NORFOLK, Va. - The quarterfinal round will feature a rematch of two teams whose first meeting this year came down to the wire. On Thursday night, No. 5 seed Norfolk State takes on No. 4 seed North Carolina A&T at 8 p.m. in the MEAC tournament at Scope Arena.

The two teams tied in the regular season standings at 11-5. The Aggies own a 19-13 overall record. NSU, winners of 10 of its last 12, comes in at 14-18. The winner advances to the semifinal round on Friday at 6 p.m. against the winner of the No. 1 seed Hampton-No. 9 seed Florida A&M quarterfinal game.

Media Coverage
All games during the MEAC tournament will be available through ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app, including Thursday's contest.

The game against North Carolina A&T will also be broadcast live on Famous 1310 AM as well as Hot 91.1 FM with Ross Gordon and Matt Michalec on the call. Live audio is available through www.wgh1310.com as well as hot91.nsu.edu:8000/128. Both feeds are available on smartphones through the Famous 1310 website or through www.TuneIn.com or the TuneIn Radio App (search for "WNSB") for Hot 91.1.

Fans can also follow along with the live stats.

Series History
The Spartans had won six in a row over the Aggies before North Carolina A&T came away with a 71-68 win back on Jan. 18 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The series is now 25-21 in favor of NSU, the closest rivalry for the Spartans among all MEAC schools. The teams have met three times in the MEAC Tournament, with NSU winning two of those three matchups in 2003 and '04. The Aggies won the most recent meeting in the tournament in 2007.

Scouting North Carolina A&T
The Aggies needed overtime to survive No. 13 seed Delaware State on Monday night, 62-61. They are a team averaging 75.5 points per game and shooting 46 percent from the floor. Femi Olujobi (16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds) and Davaris McGowens (11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds) were each named All-MEAC this year. Devonte Boykins (9.4 points, 55 3-pointers), Denzel Keyes (9.3 points, 5.1 rebounds) and Aaren Edmead (9.1 points) also help in the scoring department. Kameron Langley directs the offense to the tune of 5.0 assists with 7.1 points. Opponents also make close to 46 percent overall against an Aggie team that won just three games a year ago.

Last Time Out
Norfolk State led for the entire way against No. 12 seed Maryland Eastern Shore, and the Spartans opened the MEAC tournament with a 78-68 win over the Hawks on Monday night. In a contest that did not tip until almost 10 p.m., NSU had five players score between 12 and 16 points. Steven Whitley led the way with 16 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals. The Spartans made 49 percent overall, including 11-of-19 from beyond the arc. The Hawks shot 50 percent in the second half, as the teams deadlocked at 41-all after halftime. The Spartans led by 10 at the break. In addition to Whitley, the Spartans also got double-figure scoring games from Derrik Jamerson Jr. (15), Kyle Williams (13) and Alex Long and Mastadi Pitt (12 each).

MEAC Tournament History
Last year marked the third time ever NSU advanced to the MEAC Championship game. The Spartans lost as the No. 3 seed in 2009 to top seed Morgan State and as the No. 2 seed in 2017 to top seed North Carolina Central. The Spartans also won it all in 2012 as a No. 2 seed before going on to defeat No. 2 seed Missouri in the NCAA Tournament.

NSU has been to the semifinals of the MEAC tournament eight times in the last 10 seasons. The Spartans have been a No. 4 seed or better in nine of the last 11 years. This season marks the first time in seven years the Spartans were not at least a No. 4 seed.

Series Edge
NSU has a winning record against every school in the MEAC, with several of those series covering a lot of ground in the Division II era. The Spartans' closest rival over the years has been North Carolina A&T (25-21).

Spartan Team Tidbits
 • Over the past 15 games, Norfolk State is shooting 45.3 percent overall and 37.7 percent from 3-point range, averaging 77.5 points per game. In the last 14 games, the opposition has shot 38.1 percent overall and 30.6 from deep.

 • With 11 3-pointers against Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday, Norfolk State set the school record for most 3's in a season. The Spartans now have 248, topping the previous best of 242 set in 2015-16. They also had 225 last year for the third-most ever.

 • In addition, The Spartans are currently shooting 36.0 percent from 3-point range, with the school record of 35.7 set in 1998-99. They made 57.9 percent against Maryland Eastern Shore, the 12th-best percentage in a game in their Division I history.

 • The Spartans have tallied 34.0 points in the paint, 18.0 points off turnovers and 14.0 second-chance points the past seven games. They are also +76 on the glass during that time. In addition, they have averaged 13.0 fastbreak points the last two games as well.

 • Norfolk State has been a second half team. They have scored more points in the second half than the first in 25 of 32 games, with a 39.7-32.9 points per half discrepancy (+6.8) from the second to the first. Opponents, as well, have scored the same amount or more points in the second half compared to the first half in 24 of 32 games (38.5-34.4, +4.1).

 • The Spartans also have a +2.4 rebounding margin after the break compared to a +0.6 margin before. They also shoot 45.3 percent in second halves compared to 40.8 in first halves, including a 38.0-33.8 discrepancy in 3-point shooting.

 • Seven different players have led NSU in scoring this year: Derrik Jamerson Jr. and Steven Whitley (6), Alex Long, Mastadi Pitt and Nic Thomas (5), Kyle Williams (4), and Preston Bungei (2).

 • NSU is 2-17 this year when opponents shoot at least 40 percent overall, and 5-16 when the opposition scores at least 70 points. Maryland Eastern Shore was the school both times that made at least 40 percent but did not win. The Spartans are also 1-15 when the opponent shoots better from the floor and 3-12 when the opposition shoots better from 3-point range.

 • In 21 of 32 games this year, the opposition has hit at least eight 3-pointers, including double digits in 16 games.

