Norfolk, VA---The Howard University men's basketball team faces a strong challenge when it takes on the Hornets of Delaware State in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in the Norfolk Scope.
The Bison (16-15), the Number 4 seed, received a bye in the first round while the Hornets (16-16), who are the Number 5 seed, defeated Savannah State, 64-58 in the first round.
It could be a classic case of the Irresistible Force of the potent Delaware State offense and the Immovable Object of the Howard stingy defense.
Delaware State features the MEAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in Kendall Gray and the leading scorer in the conference in first team selection, Amere May.
Gray leads the nation in rebounding with almost 13 per game and ranks among the tops in the nation in double doubles.
May is a prolific scorer, who averages 21 points per game and has put up some mind-blowing numbers that include a 48-point performance, the highest among Division 1 players this season. Most recently, he poured in 40 points in a high-scoring shootout with Coppin State.
The Hornets' defense has been less than sterling and has shown a propensity to allow points.
The Bison prides themselves on their defense, which allows only 62 points per game and they have proven to be effective with their swarming zone defense that is holding their opponents to 38 percent from the field, ranking them among the Top 20 in the nation.
Offensively, Howard has relied on the scoring of the Big Three of James "JC" Carlton, James "J-Byrd" Daniel and James "JT" Miller.
A first team All-MEAC selection, Carlton averages over 16 points and ranks among the conference leaders in rebounds. He has eight double doubles to his credit this season. He tallied 27 in the 79-76 loss to the Hornets in their only meeting this season.
Daniel, a second team all-conference selection, also averaged over 16 per game and has come on strong of late.
Miller is the third part of the triumvirate. He is averaging 12 points per game and leads the team in field goal percentage at 51 percent.
But as productive as the Big Three have been, Howard has gotten some important contributions from Damon Collins, Jared Norsworthy, Brandon Ford, Keon Hill and Oliver Ellison. They are coming around at the right time.
The winner will advance to the semifinal round against the Number 1 seed, North Carolina Central on Friday at 6 pm.
GAME NOTES: This is Howard's highest seed since the 2002 season…The 16 victories and 10 in conference play is the most since that same season…the young Bison, who start four sophomores, went 8-5 down the stretch…Daniel is the first make player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau in just his second season…Delaware State's senior starting point guard suffered an ankle injury in the win over Savannah State and remains questionable for the game…the series between the two schools has been hotly contested, with Howard holding onto a 51-50 advantage…the Bison are 8-3 versus the Hornets in tournament play.
