SETTING THE STAGE
• The Morgan State University Bears men's basketball team is poised to launch into the new year with a crucial conference opener against the South Carolina State Bulldogs. The Bears will look to capitalize on the home-court advantage at Hill Field House, where the atmosphere is expected to be electric come Saturday, January 4th. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m., and fans unable to attend in person can catch all the action live on ESPN+.

• Senior guard Kameron Hobbs paced the Bears with a game- and career-high 25 points in a 90-68 loss at Minnesota last Sunday afternoon in Williams Arena. The Bears will be in search of their fourth consecutive home win of the season.

• SCSU looks to bounce back from a 79-72 setback against Georgia (Dec. 29) and dropped to 6-9 for the season and 2-8 on the road.

• Graduate student Wynston Tabbs and redshirt senior forward Will Thomas were named to the preseason All-MEAC first team. In addition, redshirt senior Kameron Hobbs has been named to the preseason All-MEAC Third Team. Tabbs started in 19 of 24 games and earned All-MEAC Second Team honors. He averaged 14.8 points and finished the regular season ranked No. 6 in the MEAC in scoring, including a career-high 38 points versus UMBC on Dec. 26. Thomas started in 24 of 30 games and finished the 2023-24 season as an All-MEAC Second Team selection. He averaged 14.0 points a game with a nearly absurd shooting efficiency as he's converted 47 percent from the field (ranked No. 2). Hobbs had an impressive season, starting in 27 of the 31 games he played and showcasing his skills on the court for an average of 31.0 minutes per game. His scoring ability was evident as he averaged 10.1 points per game, while his 35 percent from beyond the arc (47-133). 

• MSU returns veteran guards Rob Lawson (8.9 ppg), and Amahrie Simpkins (8.7 ppg)  from the starting lineup and added several newcomers including guard Pierce Shirk from Georgia Southern, guard forward Jayden Socka from Prince George's C.C., forward Marland Harris from West Los Angeles College, and forward Logan Schayes from Beacon College via the transfer portal. 
 

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
• Erik Martin is in his third season as head coach of the South Carolina State men's basketball program. 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.

• South Carolina State was picked T-No. 5 in the conference's predicted order of finish.  South Carolina State sophomore guard Mitchell Taylor was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team and graduate guard Omar Croskey was named to the Third Team . 

• SCSU has a 6-9 overall record and has lost  two of its last three games, including a 79-72 loss on Sunday (Dec. 29) versus Georgia. Jayden Johnson recorded 16 points (5-8 FG) off the bench. Michael Teal and Wilson Dubinsky added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

• The Bulldogs enter Saturday's contest averaging 75.0 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent from behind the arc. SCSU is averaging 14.5 assists and 9.5 steals per game (No. 29 in nation).

• SCSU's 6-11 sophomore forward Drayton Jones (Houston, Texas) is averaging a team-high 12.7 points per game, 5.1 rebounds and is shooting 58 percent from the field and 64 percent from the free throw line. Jones scored a season-high 34 points (13-17 FG) with eight rebounds and six blocked shots against Charleston Southern (12/9).

• Graduate student guard Omar Croskey  (8.9 ppg; 2.9 rpg) and 6-foot-3 senior guard Wilson Dubinsky (8.5 ppg; .418 FG%), and 6-6 senior forward Davion Everett (7.3 ppg; .696 FG%) are also key players for the Bulldogs.

SCSU by the Numbers
• 75.0: UM is currently ranks No. 5 in scoring.

• 12.7: The Bulldogs have been led by Drayton Jones who is averaging 12.7 points (ranks No. 12 in the MEAC).

• 5.1: Jones leads SCSU on the boards (ranks No. 10).

• 69.7: On average SCSU is giving up just under 70 points per contest to opponents (ranks No. 2).

• 3.6: SCSU ranks No. 2 in the MEAC in steals.

THE SERIES VS. THE BULLDOGS
• SCSU leads the series 46-42.

