In all likelihood, the winner of the MEAC is going to have a relatively quick turnaround to get ready for a First Four game in Dayton on Tuesday or Wednesday night. That won't bother the Hampton Pirates or the South Carolina State Bulldogs though, as they just want to capture the MEAC title and put on their dancing shoes.
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HOW THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE BULLDOGS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
South Carolina State is a high-tempo team, but there are just far too many times when it takes its foot off of the gas pedal. Friday's win over Norfolk State showcased just that. The Bulldogs raced out to 33 points in the first 12 minutes of the game against the Spartans and had 45 on the board at halftime.
However, they had a seven-minute stretch in the middle of the second half without a single point, and they only attempted four shots in that span with five turnovers. In the process, they nearly coughed up a 59-42 lead.
SCSU's leading scorer, E.J. Eaves was fairly quiet against Norfolk State with just 10 points, and he needs to really put his team on his back in this game. He was one of the big culprits of that scoring drought, though in the end, Gabe McCray came up with his second big game of this tournament with 16 points and eight boards.
HOW THE HAMPTON PIRATES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Hampton has had a relatively easy road to the MEAC Championship Game, and that should serve it well here in the final. The opening round win against Morgan State wasn't as close as the 83-81 final suggests, though an 89-55 romp of Savannah State was every bit as emphatic as the score line stated.
On Friday, no Pirate played more than 30 minutes, and that should leave this team as fresh as possible while playing three games in three days.
Hampton doesn't have a particularly big team, but it does rebound the basketball incredibly well. When Norfolk State went on its run against South Carolina State, the Bulldogs got really sloppy on the glass, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. The Pirates rank No. 8 in the land in total rebounding at 41.7 per game.
Quinton Chievous shoots 57.0 percent from the field and is good for 17.2 points and 11.2 boards per game. He's only 6-foot-6, but he plays like a dominant 7-footer. Against SCSU earlier this year though, he only had 12 points and nine boards, and that parlayed with a shocking 42-37 rebounding deficit was the reason why that game was lost at home.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Pirates won't make the same mistake in this game that they made at home earlier this season.
South Carolina State really feels like it ran out of gas against Norfolk State, and it had to put far too much energy into that game to come out like a house of fire in this one as it's going to need to.
If the Bulldogs can't force the tempo and consistently get easy buckets, the athleticism of Hampton will eventually shine through. Expect to see the Pirates win the battle on the glass by a comfortable margin, as they become just the second No. 1 seed to win a conference tournament this year.
Hampton 73, South Carolina State 66
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