Hear me out on this.
MEACtion.
Pretty good, right?
The MEAC is an important, historic conference. I mean that. This is a serious paragraph. It’s one of the two HBCU leagues in Division I, meaning all its members are Historically Black Colleges and Universities, places of learning of large importance in American history. It’s in a tough spot right now, with North Carolina A&T preparing to leave for the Big South, Hampton having left for the Big South prior to last year, and Savannah State stepping down to Division II this season. And while HBCU’s exist outside of these two conferences (Tennessee State plays in the Ohio Valley Conference, and there are numerous HBCU’s outside of Division I), there’s concern that the MEAC will not be able to survive as a Division I conference if its most successful programs continue to jump ship, which would be a blow to HBCU athletics as an entity. N.C. A&T alum Tarik Cohen has more relevant thoughts on this than anything I can offer.
Still, the MEAC persists, and this week, it’s playing its conference tournament.
The regular season came down to the wire, with North Carolina Central beating N.C. A&T on the final night of the regular season to grab the title. The Eagles will open their attempt to seal the NIT automatic bid with a matchup against either Delaware State or Maryland-Eastern Shore tomorrow. If they lose, they’re coming with us. If they don’t lose, they have one or two more chances (you know, one if they lose in the semi’s, two if they win in the semi’s). We’ll hold off on really diving into NCCU for now (gotta get the SWAC Preview out), but don’t forget what Norfolk State did to Alabama last year in the NIT’s first round.
Don’t take this league lightly.
MEACtion.
