NORFOLK, Va. - The last home game of the 2019-20 season also means it is Senior Night for the Norfolk State men's basketball team. On Saturday, the Spartans will celebrate their two seniors while hosting Howard at 6:30 p.m. at Joseph Echols Hall on Alumni Weekend.

NSU will finish out the regular season with two road games at Delaware State on Monday and at Morgan State next Thursday. The Spartans own a 9-4 MEAC record, one loss behind North Carolina A&T (11-3) and North Carolina Central (10-3) for first place in the league. In order to clinch a share of the regular season title, NSU would need to win out and hope both of those schools lose once more.

But first, on Saturday, NSU will hold Senior Night for guards Steven Whitley and Jermaine Bishop.

Media Coverage
The games will be broadcast live on Hot 91.1 FM with Ross Gordon and Woube Gebre (Saturday only) on the call. The audio feed is available through www.TuneIn.com or the TuneIn Radio App (search for "WNSB").

Fans can also follow along with the live stats and the live video feed for Saturday. The live video feed also carries the radio broadcast. Delaware State will have live video and live stats for Monday's game as well.

Series History
NSU is looking to make it a sweep this year after topping Howard 71-63 on the road on Jan. 11. The Spartans stretched their lead in the all-time series to 47-11 with that victory. They have won 18 of the last 20, although Howard won last year's meeting at Echols Hall, 98-95.

The Spartans have won the last five meetings with Delaware State, whose last win came at home by a 67-64 margin during the 2015-16 season. NSU leads the all-time series, 36-24, after taking the first meeting this season at Echols Hall, 85-57 on Feb. 8.

Scouting the Opponents
The Bison are still searching for their first MEAC win of the year, as they sit 0-13 in the league and 2-26 overall. Their only Division I win of the year came on Dec. 5 at Hampton in overtime, 94-91. Despite the difficult year under first-year head coach Kenneth Blakeney, nine of Howard's 13 MEAC losses have been by 10 points or less. Saturday will mark HU's fifth-straight road game.

Earlier this year, Charles Williams became the MEAC's all-time leading scorer, and the senior averages 18.2 points per game. Wayne Bristol Jr. is the MEAC's top freshman scorer at 12.2 points, and Kyle Foster (9.1 points) and Nate Garvey (8.8 points) also add some scoring touch. HU is the MEAC's top 3-point shooting team at 34.3 percent.

The Hornets have lost seven in a row since a home win over Coppin State on Feb. 1. DSU sits 2-11 in the MEAC, 3-24 overall, although its other conference victory came at home on Jan. 11 by two points to North Carolina Central.

John Crosby averages 19.9 points per game as the team's only double-digit scorer, although DSU does average 72 points per game. Opponents, however, have found much success, averaging 84 points per game, shooting 47 percent overall, and holding a +5.5 rebounding margin over the Hornets on the season.

Last Time Out
Bethune-Cookman held NSU to just 22 percent shooting for the night (17-of-77), and the Wildcats hit 49 percent themselves in a 78-55 win over the Spartans last Monday at B-CU's Moore Gymnasium. Norfolk State held a 20-7 advantage in offensive boards and had half as many turnovers as B-CU (22-11) but could not capitalize.

NSU got 18 points from Jermaine Bishop and 17 from Devante Carter, although it came on a combined 12-of-41 shooting. Isaiah Bailey led B-CU with 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds, Cletrell Pope added 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Mailk Maitland contributed 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The Wildcats held a 50-40 edge on the glass, the most rebounds by an NSU opponent since the start of the 2018-19 season.

Senior Facts
Steven Whitley
 • Averaging 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 steals last 5 games
 • Stands 7th in the MEAC in in assist-turnover ratio (1.3), 8th in assists (3.1) and steals (1.5), 15th in rebounding (5.2), and 18th in scoring (10.2)
 • In MEAC games only, ranks 7th in steals (1.5), 13th in assists (2.7), 13th in defensive rebounds (4.0), and 16th in rebounding (5.6)
 • Stands No. 181 in the nation in steals (1.50)
 • Ranks 15th in NSU Division I season records in assist average (3.14)
 • Ranks 7th all-time at NSU in assists (377), 9th in assist average (3.97), 11th in steals (146), and No. 37 in points (1,016)
 • In NCAA D-I active career leaders, ranks No. 33 in steals (170), No. 49 in assists (414), No. 50 in assist-turnover ratio (1.34), No. 92 in games played (126), No. 144 in rebounds (566), and No. 251 in points (1,118)
 • Preseason All-MEAC Second Team

