Justin Timberlake is on his “Suit & Tie” in his new album PAGE 8
aTTenTion seniors! you haVe 51 days lefT unTil GraduaTion
The A&T
RegisteR Free
voLuMe LXXXvi no. 19
MarCh 20, 2013
nCaTregisTer.CoM
SERVING THE AGGIE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 100 YEARS
Wednesday
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH CAROLINA A&T
hisTory in The MakinG for a&T aggies heading to Lexington to take on Louisville
PhOTO COUrTesY OF alicia funderburk-The a&T regisTer
After 18 long years the Men’s Basketball team, led by first year head coach Cy Alexander, are MEAC champions and will be making their tenth appearance in the NCAA tournament. N.C. A&T now has 16 MEAC Championships, which is more than any other university in the MEAC. This year’s MEAC title marks Alexander’s sixth as a head coach, but his first with A&T. The Aggies are 19-16, which is the most wins they have had in a single season since the 1987-88 season where the team went 26-3 and won the MEAC trophy. The Aggies credit their hard work on the defensive side of the ball, as the reason they have made it this far. “We took pride in that [defense] night after night and we got it done this year,” said junior guard Lamont Middleton. The Aggies had to face four teams they had already played in the regular season to win the MEAC title. First was Florida A&M University who they defeated 65-54. In the second game, the Aggies took on their rival N.C. Central in an impressive 55-42 victory. The third match up was against Delaware State where they defeated the Hornets 84-78. Finally, the Aggies went head to head against the Bears of Morgan State for the MEAC Championship where they showed their resilience in a 57-54 victory. Throughout the season, the Aggies struggled with consistency. They mustered a two game winning streak, but were never able to further their win
streak. However, during the MEAC tournament, the Aggies were not only able to overcome inconsistent play, but went on to gain a four game winning steak, ultimately to be named champions. “[Getting over that hump] gave us momentum, the confidence to just continue to play hard and collect victories throughout the tournament,” said Middleton. Going into the MEAC tournament, the Aggies were not expected to do well because of their sub par play during the regular season. “Nobody believed in us and we made it,” said senior forward Adrian Powell. Despite disbelief, current Aggies, Aggie Alum and the administrative staff continued to show their support for the team in the tournament. “I really appreciate the fans and the administration coming out to support the young men the way they have,” said Alexander. At the conclusion of the championship game, Powell had 14 points and two rebounds. Powell made two clutch free throws that determined the outcome of the game. Lamont Middleton scored 13 points, while senior forward and conference defensive player of the year Austin Witter finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. “I thought those guys were consistent and that really helped us throughout the four games in the tournament,” said Alexander. Adrian Powell was named the MEAC tournament MVP. “He deserves everything, and it’s a great opportunity for him,” said Alexander. Powell believes he owes all of his MVP recognition to his teammates. “Without them, I couldn’t get the ball and
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uniQua Quillins
Register Reporter
knock down shots like I do,” said Powell. Alexander hopes to continue to keep Aggie Pride growing at A&T through the basketball program. “I hope you all are satisfied with the job that we’ve done this year and hope to continue Aggie Pride in a big way over the next decade or so,” said Alexander. In support of the MEAC Champs, the Office of Student Activities hosted a NCAA watch party. In the NCAA tournament opener last night, the Aggies faced the Liberty Flames of Lynchburg, Va. in the University of Dayton Arena. They put their nationally ranked defense to the test and were able to defeat the Flames See hisTory on Page 2
Photo by alicia funderburk • The a&T regisTer
sTudenTs who attended the watch party last night in stallings Ballroom celebrated at the end of the game when the aggies beat Liberty 73-72 .
Photo by alicia funderburk • The a&T regisTer
PhotoS by alicia funderburk• The a&T regisTer
Junior Guard Jeremy Underwood playing tight defense during the howard basketbal game on Jan. 19. aggies won 61-37.
senior poWer Demetrius Upchurch (Left) and austin Witter play to stay active in the NCaa tourney as this is their last season in an aggie jersey.
theYARD
theWORD
theSCORE
theSCENE
surveys avaiLaBLe
aggies celebrate Founder’s day
Who will win the nCaa tourney?
Powell scores 1,000th point
and the Woodie goes to...
Keep up with breaking news on our Web site. Slideshows, videos and more are available online.
N.C. A&T will host a convocation in honor of the founding of the university tomorrow morning.
Fill out your brackets. The NCAA tournament games will not be in full effect until Thursday night. Checkout who we picked to win.
Upon winning the MEAC tournament, senior forward Adrian Powell scores his 1,000th point.
The 2013 MTVu Woodie Awards took place on Sunday and we have an exclusive interview with A$AP Rocky, MGK and Dillon Francis.
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WEATHER Wednesday
56° Low: 29° High:
Thursday: Mostly Sunny | High 45° Friday: Mostly Cloudy | High 49°