SETTING THE STAGE
• The Morgan State men's basketball team will attempt to bounce back in the win column when they hit the road to face North Carolina Central on Monday, Feb. 17th in Durham. The Bears are coming off a disappointing loss against South Carolina State, falling to 4-4 in the conference. Meanwhile, the Eagles are coming off a 71-59 home win  (Feb. 15) against Coppin State. Tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. and fans unable to attend in person can catch all the action live on ESPN+.

• Junior guard Kiran Oliver scored a team-high 17 points to lead the Bears, but South Carolina State ran away with a 90-62 victory on Saturday night in Orangeburg, S.C.

• Junior Po'Boigh King scored 16 points to lead Coppin State to a 71-59 victory against Coppin State on Monday at McDougald-McLendon Arena.

• 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 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
• North Carolina Central head coach Levelle Moton (North Carolina Central, '96) enters his 16th season as the Eagles head coach ... he was the 2014-15 NABC District Coach of the Year.

• North Carolina Central was picked No. 3 in the conference's predicted order of finish.  NCCU junior guard Po'Boigh King was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team and graduate guard Omar Croskey was named to the Third Team. 

• North Carolina Central (11-14, 4-4) enters Monday's contest coming off a 71-59 win against Coppin State on Saturday (Jan. 15) at McDougald-McLendon Arena. Junior guard Po'Boigh King led all scorers with 16 points and Aquan Smart added 13 points off the bench. The difference was three-point shooting as NCCU went 7-of-14 from beyond the arc and Coppin State was 6-of-22.

• The Eagles enter Monday's contest averaging 80.0 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting from the field and 35.7 percent from behind the arc. NCCU is averaging 16.0 assists and 9.2 steals per game.

• The Eagles have two players averaging in double figures, led by 6-4 junior guard Po'Boigh King who is averaging 16.5 points and is shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point territory.  Senior guard Keishon Porter is averaging 11.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and is shooting 41 percent from the three.

• Junior 6-foot-9 forward Perry Smith Jr.  (9.7 ppg; 5.0 rpg), redshirt senior guard Floyd Rideau Jr. (6.4 ppg; .411 3FG%), and redshirt senior guard Isaac Parson (8.5 ppg; .306 FG%) are also key players for the Eagles.

NCCU by the Numbers
• 80.0: NCCU is currently ranks No. 2 in the MEAC in scoring.

• 16.1: The Eagles have been led by Po'Boigh King who is averaging 16.5 points (ranks No. 6 in the MEAC).

• 4.5: Dionte Johnson leads NCCU in assists (ranks No. 1 in the MEAC).

• 73.9: On average NCCU is giving up just under 75 points per contest to opponents (ranks No. 4).

• 9.3: NCCU ranks No. 2 in the MEAC in steals.

• .463: NCCU ranks No. 5 in the MEAC in field goal percentage.

• .357: NCCU ranks No. 3 in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage.

THE SERIES VS. EAGLES
• NCCU leads the series 56-44

• Morgan won the last meeting between the teams on January 7, 2025 -- Kameron Hobbs delivered a career-defining performance by scoring a stagering 40 points, leading Morgan State to a thrilling 102-98 double-overtime victory over North Carolina Central on Tuesday night at Hill Field House. Will Thomas recorded a double-double with 29 points (8-12 FG) and 10 boards in 39 minutes.  Amahrie Simpkins added 15 points (7-14 FG), five rebounds and five assists.

• NCCU's last win against Morgan was on February 11, 2023 --  Justin Wright had 25 points and 11 rebounds and NCCU scored 40 points in the paint in an 83-63 win over Morgan at McDougald-McLendon Arena. NCCU graduate student Brendan Medley-Bacon, a 7-foot Baltimore product, dropped 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including eight boards and a game-high six blocked shots. Lewis Djonkam paced the Bears scoring 11 of his team-high 19 points in the second half and finished with six rebounds, two steals and an assist in 36 minutes. Kameron Hobbs finished with 14 points, four boards and a blocked shot. Freshman guard Rob Lawson pitched in 9 points off the bench.

LAST TIME OUT 
ORANGEBURG, S.C. - South Carolina State ran away with a 90-62 victory Saturday night against Morgan State in front of an electric crowd at Smith-Hamilton-Middleton Memorial Center  in Orangeburg, South Carolina State.  Omar Croskey scored 316 points to lead the Bulldogs to their third straight win.

• Croskey shot 6-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-7 from 3-point territory, with four assists in 22 minutes. Jayden Johnson contributed 14 points (5-10 FG) with three assists.

• Kiran Oliver led the Bears with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field, including 3-for-4 from the three …he also grabbed four rebounds in 24 minutes. Kameron Hobbs finished with 16 points (5-14 FG), with four rebounds and four assists, and Jaden Martin finished with 8 points.

• Morgan State shot 32 percent (23-70) from the field, including 25 percent (4-16) from 3-point territory. The Bulldogs shot  51 percent (32-62) from the floor and was 10-for-22 from behind the arc.

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.

OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR
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 of Pennsylvania (Dec. 4), had 123 points vs. Central Penn (Dec. 1) and 102 vs. NCCU (Jan.7).

• The Bears currently rank No. 2 in the MEAC shooting 48.5 percent from the field and No. 4 shooting 34.8 percent from beyond the arc.

• Kameron Hobbs (14.8 ppg; No. 9 in MEAC) 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.

SO 'KAMTASTIC'! 
• Kameron Hobbs has been on a scoring tear lately. The Stockbridge, Georgia product had scored at least 20 points in 8-consecutive games before his last outing against Maryland Eastern Shore (Feb. 1) in which he scored 10 points.  

• His 20-point run was the longest streak of at least that long since Tiwian Kendley accomplished the feat during the 2017-18 season...Kendley had 9-consecutive games with 20 or more points. 

• He had 21 points against Campbell, uncorked 23 points at #3 Iowa State, posted a career-high 25 points against Minnesota, had a game-high 22 points against South Carolina State, exploded for 40 points in a 2OT victory against N.C. Central, had a game-high 24 points at Howard, followed by 23 points versus Norfolk State and 20 against Coppin State.

• Additionally, he has scored in double-figures 18 times, including his last 13 games. 

CATCH US IF YOU CAN
• One of the best transition teams in the nation is Morgan State. 

• The Bears rank No. 7 in the NCAA based on their efficiency in scoring off fast breaks.

• Averaging an impressive 16.7 points per game from fastbreaks, they capitalize on opponents' mistakes and turn defensive plays into offensive opportunities. 

STAY ON TARGET
• Morgan is shooting .485 (732-1509) from the floor and shot 50 percent-or-better nine times (7-2 record), including a season-high .667 (36-54) on Dec. 15 versus Campbell. 

• Last season, the Bears shot .451 (840-1862) and shot 50 percent-or-better 6 times (5-1 record), including a season-high .635 (54-85) on Dec. 9, 2024 vs. Virginia Lynchburg.

THOMAS SECURES 1000TH CAREER POINT
• Redshirt senior forward Will Thomas needed just 8 points to reach 1,000 career points when the Bears faced Norfolk State on Jan. 13 at Hill Field House…he finished with 12 points and hit the milestone. 

• The Baltimore product has scored 332 points so far this season to move his career total to 1,065 points.

• Thomas currently ranks No. 24 on the school's all-time scoring list and is 5 points away from passing Billy Newton for No. 23 (1,069 pts; 1972-76).

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
Blue Sky: @MorganStBears

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.