UNCASVILLE, Conn. - The Spartans close out the 2018 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament this weekend with a pair of games at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. First, the Norfolk State men's basketball team will face Siena on Friday night at 8:30 p.m.

NSU will then play either Stony Brook or Holy Cross. Should the Spartans win Friday night, they would compete on Sunday at 11 a.m. in the winner's game of the Springfield Bracket. A loss on Friday night to Siena would force the Spartans to play on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m.

Media Coverage
Both games this weekend will be broadcast live on ESPN3, with Pat O'Keefe handling play-by-play. The games can be viewed through the WatchESPN app for Siena and for Stony Brook. The tournament will also host live stats through its StatBroadcast page for Siena and Stony Brook.

Series History
Norfolk State and Siena have never meet in their respective histories. The Spartans have also never played Holy Cross.

They have seen Stony Brook on the court before, a 74-68 victory for the Spartans last year up in New York. Ironically, as part of a home-and-home, Stony Brook will return to Echols Hall on Nov. 27, and the teams could potentially meet up twice in a week and a half. The Spartans haven't faced a non-conference opponent twice in one season since the 2011-12 campaign, when they played Marquette as part of the Paradise Jam (once at Marquette, once in the U.S. Virgin Islands).

Scouting Siena
The Saints stand 1-1 on the season, falling by 10 to Providence but defeating George Washington on the road last Thursday by eight. Both Providence and George Washington are part of the tournament's Naismith Bracket, which also includes Michigan and South Carolina. Siena shot 40 percent from 3-point range (25-of-62) over its first two games as well as 42 percent overall. The Saints have also turned the ball over just 10 times per game and held a slight rebounding edge combined against their higher major opponents. Three players have hit double figures, including Jalen Pickett (13.0 points, 7.5 assists) and Kevin Degnan (12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds). Sloan Seymour has tallied 10.5 points, and he and Degnan have combined to hit 15-of-27 from deep. Evan Fisher (9.5 points, 6.0 rebounds) is another name to watch out for as well.

Scouting Holy Cross
The Crusaders own a 1-2 record on the year, falling to both Michigan and Providence after picking up a season-opening victory over Sacred Heart. The opposition has managed to shoot 49 percent from the floor so far, although just 30 percent from deep. Holy Cross is hitting 39 percent from beyond the arc, with Austin Butler (11.3 points), Jacob Grandison (11.0) and Caleb Green (10.0) leading the way. Butler and Grandison combine for 10 rebounds a game, although Holy Cross has lost the rebounding edge this year by four boards per game. Connor Niego (8.7 points) and Patrick Benzan (8.3 points) have also played a part on offense. The Crusader have made just eight free throws per game while getting outblocked by a combined 17-2 so far this season.

Scouting Stony Brook
The Seawolves got off to a hot start, defeating both George Washington and South Carolina on the road by a combined five points to start the year. Stony Brook tallied 80 points per game over that time despite shooting just 39 percent from the field compared to 47 percent for the opposition. The Seawolves have been +12.0 on the glass, with a pair of players playing big early on. Akwasi Yeboah (18.0 points, 9.5 rebounds) and Elijah Olaniyi (17.0 points, 9.5 rebounds) have led the way despite combining to shoot less than 33 percent. Miles Latimer (13.0 points) and Andrew Garcia (12.5) have also contributed early on, with Jaron Cornish (6.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds) doing a little bit of everything as well. Stony Brook has also benefitted from George Washington and South Carolina hitting just 50 percent from the free throw line (30-of-60), compared to 36-of-50 for the Seawolves.

Last Time Out
South Carolina shot 52 percent overall and made 11 3-pointers on the way to an 81-64 win over Norfolk State on Tuesday night at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks had a pair of players score 18 points each with Hassani Gravett shooting 5-of-6 from deep. A.J. Lawson also had 18 points with eight assists and six rebounds. NSU made 10 3-pointers for the night, with Nic Thomas hitting five in a row late in the game as part of a 5-of-7 night. He finished with 15 points as the only NSU scorer in double figures. He and Joe Bryant Jr. combined to score the last 23 points of the game for the Spartans. NSU made 43 percent from the floor (20-of-47), including 10-of-22 from 3-point range. Bryant, Mastadi Pitt, Alex Long and Jordan Butler each scored eight.

