PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — When the University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team fell to North Carolina Central in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament on March 10, the Hawks season appeared to be over. However, that is not the case as the Hawks will face the Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers in the first round of The Basketball Classic presented by ERACISM.
The Basketball Classic, formerly the CIT, is run by College Insiders and is a postseason event with all games taking place on campus sites. The first round began on March 14, the semifinals are scheduled for March 29, and the Championship game will take place on March 31.
Eastern Shore's game will be on Wednesday night (March 16) inside the HTC Center at Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina. The game will tip off at 7 p.m.
"The Basketball Classic is a prestigious event and we are honored to have been chosen to compete in it," head coach Jason Crafton said. "As we continue to build this program, playing in the postseason is what we are striving for and this is a great start."
The Classic will also honor HBCU Legends with the opening games of the tournament. The Hawks and Chanticleers game will be honoring Zelmo Beaty, a two-time NAIA All-American during his collegiate career at Prairie View A&M University (1958-62).
Wednesday's game will be the first time Maryland Eastern Shore has played later than the MEAC Tournament since the 2014-15 season. The Shore played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament that year and dropped their game 70-64 against the High Point Panthers.
Eastern Shore will come into the game against Coastal Carolina at full strength for the first time in almost two months. Since their game with South Carolina State on January 22, the squad has been without at least one player each game. That will change for Wednesday as junior Kohen Thompson will be back in the lineup after missing the last two games due to illness.
CCU completed the 2021-22 season with a 16-13 overall record and had an 8-8 record during Sun Belt Conference play. Second-team all-Sun Belt pick Vince Cole led the Chants on offense averaging over 15 points per game. Essam Mostafa was the team's strongest interior presence as he averaged 13.3 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game.
"Coastal Carolina has a strong team and they've achieved some impressive wins this season, so we are looking forward to the challenge of playing them in the 1st round," Crafton said.
The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+. Live stats and radio will also be available for the game. All links can be found at easternshorehawks.com on the men's basketball schedule page.
