NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL LADY EAGLES
Currently 2 - 2 (0-0 MEAC); Last year 9-20 (5-9), 0-1 MEAC Tournament
Massey 340 (UNC 31), NET (Nolan) 317 (UNC19), Torvik 349 (UNC 15)
The NCCU Lady Eagles are 0-2 Carolina’s opening home game; NCCU is 2-2. Their ranking puts them squarely in the bottom tier of D1 programs. They are one of seven non-conference opponents whose ranking will be 240 or below. The Lady Eagles (official) are predicted to finish 6th in the 8-team MEAC. If you are interested, the projected winner is Howard. Most MEAC teams are HBCU.
Carolina is 9-0 with NCCU; all games were in Chapel Hill. UNC’s average margin of victory is 48 ppg.
NCCU started the year taking on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg: a 46-point loss (39-85). They did grab a home win with D-2 Johnson C. Smith 99-73, but a road game with UNC Wilmington was less rewarding, a 48-82 loss. Their most recent game was in Durham with Fayetteville State, a 4-point win 60-56
Many D2 and mid-major D1 schools do travel to early season games and often play D1 P4 teams as they will get paid, usually several thousand dollars, to show up. While I cannot prove this, I have always thought there is an “understanding” that UNC System teams will give each other games; in particular UNC as the “Flagship” university.
#23 AP UNC is favored by 53 points (Massey), 44 by Warren Nolan and 42 by Torvik. Massey predicts UNC will be 15-3 in the ACC, being swept by dook and losing at home to Notre Dame. A non-conference prediction is a bit harder in light of Carolina’s disastrous loss to #1 SoCar. Still, UNC should be a safe bet with all seven low-rated teams but LSU is predicted as a loss. On this basis, the key games remaining are Texas Tech and Alabama in the WBCA Showcase in Florida and possibly Penn since it is up there at the Palestra. If we are 11-3 n/c that would be 26-6 and a decent seed in the NCAA.
NCCU does return three experienced players from last year’s team.
Returning is Aysia Hinton, a 5-8 senior G who started the first three games but did not play against Fayetteville. In her three starts she averaged 11. ppg and 4.3 rpg. The stats show she likes the three: 6 of 13 for 46.2%. Dianna Blake, a 6-0 junior F, started the first two games and has come off the bench in the last two.
Victoria Morris, a 5-9 junior G has started all four games and is averaging 16 ppg and 7.8 rpg. Against Fayetteville she had a double-double: 20/11. For whatever reason, her teammates call her “Stan”.
Two other starters are newcomers. They are Eboni Clay, a 5-6 junior G (7.3 ppg) and Shrouq Amer, a 6-3 junior C (6 ppg and 6 rpg). Their bios do not list where they played before NCCU but they are on the books as juniors. Clay we find came from Allen University in Columbus SC where she was 2nd team All-SIAC. Amer is from Egypt and did play for the Egyptian U-16s. As a Muslim she plays wearing a hijab. Nike makes a hijab specially designed for athletes.
After these players, there are others who could make appearances but it would be hard to predict who and when. Against Fayetteville Freshman Chloe Crawford, a 6-1 F, started as did Amaya Harris, a 5-7 sophomore G. Crawford had 9 points against FSU. Others appearing were Aaliyah Grant, a 6-0 sophomore F, Kenadi Banks, a 5-4 freshman PG, and Kelleen Thompson-Edwards, 5-4 freshman PG. Kendall Alexander, a 5-6 PG perhaps will appear. Ariel Walker, a 6-1 junior F, has not played since game #2.
It might be assumed that these five: Hinton (if healthy), Amer, Morris, Clay, and Crawford will start against UNC. Morris and Clay were on the MEAC preseason “watch list”.
Stats for the current year do not tell much after just four games, two of which were against D2 opponents. That aside, NCCU is averaging just 61.5 points on offense and giving up 74 points for a negative scoring margin of -12.5 ppg.
The Lady Eagles have themselves a new coach. She is Olivia Gaines, who replaced Terrence Baxter (34-56 in three seasons). It is her first year coaching in D1. Her last position was as head coach for D2 Allen University. Eboni Clay was one of her players there and was SIAC FOY in 2025. Gaines had previous stops at the JuCo level, as an assistant at both D1 and D2 schools, and as a South Carolina high school coach. Perhaps more interesting is that she is a SoCar graduate (’15) where she played for Dawn Staley.
Paris Kea, UNC ’19, was on staff at NCCU but now appears to be working at Durham Tech Community College.
The last UNC game was one to forget. The Heels were clearly no match for South Carolina, as a 45-point loss indicates. Carolina basically did nothing well, as 25% from the floor, 21.4% from three and 42.9% from the FT line demonstrated. For good measure UNC was out-rebounded 48-33 and committed 24 turnovers.
Such an experience should not await fans Wednesday night.
Game time is 7 PM EST. There will be video from ACCNX and audio from GoHeels with Matt Krause.
It is Veterans Day so for the free elections we just had last week, you know who to thank.
Currently 2 - 2 (0-0 MEAC); Last year 9-20 (5-9), 0-1 MEAC Tournament
Massey 340 (UNC 31), NET (Nolan) 317 (UNC19), Torvik 349 (UNC 15)
The NCCU Lady Eagles are 0-2 Carolina’s opening home game; NCCU is 2-2. Their ranking puts them squarely in the bottom tier of D1 programs. They are one of seven non-conference opponents whose ranking will be 240 or below. The Lady Eagles (official) are predicted to finish 6th in the 8-team MEAC. If you are interested, the projected winner is Howard. Most MEAC teams are HBCU.
Carolina is 9-0 with NCCU; all games were in Chapel Hill. UNC’s average margin of victory is 48 ppg.
NCCU started the year taking on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg: a 46-point loss (39-85). They did grab a home win with D-2 Johnson C. Smith 99-73, but a road game with UNC Wilmington was less rewarding, a 48-82 loss. Their most recent game was in Durham with Fayetteville State, a 4-point win 60-56
Many D2 and mid-major D1 schools do travel to early season games and often play D1 P4 teams as they will get paid, usually several thousand dollars, to show up. While I cannot prove this, I have always thought there is an “understanding” that UNC System teams will give each other games; in particular UNC as the “Flagship” university.
#23 AP UNC is favored by 53 points (Massey), 44 by Warren Nolan and 42 by Torvik. Massey predicts UNC will be 15-3 in the ACC, being swept by dook and losing at home to Notre Dame. A non-conference prediction is a bit harder in light of Carolina’s disastrous loss to #1 SoCar. Still, UNC should be a safe bet with all seven low-rated teams but LSU is predicted as a loss. On this basis, the key games remaining are Texas Tech and Alabama in the WBCA Showcase in Florida and possibly Penn since it is up there at the Palestra. If we are 11-3 n/c that would be 26-6 and a decent seed in the NCAA.
NCCU does return three experienced players from last year’s team.
Returning is Aysia Hinton, a 5-8 senior G who started the first three games but did not play against Fayetteville. In her three starts she averaged 11. ppg and 4.3 rpg. The stats show she likes the three: 6 of 13 for 46.2%. Dianna Blake, a 6-0 junior F, started the first two games and has come off the bench in the last two.
Victoria Morris, a 5-9 junior G has started all four games and is averaging 16 ppg and 7.8 rpg. Against Fayetteville she had a double-double: 20/11. For whatever reason, her teammates call her “Stan”.
Two other starters are newcomers. They are Eboni Clay, a 5-6 junior G (7.3 ppg) and Shrouq Amer, a 6-3 junior C (6 ppg and 6 rpg). Their bios do not list where they played before NCCU but they are on the books as juniors. Clay we find came from Allen University in Columbus SC where she was 2nd team All-SIAC. Amer is from Egypt and did play for the Egyptian U-16s. As a Muslim she plays wearing a hijab. Nike makes a hijab specially designed for athletes.
After these players, there are others who could make appearances but it would be hard to predict who and when. Against Fayetteville Freshman Chloe Crawford, a 6-1 F, started as did Amaya Harris, a 5-7 sophomore G. Crawford had 9 points against FSU. Others appearing were Aaliyah Grant, a 6-0 sophomore F, Kenadi Banks, a 5-4 freshman PG, and Kelleen Thompson-Edwards, 5-4 freshman PG. Kendall Alexander, a 5-6 PG perhaps will appear. Ariel Walker, a 6-1 junior F, has not played since game #2.
It might be assumed that these five: Hinton (if healthy), Amer, Morris, Clay, and Crawford will start against UNC. Morris and Clay were on the MEAC preseason “watch list”.
Stats for the current year do not tell much after just four games, two of which were against D2 opponents. That aside, NCCU is averaging just 61.5 points on offense and giving up 74 points for a negative scoring margin of -12.5 ppg.
The Lady Eagles have themselves a new coach. She is Olivia Gaines, who replaced Terrence Baxter (34-56 in three seasons). It is her first year coaching in D1. Her last position was as head coach for D2 Allen University. Eboni Clay was one of her players there and was SIAC FOY in 2025. Gaines had previous stops at the JuCo level, as an assistant at both D1 and D2 schools, and as a South Carolina high school coach. Perhaps more interesting is that she is a SoCar graduate (’15) where she played for Dawn Staley.
Paris Kea, UNC ’19, was on staff at NCCU but now appears to be working at Durham Tech Community College.
The last UNC game was one to forget. The Heels were clearly no match for South Carolina, as a 45-point loss indicates. Carolina basically did nothing well, as 25% from the floor, 21.4% from three and 42.9% from the FT line demonstrated. For good measure UNC was out-rebounded 48-33 and committed 24 turnovers.
Such an experience should not await fans Wednesday night.
Game time is 7 PM EST. There will be video from ACCNX and audio from GoHeels with Matt Krause.
It is Veterans Day so for the free elections we just had last week, you know who to thank.
