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Game 28
Opponent: South Carolina State (12-16, 7-4)
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024
Site: Hill Field House, Baltimore, Md.
Game Time: 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Series Record: SCSU leads the series 45-42
Live Stream: here
Live Stats: here
Radio: Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com)
Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (66-73, 5th yr) | SCSU - Erik Martin (17-42, 2nd)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.sccuathletics.com
SETTING THE STAGE
The Morgan State University men's basketball team plays a pivotal matchup for conference tournament seeding when the Orange and Blue hosts second-place South Carolina State on Saturday afternoon. The conference race is tighter than ever and the Bears currently ranks tied for fifth place and look to snap a 3-game losing streak. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. at Hill Field House. The game will be broadcast by the Heritage Radio Sports Network (HSRN.com) and streamed live on Morgan Athletics website.
• Jamarii Thomas had a game-high 20 points to help Norfolk State hold on for an 85-82 victory over Morgan State in front of a packed crowd Monday night at Hill Field House.
• Redshirt junior guard Kamron Hobbs and redshirt junior forward Will Thomas were named to the preseason All-MEAC second team. Last season, Hobbs started in 16 of 31 games played and averaged 28.1 minutes. He averaged 8.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and shot 44.7 percent from the field and 45 percent (45-100) from 3-point territory. Hobbs also averaged 2.7 assists (ranked No. 10 in MEAC) and 1.4 steals. He scored in double-figures 13 times, including a season-high 24 points versus Delaware State (Feb. 4). Thomas started in 8 of 29 games played last season and averaged 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and shot 43.4 percent from the field and 34 percent (16-47) from 3-point territory. He scored in double-figures 10 times, scored 20 or more points five times, and poured in a season-high 27 points (11-22 FG) and grabbed 11 rebounds versus Norfolk State (Jan. 23).
• Several newcomers could make an impact for the Bears this season. Morgan added guard Wynston Tabbs from East Carolina, guard Kiran Oliver from New Mexico State, and forward Myles Thompson from Saint Francis (Pa.) via the transfer portal.
• Morgan's roster includes three freshman, three sophomores, seven juniors, and three seniors.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
• Erik Martin is entering his second season as the head men's basketball coach at South Carolina State University. Martin, was one of the top assistant coaches in Division I basketball, has over 20 years of coaching experience and 18 years on the Division I level. He most recently served 16 seasons as an assistant coach under legendary and Hall of Fame coach Bob Huggins at West Virginia. As a Division I assistant, Martin has worked with numerous professional players, including five NBA players (All-American Kevin Jones, Joe Alexander, Devin Ebanks, Bill Walker, and Cartier Martin) as well as Derek Culver, Sagaba Konate, Devin Williams and John Flowers. While at West Virginia in 2007, the Mountaineers won the 2010 Big East Championship and have advanced to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2010 Final Four and five NCAA Sweet 16s. Martin has helped guide the Mountaineers to 326 victories.
• South Carolina State was picked last in the conference's predicted order of finish. South Carolina State sophomore guard Jordan Simpson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Men's Third Team. Simpson., native of Orangeburg, SC played appeared in 30 contests for the Bulldogs averaging 17.8 minutes per game, while tossing in 7.0 points and grabbing 2.5 rebounds last season.
• Feb. 26, 2024 -- South Carolina State moved into 2nd place of the MEAC standings after posting an impressive,64-56, win over Maryland Eastern Shore Monday in the final home game of the regular season inside Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. Freshman guard Mitchell Taylor led the way with a team-high 12 points and five (5) rebounds, while forward/center Drayton Jones added 10 points and five (5) rebounds in the win. Caleb McCarty and Davion Everett.
SCSU by the Numbers
• 71.0: SCSU is scoring by averaging 71.0 points per game (No. 6 in the MEAC).
• 8.5: The Bulldogs have been led by freshman 6-3 guard Mitchell Taylor (Atlanta, Ga.) who is averaging 8.5 points with 3.0 rebounds and is shooting 42 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free throw line.
• 75.9: On average SCSU is giving up just under 80 points per contest to opponents.
• .327: The Bulldogs rank No. 5 in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage.
• .414: The Bulldogs rank No. 6 in the MEAC in field goal percentage.
• 37.7: The Bulldogs rank No. 1 in the MEAC in rebounding, offensive rebounds (14.7) and rebounding margin (4.0).
THE SERIES VS. SCSU
• Saturday's contest will mark the 88th meeting between the schools ... The Bears lead the series 45-42.
• Morgan's last win against South Carolina State was on February 3, 2024 -- Will Thomas scored a game-high 28 points and Morgan State erased a 11 point deficit to secure a 72-70 victory over South Carolina State Saturday night at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. Junior guard Ahahrie Simpkins finished with 13 points points (6-10 FG) and led the Bears with nine rebounds -- he was the only other Bear to score double figures.
