North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University punched its ticket to the Big Dance by defeating Morgan State, 57-54 in the MEAC championship game on Saturday. The Aggies are headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995.
1. They finished 6th in the MEAC this season. Top-seeded Norfolk State was 16-0 in the league but lost its first-round conference tournament game against Bethune-Cookman. The Spartans now watch the NCAAs from home. You may remember that Norfolk State upset Missouri in the first round of the tournament last season.
2. They couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat. NC A&T ranks 320th in Division I in field goal percentage, knocking down a rugged 39.8 percent of its shots. I’m pretty sure my middle school basketball team shot better than that.
3. Their two leading scorers average 12 points per game. Senior forward Adrian Powell and junior guard Lamont Middleton pace the Aggies, who averaged just 62.5 points per game. That’s good for 288th in Division I.
4. They’re coming in hot. Like everyone else who earns an automatic bid, NC A&T will come in with a winning streak. The Aggies have won six of seven and are 19-16 (8-8) overall.
5. NC A&T students were centrally involved in the Civil Rights movement. In 1969, four students organized a “sit in” at a local “white eating establishment” named Woolworth’s, and demanded equal service. The four students, Ezell Blair, Joseph McNeill, Franklin McCain, and Dave Richmond became known as the Greensboro Four.
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NCAA Tournament Teams Five Facts Index
Kels Dayton is a freelance writer whose work has also appeared in SLAM Magazine. You can check out more of his work at RoundballDaily.com. Follow him on Twitter @RoundballDaily.