Norfolk State wins MEAC Tournament and earns automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament

Conference player of the year, Joe Bryant Jr. scored 23 points and top-seeded Norfolk State used 9-4 run to finish off Coppin State 72-57 on Saturday to win the Mid-East Athletic Conference tournament championship and an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.

Bryant was 5 of 9 from beyond the 3 point arc and Norfolk State (23-6) was 11 of 23 from long range.

Head coach Robert Jones has now lead the Spartans to two consecutive NCAA Tournaments and an NCAA Tournament First Four win over Appalachian State in 2021.

The conference champions went 12-2 to claim the top tournament seed, and have won at least a share of the regular season title in three of the last four seasons.

Maryland's HBCUs would get autonomy from state system under new bill

A Maryland delegate wants to give the state's historically Black colleges and universities greater independence by separating their governance from the University System of Maryland.

The proposal, if passed by the General Assembly, would grant autonomy to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Bowie State University and Coppin State University.

Delegate Julian Ivey, D-Prince George's County, said his bill would help correct funding disparities among state institutions. The HBCUs would remain publicly funded, but would have greater individual control, he said.

Ivey said his proposal would give Bowie State, Coppin State and UMES their own Boards of Regents, so that university leaders answer to "individuals who have attended HBCUs, who are invested in HBCUs."

"That would make it easier for presidents to advocate effectively for what the university actually needs, rather than just taking what the Board of Regents is willing to give them," Ivey said.

Each of the new Boards of Regents would have diversity goals, including a chair who attended an HBCU, at least five members who attended HBCUs, and a majority of board members who are Black.

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