• 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 Amahrie 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 won the last meeting between the teams on March 2, 2024. Raquan Brown and Michael Teal scored 12 points apiece to lift the Bulldogs past Morgan, 72-61, at Hill Field House. Wynston Tabbs, who entered the night as the MEAC's No. 4 leading scorer (15.9 ppg), finished with a team-high 12 points (4-9 FG) and connected on 2 of 4 3-pointers and was the only player to score in double-figures for the Bears.

LAST TIME OUT 
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Dec. 29, 2024) - Mike Mitchell Jr. scored 19 of his team—high 22 points in the first half to lift Minnesota to a 90-68 win against Morgan on Sunday afternoon at Williams Arena.

• Mitchell shot an efficient on 8-of-10 from the field, including 6-for-8 from 3-point territory and had five rebounds in 24 minutes.

• Dawson Garcia scored 18 points (5-7 FG) with eight boards and three blocks in 24 minutes. Parker Fox added 11 points (4-5 FG) and Frank Mitchell had 10 points with four rebound.

• Kameron Hobbs scored a game-and career-high 25 points with six boards and four assists in 33 minutes. Will Thomas, a Preseason All-MEAC First Team selection, scored 13 points in the first half, but was held scoreless in the second half. Rob Lawson added 11 points and Daniel Akitoby notched a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

THE SCHEDULE
• Morgan State opens the season at home Nov. 4 against Division II Frostburg State, with Division I newcomer Mercyhurst visiting Hill Field House two days later. The Bears will play seven of their first 11 games at home, including a Nov. 24 date with local rival Towson.

• December brings trips to three power conference opponents: Xavier (Dec. 10), Iowa State (Dec. 22) and Minnesota (Dec. 29). The Bears open MEAC play Jan. 4 at home against South Carolina State and will play their last home game March 3 against Delaware State.

HOME COOKING 
• Morgan is off to a 6-2 home record so far this season.

• The Bears have won 5 of their last 6 home games since a March 4th win against North Carolina Central.

• Morgan completed the 2022-23 season with an 10-2 mark inside Hill Field House.

• The last time the Bears lost at home was against Mercyhurst (78-73) on Nov. 6 ... their previous loss was on March 2, 2024 against South Carolina State (72-61).

• Morgan completed the 2023-24 regular season 8-5 at home.
 

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Offensively, the Bears are setting the pace in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with an average of 81.0 points per game, ranked No. 1 in the conference in scoring.

• Morgan exploded for a season-high 124 points versus Cheney University 0f Pennsylvania (Dec. 4) and had 123 points vs. Central Penn (Dec. 1).

• The Bears currently rank No. 1 in the MEAC shooting 50.0 percent from the field and No. 3 shooting 34.6 percent from beyond the arc.

• Wynston Tabbs (16.1 ppg; No. 5) is leading the team.

• Morgan finished the 2023-24 regular season ranked No. 4 in scoring in the MEAC by averaging 72.7 points thru 31 games.

• The Bears averaged 74.9 points (No. 4 in MEAC) thru 31 games during the 2022-23 season.

BEARING D
Defensively, Morgan opponents are averaging 81.8 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting from the floor and 36 percent from 3-point range, allowing 8.0 long distance strikes per night.

• Morgan ranks No. 2 in the conference in rebounding margin and has outrebounded the opponent by a 2.5 margin as they have secured 591 total boards (36.9 rebs/g) compared to 551 total rebounds (34.4 rebs/g) by opponents.

• Last season, Morgan limited its opponents to scoring 77.5 points per game on 44.5 percent shooting from the floor and 34.3 percent from 3-point range, allowing 6.8 long distance strikes per night.
 

JANUARY OPPONENTS
• Morgan State will play four of five games this month inside Hill Field House. the most during a single month this season. 

• Earlier this season, the Bears went 3-5 against teams in November, and 3-4 in December.

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.