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Game 26
Opponent: Norfolk State
Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023
Site: Joseph G. Echols Memorial Center, Norfolk, Va.
Game Time: 4:00 p.m. EST
Series Record: NSU leads the series 43-20
Live Stats: here
Live Stream: HBCU League Pass - here
MSU Coaches: Kevin Broadus (54-52, 4th yr) • NSU - Robert Jones (184-133, 16th yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.nsuspartans.com

SETTING THE STAGE
The Morgan State men's basketball team (12-14, 4-5) will look to stop its four-game road losing streak when they visit the Norfolk State Spartans (18-7, 7-2) on Saturday afternoon in Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in Norfolk, Va. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.  It will mark the second meeting between the teams. The Bears defeated Norfolk State at Hill Field House, 77-71, on January 23rd.
• Justin Wilson had 13 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks and South Carolina State scored 48 points in the paint in a 74-62 upset win over Morgan State on Monday night at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.  Senior guard Isaiah Burke scored a game-high 21 points (7-14 FG) and hit 2-for-6 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Kamron Hobbs finished 9 points, five assists and two steals.
• SCSU shot 52-percent from the field and 30-percent from behind the arc while the Bears shot 33-percent from the field and connected on 3-of-13 (.231) 3-pointers.

SCOUTING NORFOLK STATE
• Head coach Robert Jones enters his 10th season as the Spartans head coach and his 16th year overall with the Spartans ... The MEAC Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021, Jones has led NSU to a .754-win percentage in MEAC play – fifth in the nation among coaches with at least 100 games coached – and made seven postseason appearances in eight years of postseason play. Jones earned MEAC Coach of the Year honors for the second time of his career in 2022 as he led the Spartans to a MEAC regular season title with a 12-2 conference record. The team finished 24-7 overall, its winningest season since the 2011-12 campaign, defeating Coppin State 72-57 in the MEAC Championship to clinch a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
• The two-time defending MEAC champion Norfolk State men's basketball team is the prohibitive favorite to win again in 2022-23, as the Spartans were voted first in the conference's preseason poll.
• NSU received 15 of 16 first-place votes in the poll of league coaches and sports information directors. Three Spartans also picked up preseason All-MEAC honors, led by Preseason Player of the Year Joe Bryant Jr. Bryant, the reigning MEAC Player of the Year, and forward Kris Bankston were voted to the All-MEAC first team, and forward Dana Tate Jr. was voted to the preseason All-MEAC third team.
• NSU is led by 6-1 guard Joe Bryant Jr. (Norfolk, Va.) and 6-9 redshirt senior Kris Bankston and 6-5 guard Cahiem Brown. Bryant is ranked among the league leaders in scoring (17.8 points) and free throw shooting (.853) and is adding 4.2 rebounds. Bankston, a Little Rock,  Ark. product (J.A. Fair HS), is averaging 13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and is shooting 69% from the field and Brown (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is shooting 42 percent from the field and is averaging 11.9 points and 4.5 boards.
• Dana Tate, a junior transfer forward from Rhode Island guard (Boston, Mass.) is averaging 9.5 points, 4.3 assists and is shooting 48 percent from the field.

THE SERIES
• Saturday's contest will mark the 64th meeting between the schools ... The Spartans lead the series 43-20.
• Redshirt sophomore forward Will Thomas poured in a game and career-high 27 points and senior guard Isaiah Burke added 21 points to help lead Morgan State to a 77-71 conference win against Norfolk State on ESPNU in front of an energized crowd at Hill Field House. Thomas, who entered the game averaging 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds, was inserted to the starting lineup in place of Malik Miller who was out due to injury. 
• NSU's last win against Morgan was on March 11, 2022 --  Top-seeded Norfolk State broke away from a 28-28 halftime score with a hot-shooting second half to register a 72-63 win over fourth-seeded Morgan State Friday in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament at the Scope Arena. MEAC Player of the Year Joe Bryant, Jr. and All-MEAC Third Team selection Jalen Hawkins both had 19 points to lead the Spartans. Dana Tate and Kris Bankston added 14 points each in the win.
• MSU and NSU have split in their last four meetings / 2-2.

TWO PLAYERS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES 
The Bears will enter Saturday's game against Norfolk State with only one player averaging double-digits.
• Senior guard Isaiah Burke is averaging a team-high 19.6 points with 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and is shooting a league-best 43.6 percent from 3-point territory.
• Prior to going down with an injury at Howard (Jan. 21), senior guard Malik Miller was averaging 17.5 points to go along with 9.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals.

INVESCO QQQ LEGACY CLASSIC
The Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic, a college basketball showcase featuring Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) created by actor and producer Michael B. Jordan, WME Sports (the sports division of WME, an Endeavor company), Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, and Scout Sports and Entertainment, a division of Horizon Media, announced the second installment of the showcase will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
• This year's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) men's college basketball showcase will feature Morgan State University versus Delaware State University and Norfolk State University versus Hampton University competing in a doubleheader airing on TNT.
• Morgan defeated Delaware State 75-65 before a crowd of 13,451 fans. Lewis Djonkam was named the HBCU Legacy Classic Most Valuable Player of the Game after posting a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds.

