The Delaware State men's basketball team has spent the entire week in Winston-Salem, N.C., just waiting to get its turn in the spotlight.
Delaware State (15-13 overall) will finally take to the court in today's quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament when it tips off against Florida A&M (9-22) at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum at 6 p.m.
Jay Threatt, the senior point guard for the No. 3-seeded Hornets, said he believes DSU is ready to try to win the MEAC tournament for only the second time in school history. The Hornets won the MEAC tourney in 2004-05.
"I wish we were playing [earlier in the week]," Threatt said. "Instead, we're just waiting for [tonight]. It really doesn't matter to me who we're going to play; we have a lot of confidence as a team."
FAMU, the tournament's No. 11 seed, overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to stun No. 6 Coppin State 74-72 in an opening-round game Tuesday evening. The Hornets have gone 1-9 against the Rattlers in their tournament history.
DSU and Florida A&M met once during the regular season, with the Hornets winning 65-51 on Jan. 23 at Memorial Hall. Freshman guard Tahj Tate led four Hornets in double figures with 19 points.
Delaware State last played March 1. The team has held five practice sessions while in North Carolina and believes it is still crisp.
"I feel like we're good," Threatt said. "We've got a lot of confidence here to win this tournament. We'll definitely be relying on our defense again."
DSU coach Greg Jackson has been impressed at the attitude of his team, which features only two seniors.
"This young basketball team has shown a lot of character throughout the season," Jackson said. "This team has grown up fast. We've still got a ways to go, but they're trying to do the things I'm asking them to do."
Tate has bought into Jackson's philosophy. After being suspended for four games early in the season for undisclosed reasons, he has become a team leader on and off the court.
Sophomore forward Casey Walker has been lethal from the outside for DSU this season and averages 13.2 points per contest. He has gone 72-for-198 (36 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Junior forward Marques Oliver averages 11.5 points per game and leads the team with 200 rebounds (7.1 rpg).
While the scoring numbers are always nice, it's a lockdown defense that has led to Delaware State's success, including a school-record 10-game MEAC winning streak this season.
Threatt, who broke the DSU record for steals this year, leads the team with 78 steals this season. The entire team has a combined 222 steals, which has helped them limit opponents to just 64.4 points per game.
Six of DSU's last eight games of the regular season were decided in the final seconds or in overtime.
Should that happen tonight, Jackson will more than likely try to get the ball in Oliver's hands. He converted a three-point play with 1.3 seconds left to give DSU an 84-81 victory over Coppin State (Feb. 11) and then knocked down a put-back as time expired to lead the Hornets to a 74-73 win over Morgan State (Feb. 13).
Oliver said the Hornets are ready.
"This is a team that never gives up," Oliver said. "We've been working hard at the end of games playing defense, and it has been paying off for us."
Delaware State (15-13 overall) will finally take to the court in today's quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament when it tips off against Florida A&M (9-22) at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum at 6 p.m.
Jay Threatt, the senior point guard for the No. 3-seeded Hornets, said he believes DSU is ready to try to win the MEAC tournament for only the second time in school history. The Hornets won the MEAC tourney in 2004-05.
"I wish we were playing [earlier in the week]," Threatt said. "Instead, we're just waiting for [tonight]. It really doesn't matter to me who we're going to play; we have a lot of confidence as a team."
FAMU, the tournament's No. 11 seed, overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to stun No. 6 Coppin State 74-72 in an opening-round game Tuesday evening. The Hornets have gone 1-9 against the Rattlers in their tournament history.
DSU and Florida A&M met once during the regular season, with the Hornets winning 65-51 on Jan. 23 at Memorial Hall. Freshman guard Tahj Tate led four Hornets in double figures with 19 points.
Delaware State last played March 1. The team has held five practice sessions while in North Carolina and believes it is still crisp.
"I feel like we're good," Threatt said. "We've got a lot of confidence here to win this tournament. We'll definitely be relying on our defense again."
DSU coach Greg Jackson has been impressed at the attitude of his team, which features only two seniors.
"This young basketball team has shown a lot of character throughout the season," Jackson said. "This team has grown up fast. We've still got a ways to go, but they're trying to do the things I'm asking them to do."
Tate has bought into Jackson's philosophy. After being suspended for four games early in the season for undisclosed reasons, he has become a team leader on and off the court.
Sophomore forward Casey Walker has been lethal from the outside for DSU this season and averages 13.2 points per contest. He has gone 72-for-198 (36 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Junior forward Marques Oliver averages 11.5 points per game and leads the team with 200 rebounds (7.1 rpg).
While the scoring numbers are always nice, it's a lockdown defense that has led to Delaware State's success, including a school-record 10-game MEAC winning streak this season.
Threatt, who broke the DSU record for steals this year, leads the team with 78 steals this season. The entire team has a combined 222 steals, which has helped them limit opponents to just 64.4 points per game.
Six of DSU's last eight games of the regular season were decided in the final seconds or in overtime.
Should that happen tonight, Jackson will more than likely try to get the ball in Oliver's hands. He converted a three-point play with 1.3 seconds left to give DSU an 84-81 victory over Coppin State (Feb. 11) and then knocked down a put-back as time expired to lead the Hornets to a 74-73 win over Morgan State (Feb. 13).
Oliver said the Hornets are ready.
"This is a team that never gives up," Oliver said. "We've been working hard at the end of games playing defense, and it has been paying off for us."
