It?s been 28 years since the Morgan State men?s basketball team has finished the season with a winning record. But if the Bears keep improving on their fast start, that streak will end well before the team competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament, where it will try to earn its first postseason berth in school history.
The Bears (3-1) beat American 62-54 for to earn their first three-game winning streak in 20 years and is off to its best start since opening the 1978-79 season 6-0 and finishing 18-12. But extending its winning streak will not be easy, as Morgan State faces Miami (4-0) this afternoon at 1 at BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla. The Hurricanes, members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, will be the Bears? second opponent from a major conference, as they dropped their season opener, 69-65, at the Big East?s Connecticut on Nov. 7.
“We are looking to try and prepare ourselves [for conference play with our schedule],” Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said. “Our main thing to the guys is we want to make sure they are prepared every game for what they will run. The rest of it is on us to make sure we are disciplined and have determination and will.”
The Bears travel to the Florida coast boasting a tough defense that averages 10 steals per game, blocks an average of 6 shots and allows opponents to shoot just 39 percent from the field. But they will face an equally tough defense from the Hurricanes, who force an average of 16.5 turnovers per game and have forced opponents to shoot just 36.4 percent.
Miami is led by junior forward Jack McClinton, a former Calvert Hall star who averages 14.3 points per game. Morgan State?s leading scorer is former St. Frances standout Reggie Holmes, who averages 16.8 points per game.
“If we weren?t in foul trouble we would have come out with that [win against Connecticut], because we weren?t scared,” Holmes said. “We were prepared. We are always prepared.”
