NORFOLK, VA – Norfolk State and Howard University are set to meet for the MEAC title game on Saturday – twice.
Both the men’s and women’s championship games, slated for 1 PM and 4 PM, will feature NSU-HU matchups. The men’s game will be broadcast live on ESPNU while the women’s game will be broadcast live on ESPN Plus.
MEAC Women: Howard looking to repeat
The women’s title game is a rematch of the 2022 MEAC Title game. Howard won that game 61-44 to claim its ninth conference title. NSU enters Saturday’s game with only one MEAC title as it won the league in 2002 – five years after leaving the CIAA and making the jump to Division I.
Norfolk State (26-5) claimed the regular season title with an 11-3 record. The two teams split the regular season matchups as NSU won 64-37 in the first matchup at home while Howard (16-13, 10-4) won the season finale in Burr Gymnasium.
Player to watch: Destiny Howell, Howard
Howell, the MEAC Player of the Year, scored just eight points in the loss at Norfolk. She exploded for 23 in Howard’s 60-55 win at home.
Men: NSU looking to three-peat, HU to return to top
The men’s title game is the fourth consecutive appearance for Norfolk State and the fifth in the last six seasons. Norfolk State will be looking for its fourth MEAC Tournament title since joining the league in 1997. Howard, conversely, has the same number of tournament titles despite being a charter member of the league since 1971-72. This is the first appearance for Howard in a MEAC title game since 2002 when it lost to Hampton University. Howard’s last MEAC title came in 1992.
Howard swept the season series between the two teams, which resulted in it getting the MEAC regular season title and the top seed in the tournament. That means that despite the tournament being held in NSU’s backyard, Howard will be the home team on Saturday.
Key players: Marcus Dockery (Howard), Joe Bryant (Norfolk State)
Marcus Dockery averaged 18 points in the two wins for Howard this season. Bryant is looking for his third-consecutive MEAC title and possibly his third consecutive Tournament MVP award.