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Offensively, Morgan ranks No. 3 in scoring in the MEAC by averaging 76.2 points thru its first 25 games.
• Morgan exploded for 130 points in its home opener versus Penn State Allegheny.
• The Bears are No. 4 in the MEAC shooting 45.2 percent from the field and  rank No. 1 shooting 37.2 percent from beyond the arc.
• Senior guard Isaiah Burke (19.6 ppg) is leading the team and ranks No. 29 in scoring. 
• The Bears averaged 75.0 points (No. 2 in MEAC) thru 28 games during the 2021-22 season.

BEAR DEFENSE
Defensively, Morgan State limits its opponents to scoring 71.9 points per game on 43.6 percent shooting from the floor and 31.1 percent from 3-point range, allowing 6.0 long distance strikes per night. 
• Morgan's defense ranks No. 1 in the country in   turnovers forced (487 turnovers;  19.48 avg.); the Bears also ranked No. 3 in steals per game with 253 steals (10.1).
• The Bears rank No. 34 in the nation with 116 blocks (4.6 blk/g). 
• Morgan State has been outrebounded by the opponent by a -2.8 margin as the opponent has grabbed 949 total boards (38.0  rebs/g) compared to the 880 total rebounds (35.2 rebs/g) secured.
• Last season, Morgan held opponents to 72.4 points per game (rank No. 6 in MEAC) and 43.7 percent shooting from the field (No. 8).

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE 
Through games played on Wednesday, Feb. 15 the Bears rank No. 1 among all MEAC teams in 3-point shooting percentage (37.2%, 175-for-470). 
• Isaiah Burke leads the conference shooting 43.6% from 3-point range (82-for-188). 
• Burke, Malik Miller and Kamron Hobbs are the only Morgan players who have made at least 15 shots from 3-point distance this season... Burke leads the way with 82, Hobbs has 35, Miller has 18 3s.
• Last season, MSU ranked No. 6 in the MEAC in that category, having shot 31.3% from 3-point range in 28 contests.

HOME COOKING 
• Morgan has started the 2022-23 season 8-1 at home.
• The Bears had an 11-game home winning streak snapped by UMES on Jan. 30.
• Morgan completed the 2021-22 season with an 8-3 mark inside Hill Field House.
• The last time the Bears lost at home was against North Carolina Central (74-64) ... their previous loss was on Jan. 23, 2022 against Howard (91-82) on Jan. 23, 2022.

NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
•  The Bears registered a 8-8 record in their non-conference slate of games this season (Feb. 4 vs. Delaware State was officially logged as a non-conference contest).
• Morgan State went 5-8 in non-conference play a season ago.
• Last season, MSU went 4-0 at home, 0-7 in road games and 1-1 in neutral site games.

AT THE HELM
• Kevin Broadus is entering his fourth season at the helm of the program after being named as the men's head basketball coach in 2019.
• The Broadus-led Bears team compiled several significant victories over non-conference competition in this most recent season, elevating the caliber of wins for a program that aims to compete at a championship level within the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Broadus demonstrated exemplary leadership while successfully overcoming a number of challenges at the onset of his tenure at Morgan, including having to navigate rebuilding a program under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In Broadus' debut season, Morgan State went 15-16, its largest victory total since 2013-14. Then in the midst of a pandemic, the Bears produced a 14-8 mark --- their best winning percentage since going 27-10 and making the NCAA tournament in 2009-10. This past season, Morgan finished with a record of 13-15 overall, and placed fourth in the MEAC standings with a 7-6 record while advancing to the MEAC Tournament semifinals game. 
• Prior to Morgan, Broadus worked at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he has been one of the nation's best recruiters as the top assistant on Mark Turgeon's coaching staff. Broadus was influential in the successful NCAA tournament run for the Terps. 
• Consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally for recruiting, Broadus was instrumental in signing a number of local Baltimore talents such as DeJuan Summers, Brandon Herbert, LaFonta Johnson, and Henry Sims.

WHO'S OUT
• Trevor Moore (Houston, Texas), Sherwyn Devonish (Bladensburg, Md.), Lagio Grantsaan (Utrecht, The Netherlands), Seventh Woods (Columbia, S.C.), Chad Venning (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Keith McGee (Rochester, N.Y.), Elijah Bowens (Bowie, Md.), Myles Douglas (Edgewood, Md.) and De'Torrion Ware (Hopkinsville Ky.) wrapped up their Morgan careers last spring.

WHO'S BACK
The Bears return four starters from last year's team, bringing back guards Malik Miller, and Isaiah Burke. MSU also returns guards Will Thomas along with forwards Ty Horner and Collin Nnamene.

