NORFOLK, Va. – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference unveiled the 2019 men's and women's basketball tournament brackets late Thursday night, and thanks to strong regular-season performances, the Norfolk State men and women have received first-round byes.

The Spartan men (19-12, 14-2 MEAC) won their first MEAC regular-season title since 2013 and enter next week's tournament as the No. 1 seed in the men's bracket. NSU receives a first-round bye before playing in a 6 p.m. quarterfinal on Wednesday against the winner of a first-round game between Maryland Eastern Shore and South Carolina State.

Should NSU win its quarterfinal game against either MDES or SCSU, the Spartans would have Thursday off before playing in a 6 p.m. semifinal on Friday. The men's championship game is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN 3.

The NSU women (15-14, 10-6 MEAC) earned the No. 4 seed by virtue of a conference tie-breaker with Howard, which also finished 10-6 in MEAC play. The Spartans ended the regular-season on a high note by defeating the Bison 74-59 on Thursday and securing the fourth and final first-round tournament bye. NSU does not play its first tournament game until Thursday at approximately 2 p.m. against the winner of a first-round game between Howard and Florida A&M.

The women's semifinal games are Friday afternoon. The championship game is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, and will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and tape-delayed on ESPNU.

For the seventh straight year, the tournament is being held at the Norfolk Scope Arena. NSU has sold out of its allotment of tickets, but fans can purchase tickets at the Scope box office, Ticketmaster outlets or through the MEAC office. For more information, call (757) 951-2055.