Norfolk State had a stellar regular season campaign that ended in an epic MEAC Championship moment that truly defines the craziness of March Madness season.
Trailing by 10 with two minutes left, the second-ranked South Carolina State tied the game at 65 with 10.6 seconds remaining after a forced turnover and a quick layup from Caleb McCarty. However, in the heat of the moment, he committed an intentional foul, sending the Spartans to the free-throw line.
Norfolk State’s Christian Ings made one of his two foul shots to put the Spartans back up 66-65. South Carolina State had a final chance to win the game at the buzzer but it clanked off the rim, leading Norfolk State to hold on and complete a stellar season that will continue in the March Madness tournament.
However, Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones isn’t happy with Norfolk State’s seeding in the Big Dance. The Spartans are ranked 16th on the West side of the bracket, with a game scheduled against top-ranked Florida on Friday night. In comments obtained by WKTR, Jones spoke about his displeasure with his team being ranked 16th and called out an alleged bias. Jones believes they at least should’ve been afforded a 15th seed.
“We played a really good schedule so I don’t understand. Is it that much of a MEAC bias or that much of an HBCU bias,” Jones asked. “We played who they wanted us to play, we beat who we were supposed to beat, we beat them by the metric we were supposed to beat them by and we still got a 16.”
According to WKTR, Norfolk State had the highest NET Ranking among the six teams given a 16-seed, at 183. This system helps the selection committee seed the 68 teams. Norfolk State was ranked as high as 109th in December and earned a Quad 2 win with a 77-74 victory over High Point, who later secured a 13-seed after winning the Big South.
Jones isn’t happy about the seeding, but he and his team seem determined to defy the odds.
“We’ve got to go out there with a chip on our shoulder and show the world what’s up.”
Norfolk State defined the odds in 2012 when they pulled off an upset victory over second-ranked Missouri, led by future NBA player Kyle O’Quinn. The Spartan pulled off an 86-84 victory in a game that was played 11 years to the day of Hampton’s upset of second-ranked Iowa State in 2001. Making history is certainly possible. But, Florida seems ready for the challenge.
Florida finished the season with a 30-4 record and won in the SEC Tournament title game over Tennessee. To get to the championship they faced Missouri and Alabama, winning the game decisively. Led by top-scorer Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators look to make a resounding run to the Final Four.
Thirteen years after their last upset, Norfolk State faces a tough challenge, but the Spartans are fueled by motivation as they head to Raleigh, North Carolina, for Friday night’s game.
The post Norfolk State’s Robert Jones isn’t happy with March Madness ranking appeared first on ClutchPoints.
