North Carolina Central has earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, defeating Morgan State 71-62 in Saturday's MEAC Tournament final.
North Carolina Central wins 2014 MEAC basketball tournament: Eagles hold off Morgan State, 71-62
N.C. Central earns a bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the regular and postseason conference titles.
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Jeremy Ingram was the hot hand for North Carolina Central, finishing the game with 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Karamo Jawara also hit double-digits, dropping 10 points in addition to six rebounds.
Center Ian Chiles was the driving force for Morgan State, scoring 26 points and grabbing six rebounds. Anthony Hubbard chipped in 12 points and six rebounds for the Bears.
N.C. Central also won the regular-season title, finishing 15-1 in conference play. Morgan State ended the year tied for third at 11-5.
Teams from the MEAC have given power-conference schools trouble in the past. Two years ago, Norfolk State upset Missouri as a 15-seed to get to the Round of 32. Hampton also managed to edge out Iowa State as a 15-seed in 2001, giving the conference two performances to hang its hat on from the current millennium.
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