Washington, DC—The Howard University men's basketball team will find out a lot about where it fits in the Mid-Eastern athletic Conference race. The Bison (4-4) host rival North Carolina A&T at 2 pm Saturday in Burr Gymnasium. It is the MEAC opener for both teams.
Howard is coming off a road loss to Duquesne on Tuesday in which the team got into foul trouble, fell behind, but then rallied before succumbing in the final minutes to the hot shooting Dukes.
The Bison cut a 15-point deficit to 54-47 with 11:32 remaining in the second half. They then had three straight possessions with a chance to cut into the lead, but they botched all three until Duquesne hit a three pointer and all but put the game away.
"We have to get better in situational basketball," proclaimed Howard head coach
Kevin Nickelberry. "It was one of those games where we had a chance to get over the hump but due to inexperience and foul trouble, we did not capitalize. With these conference games coming up against NC A&T and North Carolina Central, we have to be better because when it comes to league play, you can throw records out the window."
When the Aggies (1-7) last met, it was in the first round of the MEAC Tournament last year and the Bison prevailed, in a tough game that went down to the wire.
There will be a quick turnaround, as Howard will leave immediately after the game and head to Brooklyn, NY where they will take on the preseason favorites and defending regular season and tournament champs in the Big Apple Classic at the Barclays Center. Tipoff is slated for 6 pm.
"That is the big thing about league play," added Nickelberry. "When you play a Saturday-Monday league schedule and in this case a Saturday-Sunday deal, you have to have to have depth and key players like "JC" (
James Carlton) and "JT" (
James Miller) have to play smarter and not get into foul trouble. It is going to be two physical games but we have to manage our bodies and fouls a little better."
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