North Carolina A&T Aggies Release 2018 Baseball Schedule

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- North Carolina A&T will spend a lot of time at historic War Memorial Stadium during the 2018 baseball season. Aggies baseball, who staged one of the biggest turnarounds in the country last season, improving by 15 games from the 2016 season, released their 2018 schedule on Friday.

The 52-game schedule features 32 home contests. It also features three opponents from the Big South and two opponents apiece from the ACC, Patriot League and Atlantic-10 conferences, as well as teams from the SEC, Southern Conference, SWAC, Sun Belt and Atlantic Sun.



2018 NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE BASEBALL SCHEDULE

“The opportunity to play 32 home games at War Memorial Stadium in front of our fans is an awesome opportunity,” said N.C. A&T coach Ben Hall, the reigning coach of the year in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. “We are excited with the challenges it presents with five NCAA regional teams from 2017 and a two-time national championship program. We are continually working to put our guys in situations that will prepare them for a very challenging MEAC Southern Division schedule and beyond.”

N.C. A&T opens the 2018 schedule on Friday, Feb. 16 with a three-game homestand versus MEAC member Coppin State that will not count toward the league standings. This marks the sixth time out of seven years that the Aggies have started the season at War Memorial Stadium.

Two days after their battle with the Eagles, the Aggies tangle with North Carolina State in their first road game on Tuesday, Feb. 20 in Raleigh. Last season, the Wolfpack advanced to its third consecutive NCAA tournament and made its 16th appearance in the last 21 seasons. The teams last played in 2016 with N.C. State winning both games.

A day later High Point makes their way to WMS for the first of two meetings between the two Triad universities. The two teams will also face each other on April 25 in High Point. After the home contest with the Panthers, N.C. A&T will host Lehigh of the Patriot League for three games including a twin bill slated for Saturday, Feb. 24. The month of February concludes with back-to-back non-conference matchups against Davidson on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at home and a road game against USC Upstate on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in Spartanburg, S.C. USC Upstate will return the home game with the Aggies on March 27 in a 6 p.m., contest at WMS.

Another Patriot league foe is slated to visit the Gate City as Bucknell will be the Aggies fifth different opponent at WMS to start March in a weekend series on Friday, March 2-4. Last season, Bucknell (21-28) made an appearance in the Patriot League championship series. N.C. A&T heads back to South Carolina for a midweek matchup with the SEC’s Gamecocks who were 35-25 last season, advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament.

MEAC play begins on Saturday, March 10 as the Aggies host rival North Carolina Central in a doubleheader followed by a single game on Sunday, March 11. The Aggies finished 15-9 in the MEAC last season, tying the school record for MEAC wins.

Next, N.C. A&T travels to their second ACC opponent when they face the North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday, March 13. UNC was the No. 2 national seed and won 49 games in 2017. Presbyterian comes to WMS a day later before a weekend-series with the A-10’s St. Bonaventure, March 16-18. The Bonnies went 26-22 and head coach Larry Sudbrook was honored as coach of the year in the A-10. An evening neutral site meeting with crosstown rival UNC Greensboro at First National Bank Field takes place on March 21.

Conference play resumes with a road trip against reigning MEAC tournament champion Bethune-Cookman (March 24-25) in Daytona Beach, Fla. The month of March wraps up with a trip to Savannah State for a weekend series beginning with a doubleheader on March 30.

Four home games will occur for the Aggies from April 7-11 as Florida A&M comes in for a weekend conference series before in-state non-conference rival Appalachian State visits on April 11. The Aggies will return the home game on May 2 when they go to Boone, N.C., for a midweek contest.

A short-distance trip to NCCU (April 14-15) in Durham will be followed by a three-game non-conference matchup against SWAC opponent Alabama A&M on April 20-22 at WMS. The Aggies host Bethune-Cookman and Savannah State in consecutive weekends (April 28-29 and May 5-6) to conclude their home slate. N.C. A&T closes the regular season with a three-game set at FAMU, May 11-12.