Player Tidbits
Alex Long
 • Preseason All-MEAC 2nd Team
 • Stands 4th all-time at NSU in blocks (108)
 • Ranks 8th in the MEAC in blocks (1.3), 12th in defensive rebounds (4.3) and 14th in rebounding (5.5)

Steven Whitley
 • Preseason All-MEAC 2nd Team
 • Ranks 9th in the MEAC in assists (3.0) and 12th in assist-turnover ratio (1.0)

Mastadi Pitt
 • Tied career high with 5 rebounds vs. Mid-Atlantic Christian
 • Ranks 4th in the MEAC in assist-turnover ratio (3.0) and 9th in assists (3.0)
 • Stands No. 130 in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (3.00)

Derrik Jamerson Jr.
 • Tied career high with 2 assists vs. Mid-Atlantic Christian
 • Ranks 8th all-time at NSU in 3-point field goal % (39.5) and 20th in 3-point field goals (81)

Nic Thomas
 • Made career-best 5 3-pointers at South Carolina, all in a row in less than 5 minutes of action
 • Set career high with 3 steals vs. Mid-Atlantic Christian
 • Ranks 8th in the MEAC in 3-point field goals per game (2.5), 9th in field goal percentage (51.4), 10th in scoring (14.0) and 14th in 3-point field goal percentage (47.6)
 • Stands No. 159 in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (47.6) and 224 in 3-point field goals per game (2.50)

Jordan Butler
 • Named MEAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 13
 • Second all-time at NSU in blocks (174)
 • Ranks 1st in the MEAC in blocks (2.3), 11th in free throw percentage (84.6) and 15th in defensive rebounds (3.8)
 • Stands No. 83 in the nation in blocks (2.25) and No. 228 in free throw percentage (84.6)

C.J. Kelly
 • Shot 8-of-9 vs. Mid-Atlantic Christian, tied for the fifth-best percentage in a game in NSU D-I history (minimum 7 field goals)
 • Had career-high 21 points, 3 steals, 8-of-9 field goals, 2-of-3 3-point field goals, and 3-of-4 free throws against Mid-Atlantic Christian
 • Had career-high 4 rebounds at Michigan
 • Ranks 4th in the MEAC in field goal percentage (59.1) and 30th in scoring (9.0)

Joe Bryant Jr.
 • Went for career-high 8 points on 3-of-6 shooting at South Carolina
 • Had career high of 4 rebounds vs. Mid-Atlantic Christian and 3 assists at Michigan

Armani Branch
 • Tied career highs with 2 assists and 2 steals at South Carolina

Kyonze Chavis
 • Made career-best 2-of-3 from the free throw line at South Carolina and tied career high with 3 rebounds
 • Had career highs of 10 points, 4-of-6 field goals, 2 assists and 2 steals against Mid-Atlantic Christian

BJ Fitzgerald
 • Totaled career highs of 15 points, 5-of-10 field goals, 4-of-4 free throws and 6 rebounds vs. Mid-Atlantic Christian

Chris Ford
 • Had 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks against Mid-Atlantic Christian, all career highs

Back-to-Back Big Games
The wins over Mid-Atlantic Christian and then Clarion marked the first time in NSU's Division I history the Spartans won back-to-back games by at least 25 points. They also scored 52 points off turnovers during that two-game stretch.

MEAC Rankings
The Spartans sit second in the MEAC in scoring defense (60.0), blocks (5.0) and turnover margin (+6.50), and third in scoring margin (+12.5), field goal percentage defense (36.9), 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.3), defensive rebounds (28.3) and defensive rebound percentage (70.6).

National Rankings
On a national level, Norfolk State ranks 34th in turnover margin (+6.5), 38th in turnovers forced (19.00), 42nd in scoring defense (60.0), 63rd in field goal percentage defense (36.9), 68th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.3) and 90th in blocks per game (5.0).

March to 100
With 89 wins now, head coach Robert Jones is 11 away from reaching 100 for his career. His 100th win would also give him the most of any NSU coach in the Division I era, topping the 99 Anthony Evans had from 2007-13. Only four coaches in NSU history have accumulated 100 wins.

Busy Stretch
The Spartans began the season with three games in five days from Nov. 6-10. It is one of three such stretches for NSU this year. They will also play three games in five days from Nov. 16-20 and then again from Nov. 27-Dec. 1. Of its 15 non-conference games this year, Norfolk State plays nine of them in November.