Washington, DC—When the 2016-17 men's basketball season began, it was pretty much a consensus that Howard University and South Carolina State were at the top of the class. The Bison were returning James "J-Byrd" Daniel, III, the nation's leading scorer and preseason Player of the Year along with a senior-laden team. The Bulldogs, who played for the tournament title, but fell in a close match to Hampton, were returning one of the top backcourts in the MEAC and some veteran returning players. That has all changed as both teams enter tonight's showdown. The game will be televised on ESPNU and will tip off at 7 pm.
SC State thought that they had turned things around when they edged Hampton on the road last Wednesday. But the optimism was short lived as the Bulldogs were thrashed by Maryland Eastern on the road on Saturday. The Bison (5-16, 2-4 in the MEAC) also thought that they had overcome all the injuries that has plagued this team. Howard has lost four starters and two key reserves at one point or another during the up and down season.
A road victory over NC A&T buoyed their hopes but they were quickly dashed when they were dominated by NC Central last Monday and then edged by Savannah State this past Saturday. This will be the third road game in seven days for SC State which is led by senior guard Eric Eaves, who ranks in the Top 5 in several statistical categories in the conference.The Bison will hope to get the same effort from the combination of James "JT" Miller and Charles "CJ" Williams, who combined for 55 of the their team's 70 points in the loss to Savannah State.
Williams, a 6-5 freshman guard from Richmond, Va, continues to get better each game. He poured in a career-high 37 points on 15 of 25 (60 percent) shooting from the field. For his efforts, Williams, who leads the team in scoring, was named the MEAC Rookie of the Week for the fifth time this season. Miller, a 6-4 red-shirt junior guard from Clinton, NC contributed 18 points but the other three starters scored only six points among them. It will be Organization Night at the Burr.
Game Notes:
NEXT UP: Howard travels to Tallahassee, FL to take on the Rattlers of Florida A&M on Saturday at 4 pm.