 • So far this year, Norfolk State has had more fouls than the other team in 23 out of 32 games. Opponents have shot at least 20 free throws in 18 of the last 22 games.

 • The Spartans used five different starting lineups in the first six games and 11 different combinations altogether this season.

 • NSU ranks first in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage (36.0) and field goal percentage defense (41.5), second in scoring defense (73.3), and third in rebounding (38.7), opponent rebounding (35.7), rebounding margin (+3.0), defensive rebound percentage (71.1), and offensive rebound percentage (33.4).

 • In conference games only, NSU ranked first in the MEAC in scoring defense (70.9), field goal percentage defense (38.4), 3-point field goal percentage (36.5), rebounding (42.9), rebounding margin (+7.2), defensive rebound percentage (71.9) and offensive rebound percentage (36.1), second in 3-point field goal percentage defense (31.4), offensive rebounds (13.7), defensive rebounds (29.3) and blocks (3.4), and third in scoring margin (+5.5).

 • On a national level, NSU stands No. 25 in offensive rebounds (12.53), No. 36 in rebounds (38.69), No. 51 in turnovers forced (14.88), No. 51 in field goal percentage defense (41.5), No. 80 in rebound margin (3.0), No. 112 in defensive rebounds (26.16), and No. 150 in blocks (3.5).

Player Tidbits
Alex Long
 • Averaging 7.1 rebounds last 14 games
 • Stands 8th in the MEAC in field goal % (51.7), 11th in blocks (0.8), 15th in rebounding (5.8) and offensive rebounds (1.8) and 30th in scoring (10.6)
 • In MEAC games only, ranked 8th in field goal % (52.2), 10th in rebounding (7.0) and defensive rebounds (4.9), 12th in offensive rebounds (2.1), and 14th in blocks (0.9)
 • Ranks 15th in NSU D-I season records in field goal % (51.7)
 • Stands 5th all-time at NSU in blocks (102)
 • Ranks No. 247 in NCAA career records in rebounds (483)

Kyle Williams
 • Ranks 8th in the MEAC in 3-point field goal % (38.6) and 10th in 3-point field goals (2.0)
 • In MEAC games only, ranked 11th in 3-point field goal % (39.0) and 15th in 3-point field goals (2.0)
 • Stands 9th in NSU D-I season records in 3-point field goals (61), 13th in 3-point field goal % (38.6), and 15th in 3-point field goal attempts (158); Also ranks 14th in overall season records in 3-point field goals
 • Ranks 11th all-time at NSU in 3-point field goal % (37.3), 14th in 3-point field goals (103) and 15th in 3-point field goal attempts (276)

Preston Bungei
 • Averaging 7.5 rebounds the last 10 games and 10.6 points on 35-of-71 shooting the last 9 games
 • 18 of his last 20 from the free throw line
 • Has at least one steal in 9 straight games
 • Ranks 12th in the MEAC in rebounding (6.1) and defensive rebounds (4.5), and 14th in blocks (0.7)
 • In MEAC games only, ranked 11th in defensive rebounds (4.8) and 13th in rebounding (6.7)

Steven Whitley
 • Averaging 14.4 points last 12 games, and 7.4 assists and 7.3 rebounds last 7 games
 • Tallied career-highs of 27 points on 12-of-16 shooting against Hampton
 • Ranks 3rd in the MEAC in steals (1.6), 6th in assists (4.7) and assist-turnover ratio (1.6), 12th in defensive rebounds (4.5), 14th in rebounding (5.8) and 18th in scoring (12.2)
 • In MEAC games only, ranked 5th in assist-turnover ratio (1.8), 6th in assists (5.3) and 28th in scoring (12.3)
 • Stands No. 95 in the nation in assists (4.7) No. 119 in steals (1.59) and No. 195 in double doubles (5)
 • Ranks 3rd in NSU D-I season records in assists (150), 4th in assist average (4.69), and 13th in steals (51); Also ranks 11th in overall season records in assists

Mastadi Pitt
 • Averaging 10.7 points last 3 games, shooting 5-of-11 from 3-point range
 • Ranks 14th in the MEAC in 3-point field goal % (36.0)

Derrik Jamerson Jr.
 • Hit 5-of-7 from 3-point range against Maryland Eastern Shore, his 7th game this year with 5 or more 3-pointers; Tied carer high with 2 assists
 • Has at least one steal in 10 straight games
 • Ranks 4th in the MEAC in 3-point field goal % (40.8) and 6th in 3-point field goals (2.3)
 • In MEAC games only, ranked 6th in 3-point field goal % (42.2) and 7th in 3-point field goals (2.4)
 • Stands No. 176 in the nation in 3-point field goals (2.34)
 • Ranks 3rd in NSU D-I season records and 4th in overall records in 3-point field goals (75), 6th and 8th in 3-point field goal attempts (184) and 5th and 13th in 3-point field goal % (40.8)
 • Ranks 6th all-time at NSU in 3-point field goal % (40.8)

Nic Thomas
 • Tied career high with 6 rebounds against Hampton
 • Ranks 8th in the MEAC in free throw % (79.3)
 • In MEAC games only, ranked 10th in free throw % (80.7) and 14th in 3-point field goal % (36.1)
 • Stands No. 223 in the nation in free throw % (79.3)
 • Stands 12th in NSU D-I season records in free throw % (79.3)

Stavian Allen
 • Averaging 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds last 12 games played

Dan Robinson
 • Ranks 12th in the MEAC in blocks (0.8)
 • In MEAC games only, ranked 7th in blocks (1.0)

Bryan Gellineau
 • Averaging 7.8 points on 20-of-31 shooting last 6 games and 3.0 rebounds last 10 games