Clayton, Joseph secure Iona's 72-68 win over No. 10 Alabama Nelly Joseph and Walter Clayton Jr. made key free throws in the final seconds to lift Iona over No. 10 Alabama 72-68 in an opening-round game at the ESPN Events Invitational on Thursday night. read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401365250
A conference that had already seen major recent attrition with the defection of Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M to the SWAC, Hampton and North Carolina A&T to the Big South (and now CAA) and Savannah State back to Division II appears set to sustain another blow in 2022-23. HBCU Gameday reported that Howard will depart for the CAA after next season (MEAC commissioner Sonja Stills has denied those reports, and the league's current schools issued a statement of solidarity that casts some doubt on Howard's plans), which if accurate would bring a conference that had 12 members as recently as 2019 to just seven schools. Included among potential (and necessary) targets for MEAC expansion is conference-shopping Chicago State, though football-playing members for a conference about to be reduced to five gridiron members will have to be the major priority for MEAC stakeholders. The MEAC's presidents and athletic directors have reportedly been divided on the subject of Chicago State's addition to the league. Future look: Coppin State, Delaware State, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina Central, South Carolina State