Hampton at Norfolk State, 8:00 PM Eastern, nsuspartans.com
11 wins. 4 losses. That is where Hampton sits in MEAC play entering tonight’s regular season finale. It is also where Norfolk State sits. And Bethune-Cookman. And Savannah State. And North Carolina A&T. The regular season championship and top seed in the MEAC tournament is wide open tonight as there is an amazing five-way tie entering the final evening of regular season play. It will all be worked out by the time today’s games come to an end, and a huge piece of the puzzle will be decided in our Under the Radar Game of the Day, the only matchup between two of the five tied teams.
Hampton enters play at 16-14 overall, and holding the top KenPom rating in the conference. The Pirates have won seven straight games, including a very ugly win at Morgan State last time out, in a game that was called off and forfeited halfway through the second half due to a very ugly fight that allegedly resulted in a Morgan State player having to be removed by law enforcement authorities. Keep an eye on Jermaine Marrow tonight, as he has put up some huge scoring numbers, including a 35 point output in an earlier win over Bethune-Cookman.
Norfolk State enters play at 13-17 overall. They Spartans have been led so far this season by Steven Whitley and Alex Long. Whitley has flirted with triple-doubles all year, including a 15 point, 8 rebound, 10 assist game against Savannah State. Long is coming off a 16 point and 15 rebound game last time out against Howard. With 9 wins in their last 10 games, Norfolk State certainly has momentum, and has a chance to be the top seed in the conference tournament that will be played in their home city next week.