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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Wildcats Men's Basketball team played on their biggest stage to date Monday in a nationally televised match against Alcorn State University hosted at B-CU’s Moore Gymnasium.
Wildcat fans received t-shirts for the “White Out” game, which was broadcast on ESPN2. Monday marked the sixth meeting between B-CU and Alcorn State, with B-CU trailing in the series 2-4.
Sophomore guard Zion Harmon scored 23 for the second straight game, but a late Alcorn layup was the difference as the Wildcats dropped a 70-67 decision. Though the Wildcats’ late comeback rally was thwarted, B-CU’s director of athletic communications Bryce Hoynoski said the exposure to ESPN’s fan base is still great for the university.
"National coverage is huge for a program like ours,” he said. “Any time you display the Bethune-Cookman brand to the ESPN audience, with so many basketball fans unfamiliar with the university, HBCU culture, and the story of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, [it] goes a long way as we look to continue to establish that identity nationwide and bring in both new fans and new students alike. It's a great building block for all programs and the university as a whole, not just basketball.”
Junior B-CU guard Ken Evans Jr. is the SWAC's second leading scorer, averaging 19 points per game on 44 percent shooting and 45 percent from three. Junior forward Zeke Cook is the SWAC's leading rebounder, averaging 7.7 boards per game. Senior Center Jordan O'Neal has 30 blocks on the year, nine more than the conference's next-closest player.
In 2021, the Wildcats hosted a game on ESPNU — the sports network’s online-only broadcasting arm — and the broadcast talent and production team were very impressed by the game day environment in Moore Gymnasium.
“It's a basketball venue unlike any other in the country,” Hoynoski said, crediting “the unmatched enthusiasm and school spirit that we have on this campus,” for winning over the decision-makers at ESPN and wooing them back to campus. “[That is] something students and alums should be proud of.”
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