2020-21 MEAC Power Rankings

1. Norfolk State
Record: 13-7, 8-4 MEAC

A pair of thrilling road wins at Morgan State vaulted Norfolk State to the top of the MEAC Northern division, and positions the Spartans nicely for a run to the NCAA Tournament. Devante Carter has been excellent in the past month, scoring a career-high 31 points against a tough Coppin State bunch, and 39 points combined in the road sweep of Morgan State. 

2. North Carolina A&T  

Record: 10-10, 6-1 MEAC  

North Carolina A&T took the first game in a critical, late-season showdown with rival North Carolina Central to pull well ahead of the pack in the MEAC Southern division. The Aggies feature a front-runner for Player of the Year in Kameron Langley, the ball-distributing point guards who holds virtually every program assist record. 

3. Morgan State

Record: 11-6, 6-4 MEAC

A pair of tough losses to Norfolk State slowed Morgan State’s momentum somewhat, but the high-scoring Bears remain one of the primary contenders to win the MEAC Tournament. Morgan State boasts a win over regular-season CAA champion James Madison, and took 2-of-3 from Coppin State in conference play. 

4. Coppin State

Record: 7-12, 6-4 MEAC

Coppin State closes out its regular season after a COVID-19-related hiatus with a series against Delaware State. When the Eagles last played, they knocked off division-leading Norfolk State on a night five Coppin State scored in double-figures. Sharp-shooter Kyle Cardaci hit five 3-pointers that night, and with a better-than-41 percent average on the year, is the kind of long-range threat who can propel a team in a tournament setting. Anthony Tarke is one of the best defenders anywhere in college basketball. 

5. Florida A&M

Record: 5-9, 4-3 MEAC

In their last series, the Rattlers beat division-leading North Carolina A&T by 14 points in the first leg. Florida A&M features versatile Bryce Moragne, a tenacious rebounder and effective shot blocker, and M.J. Randolph, one of the nation’s top steal producers. 

6. North Carolina Central

Record: 4-6, 2-3 MEAC

Playing a schedule heavily impacted by COVID-19, the Eagles competed just once in January. That’s a tough set of circumstances for any team, but under LeVelle Moton, North Carolina Central has proven uniquely adept at turning it on come March. NCCU looks to shake off a three-game losing and finish the regular season strong against rival North Carolina A&T 

7. Delaware State

Record: 2-13, 0-8 MEAC

While it’s been a trying year for the Hornets, they have given MEAC front-runners Norfolk State and Morgan State all they could handle in losses this season. Delaware State took Norfolk State to overtime on Jan. 17, and lost a 74-69 decision to Morgan State behind 17 points from John Stansbury earlier this month. 

8. South Carolina State

Record: 0-15, 0-5 MEAC

South Carolina State came oh-so-close to getting off the schneid with a two-point loss to Florida A&M and a one-point loss to North Carolina Central. The latter contest, played almost a month ago, marked the Bulldogs’ last time in action due to COVID-19 postponements.