2024 MEAC Conference Basketball Tournament
The 2024 MEAC Conference Tournament will decide the lone bid in this league, as the winner likely heads to Dayton to play one of the First Four games on either Tuesday or Wednesday of March Madness week. Norfolk State has a de facto home-court advantage with this tourney played at the Norfolk Scope, which is not the Spartans’ home venue, but it is obviously in the same town.
All eight teams do qualify for the conference tournament and the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds get an advantage by playing their quarterfinal games on Wednesday, while seeds 3 through 6 play on Thursday.
Note that there is a very quick turn from the semis to the finals, as the semis are at 6 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET on Friday, with the Championship Game on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
How to Watch the MEAC Conference Tournament
When: March 13-16
Where: Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, VA
Format: No. 1, No. 2 seeds play Quarterfinals on Wednesday; No. 3 through No. 6 play on Thursday
Watch: ESPN+, ESPN2; Championship Game on ESPN2 on Mar. 16 at 1:00 p.m. ET
College Basketball Odds | College Basketball Betting Splits | Greg Peterson’s Daily Lines | Steve Makinen’s Power Ratings
MEAC Conference Tournament Bracket
MEAC Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds
1. Norfolk State (+180)
2. North Carolina Central (+220)
3. South Carolina State (+550)
4. Howard (+400)
5. Morgan State (+2200)
6. Delaware State (+1000)
7. Maryland-Eastern Shore (+9000)
8. Coppin State (+15000)
(odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)
Favorite To Win MEAC Conference Tournament
Norfolk State is a small favorite to win this one, as all eight teams are lined at plus money. The Spartans did win the regular season crown by two games and have that home-court advantage. NC Central split with Norfolk State during the season, so they won the three-way tiebreaker over SC State and Howard.
NC Central actually led the conference in adjusted offensive efficiency, while Norfolk State was fifth. Howard was second and the tiebreakers may ultimately hurt Norfolk State here because they’d draw Howard in a potential semifinal matchup as opposed to SC State.
MEAC Conference Tournament Darkhorse
In terms of their seed number, Howard could qualify as a “darkhorse” here, but they’re just +400 from an odds standpoint. The Bison shot 38% in conference play, but they were also the lowest-ranked team by adjusted defensive efficiency, so it all comes down to how well they shoot. There was a huge gap between Howard and Morgan State, however, for second and third in the conference in adjusted offensive efficiency.
Anything could happen here, though. Norfolk State lost three conference games, with one to NC Central, but the others to Maryland-Eastern Shore and Delaware State, who are objectively bad teams. NC Central lost twice to Morgan State. Howard lost five games, but two were to Norfolk State, hence the way the tiebreakers fell.
Players to Watch in MEAC Conference Tournament
Howard is led by Bryce Harris, who was second in scoring with 16.3 PPG and also second in rebounds with 7.6 RPG. Former Ohio State Buckeye Seth Towns had 14.4 PPG and 6.3 RPG for the Bison.
NC Central had three of the conference’s top eight scorers, including one of the best names in the field. Po’Boigh King was third on that list with 14.7 PPG. Ja’Darius Harris had 14.8 PPG and the offense ran through Fred Cleveland Jr. with 15.1 PPG and 5.4 APG to comfortably lead the conference in assists.
Conference leading scorer Jamarii Thomas had 17.5 PPG and was second to Cleveland with 3.8 APG to lead Norfolk State. Allen Betrand (11.1 PPG) was the only other Spartan in double figures.
Remember that stats can be a little skewed in this conference because a lot of these teams play brutal non-conference schedules to fill the athletic department bank accounts to be able to sustain throughout the season.
Betting Pick to Win The MEAC Conference Tournament
Generally speaking, these teams aren’t all that good and can be very inconsistent. No. 7 Coppin State made a run to the finals last year by beating No. 2 Howard and then No. 3 NC Central, just as one example.
Howard strikes me as the most dangerous team, but they did lose at home by four and on the road by 19 against Norfolk State. I won’t be surprised if they win, but Norfolk State would have a rest advantage and what seems to be a matchup advantage based on the regular season result.
I like NC Central from a value standpoint here at +220. They wouldn’t have to play either Howard or Norfolk State until the title game and I think they have an easier path with SC State.
Pick: NC Central +220
Steve Makinen MEAC Power Ratings
