MEAC Tournament: Hampton vs Morgan State
by Dave D
The semifinals of the MEAC Tournament will be contested on Friday. In one matchup, Morgan State takes on Hampton.
Hampton Pirates vs. Morgan State Bears
Friday, March 12th – 6:05 PM ET
Lawrence Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem, NC
Broadcast: None
College Basketball Betting Spread: Morgan State -2.5
The Week That Was: Hampton
The Pirates are only 14-17, but then again, they were 8-17 just a few weeks ago. The Pirates, seeded fifth in the MEAC Tournament, rode a five-game winning streak into the postseason, they were able to make it six in a row by pulling out their quarterfinal-round game.
On Thursday, March 11, Hampton fought past the fourth-seeded Norfolk State Spartans, 73-70. The game was a lot like many postseason tournaments between conference rivals: feisty and fierce, but frightfully flawed. Hampton and Norfolk State combined to commit 36 turnovers. Moreover, the two teams made only 35 of 62 total foul shots, just barely more than half of their charity pitches. Both teams were clearly nervous with their seasons on the line in a single-elimination competition. Someone needed to rise above the mediocrity on the floor, and that person wore Hampton’s colors.
Pirate guard Vincent Simpson shot a very respectable 6 of 13 from the field and hit 4 of 10 3-pointers. Simpson was responsible for enabling Hampton to hit 8 of 20 threes, whereas Norfolk State converted only 2 of 11 3-point tries. In a game decided by three points, Simpson’s long-distance shooting made a big difference.
The Week That Was: Morgan State
The Bears – as the regular-season champions of the MEAC – earned the top seed for this tournament. Accordingly, they received a favorable quarterfinal-round draw against the ninth-seeded Aggies of North Carolina A&T. Morgan State stomped A&T, 84-57, to advance to this semifinal showdown against Hampton.
This 27-point win on Wednesday, March 10, was not very difficult to analyze. The Bears rolled to a 46-22 halftime bulge and coasted home in the second half. Sophomore forward Kevin Thompson scored 20 points, pulled down 16 boards, handed out six assists, and registered two blocked shots to lead Morgan State in the Wednesday romp. The Bears thrived as a team against North Carolina A&T by hitting 54 percent of their field goal attempts and getting a combined total of 34 points from guards Reggie Holmes and Troy Smith. MSU also outrebounded A&T by a 41-21 overall margin, and by a count of 16-7 on the offensive glass.
Outlook & Pick:
These two teams met only once during the regular season, as Morgan State went into Hampton’s own gym and popped the Pirates, 73-63. Hampton hadn’t discovered its winning ways at that time, however; this pack of Pirates is feeding off an ample dose of confidence and is playing better than a No. 5 seed.
Yet, in the end, it’s hard to go against Morgan State. The Bears won their quarterfinal game by 27 points and displayed the killer instinct a top seed should. It’s worth noting that MSU received a day off before this game, while Hampton has to play on back-to-back days. It’s a good thing for an underdog when the higher seed takes a week off and must return to action after an extended layoff. A one-day break, though, isn’t the same thing. Morgan State will be fresher than Hampton, and that will pay big dividends for the No. 1 seed in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Morgan State will wear down Hampton and advance to the MEAC Tournament final.
