Princess Anne, MD—As the MEAC regular season winds down and the tournament (March 9-14) is less than a month away, each game becomes more and more important for the Howard University men's basketball team to position itself as one of the top Four seeds.
The Bison (13-12, 7-4 MEAC) are currently in third place in the standings, but they have company in teams that are vying for one of the all-important top seeds. The top 4 seeds receive byes in the first round.
Howard is in the middle of a six-game conference road swing that continues tonight when it faces the Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore at 5:30 pm at the William Hytche Athletic Center.
UMES (14-13, 7-5 MEAC), is a half a game behind the Bison and could be smarting after dropping a 91-85 high-scoring decision to Delaware State on Saturday at the Hawks homecoming.
The two teams met on and Bison prevailed. In that game, the Hawks Michael Myers, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding, got two early fouls and had to sit out most of the first half. Additionally, Devin Martin (13.5 ppg), one of UMES's top scorers, did not play in that game due to injury.
After one of the best starts in recent years, the Hawks have now dropped three of their last four and can ill afford to lose another if they want to secure one of the top spots.
"All of these games are important at this points," said Howard Coach
Kevin Nickelberry. "A loss and you could drop as low as seventh."
The Bison (13-12, 7-4 MEAC) are coming off an important 77-60 win at Coppin State on Saturday after losing two close games to Hampton and Norfolk State on the road. Howard's defense was especially effective in limiting the Eagles with their three-point defense. Coppin State came into the game among the nation's leaders in three-point shooting but the Bison held them to 28 percent (4 of 14) in the second half from beyond the arc and 37 percent overall from the field.
It will take that same kind of effort against the much-improved Hawks, who lead the conference in three-point shooting and in Myers, have one of the premier big men in the conference to go along with three players who rank statistically in the Top 10.
"It's going to be another tough game for us," he said. "They are coming off a loss, Myers will be motivated by the fact that he got in foul trouble against us and they get back one of their better offensive players (Martin). We have to be motivated and ready to play."
Offensively, Howard will continue to use the formula that has brought success: rely on the Big Three of James "JC" Carlton, James "J-Byrd" Daniel and James "JT" Miller to put points on the board and for others to contribute in small, but effective ways.
Carlton, the 6-8 senior forward from Winterville, NC, has emerged as a candidate along with Daniel for player of the year honors. Carlton is averaging almost 22 points in MEAC play and has scored in double figures in 15 straight games. He was especially effective against UMES in the first game, leading all scorers with 31 while grabbing 11 rebounds.
Daniel, the preseason player of the year, has become more than just a scorer. As a point guard, he is still averaging over 16 points per game, but he improved his overall game, leading the team in assists. The 5-11 sophomore from Hampton, VA, needs 12 points to become the first player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau in his first two seasons. He was a key in the win at Howard with 21 points.
Miller, a 6-4 sophomore guard from Clinton, NC, has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with as he leads the team in field goal percentage (51 percent) and is third on the team in scoring at 12 points per game. He tallied 19 points in the first matchup.
NEXT UP: The Bison close out the conference road schedule next week when they travel to Savannah, Ga to take on the Tigers of Savannah State on Saturday at 6 pm before playing the Bulldogs of South Carolina State in Orangeburg, SC on Monday, February 23 at 8 pm.
Click Here for Game Notes.