WHO'S IN 
The Bears have added several newcomers to the 2021-22 roster: G Daiquan Copeland, G Kevon Wiggins,G Chase Williams, G Kamron Hobbs, G Robert Lawson, F Djonkam Lewis, F David McCullough, and F Khalil Turner. 

RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS 
Morgan State returns 29.2 percent of its scoring, 28.7 percent of its rebounding and 29.0 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Malik Miller - .552), three-point percentage (Isaiah Burke, .410), free throw percentage (Miller, .605), rebounding (Miller - 8.8 rpg), assists (Burke, 2.0), steals (Malik, 2.0),  blocked shots (Miller, 0.7). and minutes played (Burke, 22.8). Two (2) players who started in at least five (5) games a year ago also return - Miller (16) and Horner (9).

HOME GROWN 
Morgan State has seven players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Senior guard Isaiah Burke is from Annapolis and was a prep standout at Bowie HS, while senior guard Malik Miller hails from Washington, D.C. and played at Friendship Tech Prep. Junior guard Will Thomas is from Baltimore and played at Mervo HS. Bowie State transfer David McCullough is a product of Bowie, Md. and played at Riverdale Baptist HS. Freshman guard Chase Williams is from Waldorf, Md. and was a prep standout at Grace Brethren HS.

BROADUS' STAFF
Morgan State head basketball coach Kevin Broadus' coaching staff consists of assistant coaches Chretien Lukusa, Keith Goodie and Larry Stewart.
• Lukusa enters his first year as associate head coach with Morgan State Basketball, after serving the previous three years as an assistant coach with the program.Prior to Morgan State, Lukusa spent five years on staff at Binghamton University, three years as an assistant. In his time at Morgan State, Lukusa has contributed many facets of the program, including recruiting, player development, and scheduling.
. A 2011 Binghamton graduate who also earned his master's degree at the University, Lukusa returned to the program in 2014. After serving two seasons as the coordinator of player development, Lukusa earned a promotion to assistant coach in Summer 2016. 
• Goodie enters his  enters his first season as a member of Broadus' coaching staff for the upcoming 2022-23 season. Goodie comes to Morgan State after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Delaware State University from 2020-21 under head coach Eric Skeeters. Prior to the Hornets, he was a member of Todd Bozeman's staff at Morgan State from 2007-to-2015. 
• Stewart's most recent stop was as an assistant coach at fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) member Maryland Eastern Shore (2019-21). A standout player at Coppin State from 1988-1991, Stewart led the Eagles to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1990 and first ever National Invitational Tournament in 1991. Stewart signed as a non-drafted free agent with the Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards) in 1991.

THE SCHEDULE
Morgan State will have a coast-to-coast presence --- and even make an international venture --- during nonconference play.
• The Bears open Nov. 7 against Xavier, a Big East school coming off an NIT title. Three nights later, Morgan State begins its 12-game home slate against Penn State Allegheny.
• The Bears will also visit Virginia Commonwealth before playing two games in the Jamaica Classic on Nov. 18 and 20 before heading west to meet Loyola Marymount on Nov. 23. The highlight of the December slate is a Dec. 22 trip to Arizona, which is coming off a Pac-12 championship. 
|• MEAC play begins Jan. 7 against North Carolina Central. Another January highlight is defending league champion Norfolk State's trek to Hill Field House on Jan. 23.
• The final nonconference game is actually against a MEAC opponent. The Bears will meet Delaware State on Feb. 4 in the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic in Newark, N.J. Morgan State closes the regular season with three out of its last four at home, including a Senior Night showdown March 2 against crosstown rival Coppin State, before its annual trip to the MEAC tournament March 8-11 in Norfolk, Va.

PREDICTED TO FINISH SECOND IN THE MEAC
The Morgan State men's basketball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's preseason poll.
• The 2022-23 Bears earned 81 total points in the voting. Norfolk State claimed 15 first place votes and 127 points total as the defending MEAC champions. North Carolina Central (102 pts) was selected second, followed by Howard in third place  (93 pts). Coppin State (67 pts), Maryland Eastern Shore (46 pts), Delaware State (30 pts) and South Carolina State (30 pts) rounded out the league's predicted order of finish.
• Senior guard Malik Miller was named to the preseason All-MEAC second team.
• The 2023 MEAC Basketball Tournament will be held March 8-11 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.

HOW TO WATCH GAMES: All men's and women's basketball home games will be video streamed for free through the MorganStateBears.com website. The latest broadcast and video stream information will always be listed on men's and women's basketball schedule pages at MorganStateBears.com.
 
MEN'S & WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RADIO: All home games and select away games for MSU men's and women's basketball will once again be available through Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com). Lamont Germany will handle play-by-play responsibilities and will also host pre-game and post-game shows. Including exclusive interviews with members of the teams and women's coach Ed Davis and men's coach Kevin Broadus. Fans can download the HSRN app for free and listen to the MSU broadcasts from anywhere. Simply search for HSRN when using the iHeartRadio app.
 
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
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• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.