MEAC wraparound: Significant Week 1 takeaways in the Elite Eight

Last season, Norfolk captured their second consecutive regular-season MEAC championship and MEAC tournament championship. Will this season be another year dominated by the Green and Gold or will a new champion arise?

After last season's MEAC tournament championship, the Lady Spartans have captured three championships (2002, 2023 and 2024). On the flip side, Howard will return seeking to dethrone Norfolk. Howard finished the 2023-24 season in second place after losing a close matchup in last year's championship game against Norfolk.

With Week 1 in the books for the MEAC, will there be an emerging candidate that will knock Howard or Norfolk out of the championship equation?

Here are four significant takeaways from Week 1 in the MEAC.

Norfolk's dominance continues

After the completion of Week 1, Norfolk continues to dominate the MEAC with their style of play, coaching, and core roster. NSU head coach Larry Vickers continues to motivate his team while avoiding the pitfalls of complacency.

Right now, the Lady Trojans are 3-0 and are the only remaining undefeated team in the conference. Their most impressive win came Sunday against Missouri which was their first win against an SEC program. The Green and Gold defeated Mizzou on their home floor 57-54.

Core returns

After last season's regular season and tournament championship, a majority of NSU's core roster returned. Niya Fields and Diamond Johnson returned to the team as graduate students.

Kierra Wheeler, and Da'naijah Williams, both returned for the 2024-25 season. The team will miss the presence of Paris Mullins in the frontcourt and Danielle Robinson's ability to chip in anywhere on the floor with her versatility. However, the chemistry will help this team make adjustments.

Each season the Lady Spartans continue to strengthen their non-conference play which is a result of their continued dominance in the MEAC.

The 2024-25 NSU team can beat you from the inside out or outside in. They chase loose balls, and they are physical. Other teams in the MEAC struggle to beat Norfolk (outside of Howard) because of their versatility on offense and lack of shooting.

Howard's triumph

The Lady Bison are first in the MEAC at 2-1 and are coming off a 72-48 blowout loss against VCU. Needless to say, the team has two impressive wins against Florida A&M (FAMU) and George Washington.

This season begins life without Iyanna Warren, who was a key piece to their backcourt depth and leadership. On the flip side, Destiny Howell returns after missing the entire 2023-24 season.

The return of Howell

Howell is currently averaging 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor. Her size and ability to create her own shot will help this team as the season progresses. Her size was missed in last year's tourney.

Kaiya Creek has stepped up and is averaging double figures but impacting the game on both sides of the floor. At the moment, Howard (on paper) will provide the most challenge for the defending MEAC champions.

The consistency with which Howard plays can be credited to head coach Ty Grace. She constantly sees the bigger picture and focuses on attention to detail.

A MEAC tournament championship victory this season would give Howard their 12th title in school history. They currently lead the conference in championships.

Morgan State's shooting efficiency

Morgan State enters Week 2 on a one-game losing streak, but there is plenty of upside in their young season. Right now, the program is 2-1 on the season and are showing signs of growth early on.

Jala Bannerman is leading the team in scoring with 21 points per game. She is currently shooting 58.3 percent from the floor and 57.1 percent from downtown.

Nakilah Johnson is shooting a scorching hot 66.7 percent from the game and is leading the charge in floor spacing for the Lady Bears. Laila Fair improved her shooting from last season and is shooting 50 percent from three and 60 percent from the floor.

Although it's early in the season, this year's team can space the floor for Success Prysock and Fair to attack the rim or flash in the paint for a quick bucket. Last season, the team struggled with generating easy points and knocking down threes.

Turnovers also plagued this team, but their fast break attack helped them stay in games.

North Carolina Central

North Carolina Central has gotten off to a rather slow start with a 0-3 record. Their strength of schedule should not be questioned, they have taken on Georgia and Clemson both on the road.

The Lady Eagles will have a Monday night game at home against Chattanooga but will be on a six-game road trip. During that road trip, they will take on tough matchups in Florida State, North Carolina, LSU, and North Carolina A&T.

Last season, the team finished with a 16-5 record and will have their work cut out for them this season to return to that level of play. However, Kyla Bryant has taken her scoring to another level this season.

Bryant finished last season second in scoring on her team (11.2 points) and now she is leading the team in scoring this season with 18 points. Despite it only being three games in, it's a promising sign.

Morgan Callahan's return is another positive for this program because of her nose for the boards and her ability to create second-chance points. Her passing ability from the top of the elbow is another underrated aspect of her game.

Callahan played 40 minutes in NCCU's Saturday loss against the Wofford Terriers. She finished the game with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

Bryant, Callahan, and Aysia Hinton (15 points) came to play while the rest of the team struggled. This season, the team will need to generate offense from others and to get easy buckets in transition.