The 2018 MEAC Baseball Championship Tournament is set for May 16-19 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Aggies are looking for their first title in 13 years. The Aggies return 24 players who saw action from a 2017 squad that went 28-25, had five players voted either first or second-team All-MEAC and had a player, Cutter Dyals, selected in the MLB Draft.

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

NCAA: Prairie View A&M men’s basketball coach failed to promote compliance

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- Prairie View A&M and members of its men’s basketball staff violated extra benefit, financial aid, head coach responsibility and ethical conduct rules, according to a Division I Committee on Infractions panel.

This case was resolved through the summary disposition process, a cooperative effort in which the involved parties collectively submit the case to the Committee on Infractions in written form. The NCAA enforcement staff, university and participating parties must agree to the facts and overall level of the case to use this process instead of a formal hearing.

Penalties include two years of probation, a financial penalty, recruiting restrictions and a vacation of records. The panel also prescribed a show-cause order for the head coach, which includes a one-game suspension and a two-year show-cause order for the former assistant coach. Should the former assistant coach be employed by another NCAA school during this time, his athletics duties may be restricted.

The violations centered on an arrangement made by a former assistant coach for a friend to pay the cost of a course a student-athlete needed to take at a two-year college to maintain his eligibility. The former assistant coach engaged in unethical conduct due to involvement in this arrangement.

Additionally, even though the head coach knew the former assistant coach was locating and arranging a course for the student-athlete, he did not properly oversee these efforts. Further, the head coach later learned that a third party had paid for the course, yet he did not report this information, even though the university was investigating the matter. Because of this, the head coach did not promote an atmosphere of compliance and monitor his staff, thus failing to meet his responsibility as a head coach.

The violations occurred after the implementation of the current penalty structure, so the panel used the current Division I infractions penalty guidelines approved by the membership in 2013 and adjusted by the membership in 2017.

Download the Nov. 2017 Prairie View A&M Public Infractions Decision 

Penalties include the following:

• Public reprimand and censure for the university.
• Two years of probation from Nov. 21, 2017, through Nov. 20, 2019.
• A $5,000 fine.
• Suspension of the head coach from all coaching duties for one contest during the 2017-18 season. As part of the show-cause order, the coach must also attend NCAA Regional Rules Seminars in 2018 and 2019.
• A two-year show-cause order for the former assistant coach from Nov. 21, 2017 to Nov. 20, 2019.
• A vacation of records for the seven games the student-athlete participated in while ineligible between Dec. 20, 2016 and Jan. 16, 2017.
• The university will limit official visits in men’ basketball to 10 over the next two years (self-imposed by the university).
• A three-day delay in the start of practice for the men’s basketball team from the official start date for the 2017-18 season (self-imposed by the university).

Members of the Committee on Infractions are drawn from NCAA membership and members of the public. The members of the panel who reviewed this case are Norman C. Bay, attorney in private practice; Alberto Gonzales, dean of the law school at Belmont and former attorney general of the United States; Stephen A. Madva, retired attorney; Vince Nicastro, deputy commissioner and chief operating officer for the Big East Conference; Joe Novak, former head football coach at Northern Illinois; David M. Roberts, chief hearing officer for the panel and special advisor to the president at Southern California; and Sankar Suryanarayan, university counsel, Princeton.

COURTESY: NCAA MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS 

Alcorn looks to solve season long penalty issues

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Alcorn State’s colors are the time worn purple and gold. This year, however, yellow has seemed to become one of the primary colors. Alcorn State is the most penalized of the 123 teams in the Football Championship Subdivision. It has been flagged 129 times for 1,246 yards, 12 penalties and more than 100 yards more than runner-up North Carolina Central.

By comparison, Furman is the least penalized team in the FCS with 36.



It hasn’t crippled the Braves. They still have a 7-4 record and won the SWAC’s East Division championship for the fourth year in a row. It is clearly a source of frustration for head coach Fred McNair, however.