• SCSU's last win against Morgan was on February 13, 2023 -- 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. Kamron Hobbs finished 9 points, five assists and two steals.
• Morgan has won seven of the last eight meetings against the Bulldogs since the 2019-20 season.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS
BALTIMORE, Md. - Jamarii Thomas had a game-high 20 points to help Norfolk State hold on for an 85-82 victory over Morgan State in front of a packed crowd Monday night at Hill Field House.
• Thomas, a junior from Greensboro, N.C., scored 12 of his game-high 20 in the first half to lead the Spartans. He also recorded team highs of five rebounds and four assists.
• Christian Ings, a graduate guard from Philadelphia, Pa., added a season-high 17 points while going 4 of 7 from the floor, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range, and 7 for 7 from the line, and he also had four assists.
• Graduate guard Allen Bertrand had 15 points off the bench and was 6 for 9 from the field.
• Rob Lawson finished with a career-high 20 points in 27 minutes off the bench to lead five Bears in double-figures. The sophomore guard was perfect from the free throw line (11-11) and added three boards and three assists.
• Wynston Tabbs, who entered the night as the MEAC's No. 4 leading scorer (15.9 ppg), finished with 19 points (6-9 FG) and connected on 3 of 4 3-pointers.
• Thomas split a pair of free throws to give the Spartans an 85-82 lead. Morgan called a timeout with 13 seconds left on the clock. Morgan had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer with a desperation 3-pointer by Kamron Hobbs, but it didn't fell short sealing the Spartans' fourth consecutive win.
HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
• Morgan scored 100 points in their home-opener vs. Cheney University of Pa. (11/9/23).
• Morgan scored 100 or more points twice during the 2022-23 season and a season-high 120 point explosion vs. Virginia-Lynchburg (Dec. 9).
• The Bears recorded 130 points in the home-opener vs. Penn State Allegheny (11/11/22).
• Morgan registered 123 points in a home win vs. Virginia-Lynchburg (11/29/22).
HOME COOKING
• Morgan is 6-4 at home so far this season.
• Morgan completed the 2022-23 regular season 10-2 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.
LINE DANCING
The Bears' returning team includes nine players who shot 70 percent or better from the free throw line this season.
• Morgan has converted 75.5 percent (361-478; ranks No. 1 in MEAC) from the stripe thru 27 games.
• Wynston Tabbs is shooting a league-best 87.9 percent (58-66), Will Thomas is shooting 84.5 percent (60-71) and Kamron Hobbs is shooting 83.7 percent (41-49) from the stripe to lead the Bears.
• Last season, Morgan shot 68.8 percent (391-558; ranked No. 6 in MEAC) from the stripe, led by Kamron Hobbs who shot 80.6 percent (29-36) and Will Thomas 78.6 percent (33-42).
TABBS SHOOTING TO THE TOP
Redshirt senior guard Wynston Tabbs is averaging 15.8 points, and ranks No. 4 in the MEAC in scoring, netting a career-high 38 points vs. UMBC on Dec. 26.
• He is also shooting a league-best .879 from the free throw percentage, ranks No. 6 in field goal percentage (.404) and No. 4 in 3-pointers made per game (2.0 makes) from three-point range per game.
• Tabbs has made 45 of 119 three-point shots this season (35 percent).
• Tabbs returned to the floor against NJIT (Dec. 31) after missing the previous four games due to injury.
• He has scored in double figures 16 times, including seven games with 20 or more points.
• He was named MEAC Offensive Player of the Week as a result of scoring seven of his 25 points (7-12 FG) in overtime to lead the Bears to an 89-86 victory against Coppin State (Jan. 20). He also recorded four steals, three boards, and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.
MIDRANGE MONSTER
Will Thomas and his mid range shooting has become a lethal trademark for the 6-foot-6 veteran wingman.
• Through 26 games, the Baltimore product is hitting his mid-rangers at a high clip and he's currently averaging 12.7 points a game with a nearly absurd shooting efficiency as he's converted 46.6 percent from the field.
• He has scored in double figures 17 times, including seven games with 20 or more points.
• Thomas scored a game-high 28 points on an efficient 9-of-19 shooting from the field in 32 minutes against South Carolina State (2/2). He also had five rebounds and two blocked shots.
LOOKING AHEAD (SATURDAY, MARCH 4)
Morgan will host the North Carolina Central Eagles to complete their series on Monday, March 4. Tip time is 7:30 p.m. at Hill Field House.
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
• Morgan recorded a 4-12 mark in non-conference play this season.
