HBCU Round-Up 2.6.26: Separation, Momentum, & The Middle Class

The MEAC is officially living up to its reputation as one of the most unpredictable and entertaining leagues in basketball. As February heats up, parity reigns supreme, with five of the conference’s eight teams boasting at least four league wins. This week there were four programs who escaped unscathed and undefeated. North Carolina Central surged into sole possession of first place but breathing room is minimal in a standings race where every possession feels magnified.

While it is crowded at the top, there are no easy wins at the bottom. Delaware State, despite a sub-.500 record, has suffered three one-possession losses and another by just two possessions, hinting they're far better than their standing suggests. Even last-place Coppin State is only a few bounces away from signature wins, nearly toppling then-undefeated Maryland Eastern Shore as well as the now surging South Carolina State squad.

This week's action highlighted the MEAC's signature grit: no easy nights, razor-thin margins, and rising contenders ready to shake up the race. As the conference heats up, expect more heart-stoppers and potential chaos in the standings ahead.

Week 5 in the MEAC:

North Carolina Central Continues Winning Ways

North Carolina Central picked up right where it left off following an extended weather-induced layoff, defeating Maryland Eastern Shore at home to move into sole possession of first place in the MEAC. The Eagles are now 4–1 in conference play for the second time in the past three seasons, once again showcasing the type of rebound campaign that has become a hallmark of LeVelle Moton’s tenure in Durham.

Historically, Moton’s teams respond after “down years”, and this group is trending toward another strong conference finish. NCCU is currently on pace for nine MEAC wins, an achievement that would mark Moton’s 11^th season with at least nine conference victories since joining the league in 2012. The Eagles play has them sighting a MEAC title and this start puts them firmly in the hunt for their first regular-season title since the 2019–20 campaign.

Offensively, the Eagles are operating on another level. They boast the clear number one offense in the MEAC in efficiency, lead the conference in turnover% offense, and attack the paint extremely well, shooting nearly 55% on two-point attempts. They’re also the second-best three-point shooting team in league play, though strangely, they’ve been significantly better away from home where they shoot around 38% vs just over 30% at home.

After their big win over UMES, I spoke with Gage Lattimore who was the hero with the game winning free throws and he talked about the composure the team faced during the roller coaster of the game. He spoke on what the team needs to do to build on this win, going into a tough stretch: “It’s going to be important for us to slow down and take it game by game. Once we do that, it will be easier for us to focus on the task in front of us”.

The stretch he was referring to was the five games in eleven days incoming due to all the rescheduling. Five of their final nine contests are on the road which further adds to the difficult road ahead. They will need much more consistency on the defensive end, as they showed late in the game against UMES. If they can find the correct balance, this could be a team who remains atop the MEAC going into the conference tournament.

Morgan State’s Momentum Continues

The Bears are rapidly becoming one of the hottest teams in HBCU basketball, not just within the MEAC, and they kept that surge alive with a road win over Coppin State in their lone outing of the week. The victory pushed their winning streak to five games, the longest in the conference and one of the longest among HBCU programs nationally. After we highlighted the Bears gaining momentum last week, they proved us right and took another big step forward this week with a convincing road win at Coppin State.

That momentum is lining up with a favorable upcoming schedule. Morgan State will play just three games in a 12-day span to open the month, providing valuable rest and preparation time in a league where compressed slates have become common. The Bears are also proving road-tested, improving to 4–1 away from home after sweeping a three-game road swing. They’ll benefit from that stretch by having five of their final seven contests at home.

Two players have been especially dominant during this run:

• Alfred Worrell Jr. earned MEAC Player of the Week honors after dropping 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists against Coppin. He’s now scored 23+ points in four straight games and has turned into one of the most consistent and explosive scoring threats in the league.
• Marland Harris was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 3 blocks in the Coppin win. He has now posted 3+ blocks in five consecutive games, showing the kind of consistent rim protection that changes opponent possessions.

With confidence building, star performances stacking up, and the schedule breaking favorably, Morgan State is positioning itself as a legitimate threat in the MEAC race as the season hits its most critical stretch.

Best of the Rest

Howard delivered a dominant 2-0 week, highlighted by a convincing home win over rival Norfolk State and a road victory at Coppin State, winning both by a combined 47 points. Since a 0-2 start in conference play, the Bison have gone 4-1 in their last five MEAC games, boasting an average margin of victory of nearly 22 points in those wins. Bryce Harris has rediscovered his form, averaging 20.5 points and 6 rebounds this week on 72% shooting. Meanwhile, Cedric Taylor III has stepped up during Harris's earlier slump, scoring 21+ in three straight games along with strong rebounding. Howard's schedule favors them with five of their final eight being at home, where they've lost just once in MEAC play (and only three overall this season). They climbed from 273^rd to 250^th in KenPom rankings this week and are projected to win out in the MEAC, positioning them as a legitimate contender that is rising at the right time.