Jermaine Bishop
 • Has scored in double figures in 14 straight games, averaging 17.3 points; Also averaging 5.0 rebounds last 6 games
 • Has 59 3-point attempts last 5 games
 • Had 20 field goal attempts at Bethune-Cookman (2/24), the first NSU player with at least 20 since Jonathan Wade on Dec. 10, 2016
 • Ranks 2nd in the MEAC in 3-point field goals (3.0), 6th in scoring (14.7) and 3-point field goal % (37.9), and 7th in minutes (33.0)
 • In MEAC games only, ranks 2nd in 3-point field goals (3.5) and free throw % (88.6), 4th in scoring (17.3), 7th in 3-point field goal % (39.3), and 9th in minutes (34.2)
 • Stands No. 28 in the nation in 3-point field goals (2.96) and No. 52 in 3-point field goal % (37.9)
 • Ranks 3rd in NSU Division I season records and 4th in overall records in 3-pointers (83), and 3rd and 4th, respectively, in 3-point field goal attempts (219)
 • At 85.9% free throw shooting, is on pace along with teammate Joe Bryant Jr. (91.9%) to top the school record of 85.6% set by David Donerlson (1991-92), and the school's Division I record of 83.3% held by two players
 • Also ranks 11th all-time at NSU in 3-point field goal % (37.9)
 • In NCAA D-I active career leaders, ranks No. 34 in free throw % (85.6), and No. 322 in 3-point field goals (127)

Recent Trends
 • NSU's scoring margin of +4.7 is on pace to be its best in its Division I era, topping last year's mark of +4.1. Its current scoring defense of 64.9 is on pace to be the second best. In addition, the team's field goal % defense of 40.4 and 3-point field goal % defense of 30.0 are currently third in NSU D-I records, and its 70.3 free throw shooting percentage is the fourth-best.
 • NSU's scoring defense (64.9) and 674 3-point attempts are currently fourth best in overall schools records as well.
 • The Spartans have shot a combined 157 3-point attempts the last 5 games (31.4 per game).
 • In the last eight games, opponents have averaged 17.1 turnovers per game, and NSU has tallied 9.0 steals during that time.
 • NSU has outscored opponents in points off turnovers in 14 of the last 19 games and are averaging 18.0 points off turnovers the last eight games. The Spartans have outscored or been even with opponents in second-chance points in 14 of the last 16 games.
 • The Spartans are outscoring teams in every specialty stat category: points off turnovers (17.3-13.1), second-chance points (10.4-8.5), points in the paint (26.4-24.6), fastbreak points (9.4-7.2), and bench points (22.6-17.0).
 • The guard foursome of Bishop, Bryant, Whitley and Carter have combined for 72 of the team's 85 double-digit scoring performances this year.
 • NSU has used 12 different starting lineups this year and none more than five times.
 • In 22 of the Spartans' 28 games this year, they have scored the same amount or more points in the second half than the first (+6.3 points per second half), including 10 of the last 11 games. They did the same in 28 of 36 games last year, when they averaged 8.1 points more in second halves than first halves. Opponents have done the same in 20 of 28 games this year.
 • The Spartans also shoot better in second halves (43.0-39.2) and have a better turnover margin as well (+1.3 - +0.6). Opponents shoot better in second halves too (42.7-38.1).
 • The Spartans have also had the same amount or more fouls than the opposition in 21 of 28 games this season (+2.2 in fouls per game). They did the same in 26 of 36 games last year (+2.2).
 • The Spartans shot 22.1 percent (17-of-77) at Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 24, their worst shooting night since a 10-of-46 effort (21.7 percent) at Illinois State on Dec. 18, 2011.
 • The team had 36 3-point attempts against Delaware State (Feb. 8) and at Bethune-Cookman (Feb. 24), and 35 versus Coppin State (Feb. 17), just short of the program record of 37 set two seasons ago. Only six other times in its history has NSU made more 3-pointers in a game than its total of 13 versus DSU.

Conference Standings
The Spartans have finished fourth or better in the MEAC standings in 12 of the last 13 seasons, including eight straight years. Only 13 other teams in Division I have a longer streak than NSU's eight of finishing in the top 4 of their respective conference standings (see table page 8).

They secured their second-ever MEAC regular season title last year at 14-2, joining the 2012-13 team that finished 16-0.