Ward but the Rattlers are in position to be feisty down the stretch leading into conference tournament play.
Jackson State went 1-1 on the road without potential SWAC Player of the Year Daeshun Ruffin. Defensive issues have plagued the Tigers, who allowed 80+ points in three straight games. In Ruffin’s absence, Jayme Mitchell stepped up, averaging 26 points and 10.5 rebounds to earn Co-Impact Player of the Week honors. If Mitchell can sustain his hot streak, when Ruffin returns, they will be dangerous down the stretch BUT the defense has to be better.
Grambling State split a home set, winning three of their last five games. Rod Coffee led the Tigers with 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the week. Their success has come on the defensive end: in wins, opponents have been held to just 54.3 points, though in losses, that number jumps closer to 70.
Texas Southern went 1-1 on the road, coming close to upsetting Bethune-Cookman but falling in overtime by 10. Troy Hupstead continued his strong play with averages of 17 points and 12 rebounds, including 11+ boards in three of the last four games. They close the season with five of seven remaining games at home, where they are 3-1 in SWAC play.