South Carolina State continues to quietly stack wins and build defensive momentum. The Bulldogs went 1–0 this week with a home victory over Maryland Eastern Shore in their first action in nearly 10 days. That win helped extend their winning streak to three games. Defense has been the calling card during that stretch, as all three opponents were held under 65 points. Consistency has also defined their MEAC run and they still haven’t dropped back-to-back conference games all season. The road ahead, however, is daunting with five of their final eight contests coming away from home, including a brutal four-game road finish. Projections are not in their favor as they are projected to win just two of their remaining games. How they navigate that closing stretch could define their postseason outlook.

Maryland Eastern Shore endured a punishing week, going 0–3 after returning from a two-week layoff and having to cram three road games into a five-day span. Offense has been the biggest issue during the skid. After reaching 65+ points in all four of their MEAC wins earlier this season, the Hawks failed to reach that mark in any of the three losses. Leading scorer Joseph Locandro has struggled to find his touch, scoring single digits in two games this week and in five of the last six overall. There have been bright spots, particularly from Jaden Cooper, who drilled 54% of his attempts from deep. Defensively, UMES has remained competitive, holding all three opponents to 65 points or fewer despite the losses. A critical matchup with Morgan State looms this weekend as they try to halt the slide.

Week 5 in the SWAC

For the first time this season, the conference features two teams at .500 or better in overall play. Even more telling: six of the 12 teams now hold a .500 or winning record overall, and six teams have racked up 5+ conference victories already. Of the remaining five squads without a winning conference mark, three are just one game shy of .500—meaning the pack is bunched and hungry.

Only three teams navigated the week unscathed, underscoring the relentless parity. And forget home-court advantage: the SWAC ranks a dismal 22nd nationally in conference home win percentage per KenPom, turning gyms into neutral battlegrounds where upsets are the norm rather than the exception.

In a conference where anyone can beat anyone on any given night, Bethune-Cookman's sustained excellence stands out as the clearest storyline—while the rest of the league scrambles to keep pace. This week's action proved one thing: the SWAC is wide open, unpredictable, and must-watch hoops.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions: From Preseason Afterthought to SWAC Contender

Arkansas-Pine Bluff continues to be one of the most compelling stories in the SWAC, putting together a perfect 2–0 road week with an eight-point win at Mississippi Valley State and a three-point thriller at Grambling State. Those victories pushed the Golden Lions into second place in the conference standings, an impressive feat for a program picked 11^th in the preseason poll and one that didn’t place a single player on either All-SWAC preseason team.

The turnaround has been building for over a month. Since December 15^th, Pine Bluff is 8–3, climbing from 347^th in KenPom at the time to just outside the top 300, including another weekly jump from 317^th to 306^th. After dropping three straight earlier in conference play, the Golden Lions have responded with three consecutive wins and now sit at 4–1 on the road in SWAC action, a critical trait for a team eyeing a title run.

Analytics and projections are beginning to validate the eye test. Pine Bluff is currently forecasted to reach 15 total wins, which would mark its best season since 2013. A projected 12 conference victories would also exceed the past two seasons combined and represent the program’s highest SWAC total since 2019. Though they may need help at the top after already dropping their lone matchup with Bethune-Cookman, the Golden Lions are increasingly looking like legitimate contenders.

Offensively, UAPB ranks 3^rd in SWAC efficiency and leads the league in three-point shooting. Defensively, they're middle-of-the-pack overall but elite at contesting the arc, holding conference opponents to just 24.1% from deep. Balance shines through with five players averaging double figures, tied for the most among HBCU teams. Standout Quion Williams anchors everything, leading the squad in minutes (35.6), points (17.4), assists (6.1), and rebounds (7.9) as a true do-it-all force.

Bethune-Cookman Wildcats: Pulling Away as the SWAC's Class of the Conference

Bethune-Cookman maintained its grip on the SWAC race with another flawless week, picking up decisive road wins over Alabama A&M and Alabama State. The Wildcats have now posted back-to-back 2–0 weeks, winning both contests by 15 or more points. These victories helped them climb back to .500 overall for the first time this season.

Projections suggest the Wildcats are positioned to strengthen that hold over the final stretch of the season. They are currently favored in their remaining nine games, with seven carrying win probabilities north of 65%, giving Bethune-Cookman a clear statistical path toward finishing atop the SWAC standings if they maintain their current form.