“It’s about guys not doing the things that they’re supposed to. We should never be seeing this many chop blocks. We have two weeks to fix it and we will,” McNair said after Alcorn was penalized nine times for 111 yards in a 7-3 loss to Jackson State last week.

Alcorn has had at least 100 yards worth of penalties in six of its 11 games this season — including each of the past three — and at least seven penalties in every game. In the last three games alone it has been penalized 42 times for 443 yards.

CONTINUE READING 

2017 Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands -- Southern vs. Grambling

2017 Celebration Bowl tickets on sale now

ATLANTA, Georgia – With the college football postseason fast approaching, tickets are now on sale for the third annual Celebration Bowl. As the Bowl season’s opening game, the Celebration Bowl is a championship-style game between the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) champions. The game will be broadcast live on ABC at noon ET on Saturday, Dec. 16, from the brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. SportsCenter on the Road will once again air live from the Stadium beginning at 10 a.m.

Establishing itself as a premier bowl game, the Celebration Bowl celebrates the heritage, legacy, pageantry, and tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. ESPN works with 100 Black Men of Atlanta to organize the game’s ancillary events which include a youth symposium, robotics showcase, fan experience and more. Each conference has claimed a victory in the event’s first two years, with MEAC Champion North Carolina A&T defeating Alcorn State 2015 and SWAC Champion Grambling State beating North Carolina Central in 2016. Two bowl champions were selected in the 2017 NFL Draft: 2015 Offensive MVP Tarik Cohen (Chicago Bears) and 2016 First Team All-SWAC member Chad Williams (Arizona Cardinals).



Fans can purchase tickets to the Celebration Bowl online at thecelebrationbowl.com or ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Prices range from $50 to $175. A full list of events surrounding the game are available on the event’s website.

For more information, visit www.TheCelebrationBowl.com, and follow the event on Twitter and Facebook.

About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of 31 collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games; FCS opening-weekend game; 14 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 300-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Albuquerque, Birmingham, Boca Raton, Boise, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Montgomery and St. Petersburg, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.



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Prairie View A&M Panthers Beat Georgia State, Win MGM Main Events Tournament Middleweight Bracket

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Prairie View A&M men's basketball won the 'Battle Of The Panthers', defeating Georgia State 71-56 in the Middleweight Bracket final of the MGM Resorts Main Events Tournament at T-Mobile Arena.

Gary Blackston posted his first double-double with game highs of 21

points and 10 rebounds along with four assists. Zachary Hamilton scored 17 points and added three assists, and Dennis Jones continued his solid play off the bench with 13 points.

Prairie View A&M shot 47 percent from the field (20-43), including a blistering 50 percent from three-point range (11-22) and 91 percent from the free throw line (20-22).

"I'm really proud of our young men," PVAMU head coach Byron Smith. "I'm happy for our administration who work so hard to give us everything we need to be successful. Georgia State has established itself as one of the top mid-major programs in the country. That is our goal here at Prairie View A&M, and today's win has us headed in that direction."

There were six lead changes in the first five+ minutes of the game before Prairie View A&M (2-3) took the lead for good on a three pointer by Jones at 13-11 with just under 14 minutes to play in the first half. After Georgia State (3-2) of the Sun Belt Conference tied the score for the final time at 13-13, a three-pointer by Blackston gave PVAMU a 16-13 lead with 12:30 to play in the first half.

The three-pointer sparked a 21-5 run over the next seven minutes, as Blackston's third three of the half provided a bookend to the run and gave Prairie View A&M a 34-18 lead with 5:29 to play in the first half.

Leading 40-27 at intermission, the lead dwindled to four points as Prairie View A&M did not make a field goal for nearly the first 10 minutes of the second half. Shay'rone Jett made a pair of layups sandwiched around a GSU basket, with the second Jett layup at the 9:15 mark sparking a 10-2 run. A pair of free throws by Jones gave PVAMU a 14-point lead at 57-43 with 6:19 to play. PVAMU never lead by less than nine points the remainder of the game.

