The MEAC Basketball Tournament is a single-elimination championship playoff that involves Division I historically black colleges and universities located across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman, Coppin State, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Howard, Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central, Savannah State, and South Carolina State.

The tournament games are played at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Virginia. Both the men’s and women’s champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament. The North Carolina A&T State Lady Aggies and North Carolina Central Eagles won the 2018 women’s and men’s titles, respectively, and received bids to the NCAA Tournament.