A major catalyst behind the surge has been the return of Doctor Bradley, whose impact has been immediate and sustained. Bradley recorded back-to-back double-doubles during the week, and since re-entering the lineup the Wildcats are 7–1, reestablishing themselves as one of the league’s most physically imposing and efficient teams.

With momentum firmly on their side, Bethune-Cookman appears to be separating from the pack and turning what was once a crowded SWAC race into one increasingly defined by their dominance at both ends of the floor.

The SWAC’s Crowded Middle Tier

With the conference race tightening by the week, the middle of the SWAC standings is beginning to look just as compelling as the top. Grambling State, Southern, Alabama A&M, Florida A&M, and Jackson State all sit in the league’s murky middle but capable of beating anyone on a given night.

Grambling State: Defense-Driven and Surging

The Tigers had a strong 2-1 week in conference play, improving to 4-4. They won both road contests but dropped the home game to the surging Arkansas Pine Bluff team we discussed earlier. Their road wins were critical, especially the first one against Jackson State who is side by side with them in this middle tier.

Projections have them finishing strong at 7-3 over their final ten games, with a balanced schedule: five home and five road. Grambling boasts the second-best defense in the conference from an efficiency-standpoint, which helps produce easy baskets off turnovers. However, without turning teams over, they rank in the bottom of the conference offensively, struggling to generate efficient scoring consistently in the half court setting.

The breakout star is freshman forward Antonio Munoz, who continues to impress. He averaged 17 points and 7.6 rebounds this week, capped by a standout 26-point performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. If Munoz sustains this level and the offense finds more rhythm, Grambling could surge into the upper half of the standings and become a dangerous postseason out.

Southern: Winning with Defense, Searching for Rhythm

Southern split its week on the road, falling to Alcorn State before outlasting Jackson State in overtime. Despite the uneven results, the Jaguars remain dangerous. Three of their four losses this season have come by two possessions or fewer, and computer metrics barely budged in how they forecast their remaining schedule results.

Southern ranks among the league's worst shooting teams overall, but they compensate defensively by causing havoc to ball handlers. This defensive style has them sitting second in turnover% defense. They thrive off live-ball turnovers that lead to easy transition baskets, making defense their identity. DaMariee Jones had a monster week, recording his second double-double in the last three games and providing consistent energy.

Alabama A&M: Quietly Building Something

The Bulldogs continue to defy expectations in year one under Donte Jackson. A 1–1 home stand kept them steady, and at 12–10 overall they still boast the best overall record in the SWAC. While their KenPom rating dipped slightly, the broader trajectory remains positive.

Jackson has already surpassed last season’s win total and matched the program’s 2024 output, with the Bulldogs on pace to reach double-digit SWAC victories for the first time since 2023. This should be no surprise as Jackson has a way of building a winning culture, coming from Grambling State where he finished with 20+ win seasons in two of his last three seasons, including an NCAA appearance.

Koron Davis led the charge this week with back-to-back 22-point games, earning SWAC Newcomer of the Week honors. His scoring punch has been crucial. With a solid foundation and Jackson's impact, Alabama A&M looks positioned to hold or improve their middle-tier spot, potentially challenging for a higher seed if they stay hot at home.

Florida A&M: Offense Hits a Wall

FAMU endured a tough 0-2 road week, losing to Alabama A&M and Alabama State, extending their current losing streak to three after a promising 5-1 start to SWAC play. They haven't scored over 66 points since January 17^th, a stark contrast to their first five conference games, where they cleared that mark four times. The offense has gone cold at the worst time.

Despite the offensive concerns, there has been one player who has been a bright spot for them. Tyler Shirley provided most of the offense this week, averaging 19 points and 7.5 rebounds across both games. His production offers hope, but FAMU needs a collective scoring lift to snap the skid and reclaim momentum. If they rediscovered their early-season form, they could still climb back into contention with victories over three of the other teams in the middle of the SWAC.

Jackson State: Ruffin Keeps Them Dangerous

The Tigers 0–2 week came at home which was particularly jarring given that they had been unbeaten in SWAC play in Williams Center. Southern edged them in overtime, and Grambling followed with a three-point victory, results that dropped JSU slightly in the standings.

Still, one constant keeps Jackson State competitive: Daeshun Ruffin. The star guard captured Player of the Week honors after averaging an eye-popping 36.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. He has now eclipsed 30 points in three straight games and seven times overall this season. Despite his heroic efforts, Jackson State remains inconsistent, which needs to be cleaned up to get to the top of the SWAC.