First Place On The Line In MEAC, SWAC

The Alabama State/Southern winner will take sole possession of the SWAC lead.

Alabama State (11-6, 5-1) at Southern(10-10, 6-1)

It’s early into the conference season, but a glance at the standings tells you this game is a big one. The winner of this game will take over sole possession of first place in the SWAC. Southern responded with a solid 66-52 win over Alabama A&M on Saturday after being upset by Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday. Alabama State has won four games in a row since an early Jan. loss to Jackson State. While both teams would love to get the win, it’s probably more important for Southern with Texas Southern and Prairie View breathing down its neck.

NCCU has won its last five games by an average of 21 ppg. (NCCU Life photo)

Morgan State (6-11, 4-1) at North Carolina Central (13-5, 4-1)

Here we have another matchup that promises to tip the conference scales. Both NCCU and Morgan enter Monday’s game with one loss in the MEAC. NC Central has been dominant since it’s lone MEAC loss to FAMU, winning its last five games by an average of 21 points. Morgan State, however, has been a little harder to pin down. MSU came into the state on a three-game winning streak in which its margin of victory was 15 points per game, only to have that streak end in a 67-67 loss to NC A&T…the same A&T that NCCU beat by 40 points.

A Norfolk State win would complicate the MEAC basketball standings. (HamptonRoads.com photo)

Norfolk State (11-9, 4-2) at Savannah State (7-13, 5-1)

Here’s the skinny: If Savannah State wins this game, they’ll keep pace with the Morgan State-NCCU winner. If Norfolk State wins, it’s a lot more complicated: NSU would be one of at least two or as many as five teams with two conference losses.