• The Bears registered a 8-9 record in their non- conference slate of games during the 2022-23 season (Feb. 4 vs. Delaware State was officially logged as a non-conference contest).
AT THE HELM
• Kevin Broadus is entering his fifth season at the helm of the program after being named as the men's head basketball coach in 2019.
• The Broadus-led Bears team has compiled several significant victories over non-conference competition, 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.
• This past season, Morgan finished with a record of 15-16 overall, and went 7-7 in MEAC play. In 2021-22, the Bears went 13-15 overall, and placed fourth in the MEAC standings with a 7-6 record while advancing to the MEAC Tournament semifinals game. Morgan advanced to the MEAC Tournament championship game in 2021.
• 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
• Malik Miller (Washington, D.C.), Khalil Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.), Isaiah Burke (Bowie, Md.), Daiquan Copeland (Philadelphia, Pa.), Lewis Djonkam(Springfield, Va.), Toto Fagbenle (London, England), Collin Nnamene (Enugu State, Nigeria), David McCullough (Bowie, Md.) and Ty Horner (Sisters, Ore.) wrapped up their Morgan careers last spring.
WHO'S BACK
The Bears return one starter from last year's team, bringing back guard Kamron Hobbs. MSU also returns forward Will Thomas along with guards Rob Lawson and Kevon Wiggins.
WHO'S IN
The Bears have added several newcomers to the 2023-24 roster: G Wynston Tabbs, G Demajion Topps, F Myles Thompson, G Kiran Oliver, G Amahrie Simpkins, F Daniel Akiotoby, F Trent Edwards, G Marvin Brimage, F Christian Oliver, G Tytan Newton, F Allen Udemadu, and G Xavier Valley.
RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS
Morgan State returns 30.2 percent of its scoring, 24.5 percent of its rebounding and 34.3 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Kamron Hobbs - .447), three-point percentage (Hobbs, .450), free throw percentage (Hobbs, .806), rebounding (Kyle Thomas - 3.9 rpg), assists (Hobbs, 2.7), steals (Hobbs, 1.4), blocked shots (Thomas, 0.2). and minutes played (Hobbs, 28.1). Two (2) players who started in at least five (5) games a year ago.
HOME GROWN
Morgan State has six (6) players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Redshirt junior forward Will Thomas is from Baltimore and was a prep standout at Mervo HS, while sophomore guard Rob Lawson is from Capitol Heights and played at National Christian Academy, and freshman guard Staccardo Washington played at Dr. Henry A. Wise HS and is from Upper Marlboro. East Carolina transfer Wynston Tabbs hails from Suitland and played at St. Mary's Ryken School. Freshman guard Marvin Brimage is from Washington, D.C. and played at Jackson-Reed HS. Santa Monica College transfer Daniel Akitoby is a product of Fairfax, Va. and played at Falls Church HS.
THE SCHEDULE
The Bears won't ease into the season, opening the schedule Nov. 6 at Arizona. Another trip west comes later in the month with trips to Fresno State (Nov. 15) and Brigham Young (Nov. 18). Another high-profile game comes Dec. 27 with a visit to Virginia.
• "We're going to be battle tested," Broadus says. "The key is, we just have to be healthy, we have to be smart, we have to learn how to play together through adversity. I think once we do that, we're going to be really good."
• The home opener is Nov. 9 against Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Among the other highlights will be local foe UMBC visiting Hill Field House on Dec. 6, and James Madison making the trip to Morgan for a pre-Christmas matinee on Dec. 22.
• The Bears' MEAC opener is Jan. 6 at Maryland-Eastern Shore, followed two days later by a visit from Delaware State. The regular season ends with a four-game homestand, capped by a Senior Day showdown against crosstown rival Coppin State on March 7.
• "We just have to put it together," Broadus says. "I like what we've got. I think we have a good nucleus and I like how we're doing things."
PREDICTED TO FINISH FOURTH 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 2023-24 Bears earned 72 total points in the voting. Howard claimed 11 first place votes and 107 points total as the defending MEAC champions. Norfolk State (96 pts) was selected second, followed by North Carolina Central in third place (79 pts). Maryland Eastern Shore (55 pts), Delaware State (39 pts), Coppin State (30 pts) and South Carolina State (26 pts) rounded out the league's predicted order of finish.
• Redshirt junior guard Kamron Hobbs and redshirt junior forward Will Thomas were named to the preseason All-MEAC second team.
• The 2024 MEAC Basketball Tournament will be held March 13-16 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, Jr. 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
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more.
• Follow us on social media:
Facebook: /MorganStateBears
Twitter: @MorganStBears
Instagram: /MorganStateBears
ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, 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.