J.D. Wallace added eight points, five rebounds, and one blocked shot. Jett added seven points, four rebounds and two blocks off the bench as PVAMU held a 14-5 advantage in second-chance points and a 23-8 advantage in bench scoring.

The Panthers limited Georgia State to 37 percent field goal shooting, including only of four of 20 from three-point range.

"We are and always will be a defense-first program," Smith said as his purple and gold-clad Panthers outrebounded Georgia State 37-25. "We really guarded well today because at times we had trouble scoring because Georgia State is very similar to us in terms of style of play."

Prairie View A&M returns to action Friday at UC-Santa Barbara. The game, scheduled for tipoff at 9 p.m. CT, can be viewed via pvpanthers.com.

BOX SCORE

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Prairie View A&M Football To End Regular Season Against Rival Texas Southern in Labor Day Classic on Saturday

HOUSTON, Texas -- Prairie View A&M football ends the 2017 season in a Saturday night showdown against Texas Southern in the 33rd Labor Day Classic at 6 p.m. at BBVA Compass Stadium.

The PVAMU Sports Network radio broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. online at pvpanthers.com/sportsnetwork with interviews with PVAMU QB Neiko Hollins and HC Willie Simmons ahead of kickoff. The game will also be televised on ATT SportsNet.

A win by the Panthers (5-5 overall, 3-3 in SWAC) would give the football program its third straight winning season, a feat only accomplished once since 1968 (four straight winning seasons from 2007-10). It would also give PVAMU a winning record in SWAC play, which would be the ninth non-losing season in conference play in the last 11 seasons.



"You seem a team that's playing its best football at this time of year," said Simmons of Texas Southern, which has won two of its last three games following an 0-7 start. "They are playing with confidence. They went on the road and won a tough road game at UAPB (24-10 last week). I expect a hard fought football game. A Mike Haywood coached football team is one that is going to be well coached, is going to be disciplined and going to play hard. They are going to make us execute."

Prairie View A&M has won two straight and three of its last four contests. Since the October 21 bye week, the Panthers have posted home wins over Bacone (34-17) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (35-12), with the victories sandwiched around the lone loss in that stretch at Southern (37-31). PVAMU is coming off a 42-28 road win last Thursday night at Incarnate Word.

In five starts under Hollins, the offense has averaged 32.6 points and 461 yards per game, with four 400+ yard games, which includes 515 total yards at Incarnate Word and 610 yards against UAPB in the last two weeks. Hollins earned SWAC Player and Newcomer of the Week honors after passing for 348 yards and a career-high tying four touchdowns. WRs Khadarel Hodge, who leads the SWAC with 12 touchdowns, and Darius Floyd, who is second in the nation in kickoff returns, each caught a pair of touchdown passes last week. Floyd had career-best 268 all-purpose yards to earn his second SWAC Specialist of the Week honor.



In those last four games, the defense has forced seven turnovers, five of them interceptions. DB Ju'Anthony Parker, who is tied for the SWAC lead in both interceptions (four) and interception returns for touchdowns (two), has two of the five picks for the defense. LB Jalyn Williams continues to rank second in the nation in tackles for loss with 19.5 and has at least one TFL in nine straight games.

The Tigers have posted road wins at Miss. Valley St. (38-21) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (24-10), sandwiched around a home loss to Southern (33-7). TSU has turned a heavy focus on running the football, rushing the football on more than 87 percent of its plays (152 of 173) in the last three weeks.



"You can throw records, you can throw everything else out the window when it comes to rival games," Simmons said. "We saw that last week with Alcorn and Jackson State (A 7-3 JSU win over SWAC East Champion Alcorn)…Whenever there's a rivalry, given our proximity being 45 minutes from each other and being the two premier HBCUs in the state of Texas, we understand how huge this game is. There's a lot riding on it for both teams, for both coaching staffs, for both administrations, the student body, the alumni bases. For 365 days, there are bragging rights."

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION