Cinderella Watch: Can North Carolina Central Repeat the MEAC's NCAA Tournament Success?

DURHAM, North Carolina  -- The Eagles have been the class of the MEAC this season, but that is unlikely to even guarantee them an auto-bid, especially given their streaky nature. However, they still have a chance to make the Big Dance and match some historic surprise success by their league.

As we enter the home stretch in conference play everybody is going to be looking for this year's Florida Gulf Coast. That's why we've put together "Cinderella Watch" to profile all the mid-major teams you should know before heading into March.

North Carolina Central Eagles

Mid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceOverall Record: 22-5
Conference Record: 12-1
RPI: 126
Key Wins: North Carolina State (55)
Worst Losses: Florida A&M (296), IUPUI (313)
Average RPI Win: 286
Average RPI Loss: 142
NCAA Tournament History: 0 Appearances

 

This Season

I think it says a lot about NCCU's non-conference schedule that they have two losses against opponents in the bottom 60 of the RPI and the average RPI of the five teams they've lost to is still that high - that's thanks to early season games against Cincinnati, Wichita State, NC State, and Maryland - all on the road.

 

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