The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (“MEAC”) has a proud Division I men’s basketball recent history. The conference is made up of historically-black institutions from up and down the Atlantic coast (of the U.S.). Eleven schools competed for the conference’s automatic berth in the 2010 NCAA Championships (Winston-Salem State Univ. is playing a conference schedule, but is moving back to Division II in 2010-2011).
While the MEAC only hads winning non-conference records against three other Division I conferences during the 2009-2010 seasonhttp://www.meacsports.com//pdf8/673707.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=20800, MEAC schools have been known to pull off some major upsets in the NCAA Tournament. Only four times have #2 “Goliath” seeds lost in the first round to #15 seeds; half of those “Davids” were MEAC schools. In 1997, Coppin State knocked off the 6th-ranked University of South Carolina Gamecocks, 78-65; it was the first Division I tournament win for any MEAC school. The feat was repeated four years later when Hampton University shocked the Iowa Hawkeyes, 58-57.http://www.meacsports.com//pdf4/667070.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=20800
MEAC Basketball Members
MEAC 2009-10 Season
Morgan State clinched its 3rd consecutive regular season MEAC title on Feb. 22, defeating Maryland-Eastern Shore on the road, 65-61.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/conferences/standings?confID=16 Their only conference loss came at home at the hands of S. Carolina St. on Feb. 15. MEAC’s non-conference record against Division I schools was not good this year: only 25-90.http://www.meacsports.com//pdf8/673707.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=20800 The sole bright spot was Morgan State’s early victory over Arkansas, 97-94. A damaging dark spot was the 3rd weekend in February when both Morgan State and S. Carolina State lost in the ESPN Bracket Busters showcase of mid-major schools. Morgan State’s leading scorer, Reggie Holmes (22.0PPG) is ranked 9th in the nation, and their leading rebounder, Kevin Thompson (11.6RPG) is ranked 4th nationally.
Morgan State swept through the MEAC Conference Tournament, earning its 2nd consecutive automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. In their first-round game, the #15 seed Bears jumped out to a 10-0 lead against #2 seed West Virginia. However, the Mountaineers went on to eliminate Morgan State in a decisive way, 77-50 .
MEAC History
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a NCAA Division I Conference, playing its first season of football competition in 1971. The conference started with seven institution and then Morgan State, North Carolina Central and Maryland Eastern Shore stepped down. The members shift back and forth and currently have 11 institutions.
Kenneth A. Free was the first Commissioner, serving from 1978-1995. In 1996, Charles S. Harris became the commissioner until 2002. Brenda H. McCoy served as a interim commissioner in 1996 and 2002. Dr. Dennis E. Thomas became the MEAC commissioner on September 1, 2002.
Highlights of top teams in MEAC Mens Basketball (2010)
Highlights of the Feb. 15 game in Baltimore between Morgan State and South Carolina State, broadcast live on ESPNU. SCSU handed eventual conference champion Morgan State their only (conference) loss of the season, 71-68.
Recent Winners
- 2010: Morgan State
- 2009: Morgan State Official site: [1]
- 2008: Coppin State Official site: MEAC Championships
- 2007: Florida A&M Official site: MEAC Championships
- 2006: Hampton Official site: MEAC Championships
- 2005: Delaware State Official site: MEAC Championships
- 2004: Florida A&M Official site: MEAC Championships
- 2003: South Carolina State Official site: MEAC Championships
- 2002: Hampton Official site: MEAC Championships
- 2001: Hampton Official site: MEAC Championships
- 2000: South Carolina State Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1999: Florida A&M Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1998: South Carolina State Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1997: Coppin State Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1996: South Carolina State Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1995: North Carolina A&T Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1994: North Carolina A&T Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1993: Coppin State Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1992: Howard Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1991: Florida A&M Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1990: Coppin State Official site: MEAC Championships
- 1989: South Carolina State Official site: MEAC Championships
