NORFOLK, Va. - After having an unexpected weekend off, the Norfolk State men's basketball team will get back to action this weekend at home when the Spartans host Morgan State. New this year, MEAC games will be played on Saturdays and Sundays against the same opponent. Both games this weekend will begin at 2 p.m. at Joseph Echols Hall.

NSU enters the conference portion of its schedule carrying a 4-3 record after an upset of George Mason on Dec. 26 and after its games with conference foe Howard last weekend were postponed. Morgan State, which will also play its conference opener on Saturday, owns a 4-2 mark after an 80-73 upset of James Madison last Sunday.

The Spartans were picked to finish first in the MEAC Northern Division this year, while the Bears were selected second.

Media Coverage
The games will be shown live on FloHoops.com (Saturday, Sunday), with subscription plans starting at $12.50 per month. They will also be broadcast live on WNSB Blazin' Hot 91 FM, with Ross Gordon and Woube Gebre 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.

Series History
NSU has won four in a row over Morgan State to improve its all-time record to 39-15 against the Bears. Their last win over the Spartans came on Jan. 4, 2017, a 58-56 win at MSU's Hill Field House. NSU took both meetings last year, including 68-62 on the road in what turned out to be the last game of the season for the Spartans before COVID-19 shut it down. NSU has won four in a row over MSU at home and seven of the last eight, with its last home loss coming during the 2013-14 season.

Scouting the Opponent
In addition to James Madison, the Bears have also picked up wins over Iona and Delaware this year as part of their 4-2 record. De'Torrion Ware (18 points) and Troy Baxter (15 points) led Morgan State in the upset of JMU a little more than a month after the Spartans also upset the Dukes. Baxter (16.5 points) and Ware (10.2) are two of four MSU players who average in double figures for the season. Malik Miller (12.8 points, 8.0 rebounds) and Lagio Grantsaan (11.7 points) are the others. MSU is one of the best teams in the nation in free throw shooting (76.2 percent) and 3-point shooting (38.9) while scoring 75 points per game. The Bears are also adept at forcing turnovers, at 17.5 per contest, top 30 in the nation.

Last Time Out
Jalen Hawkins had 14 points, including 12 second-half points during NSU's comeback win over George Mason last Saturday, 68-65. Those 12 points came while NSU was rallying from a 14-point deficit on the road at EagleBank Arena. He hit the go-ahead layup with 28.1 seconds left, and NSU got a pair of stops in those last 30 seconds to hold on for the win. The Spartans outscored the Patriots 11-2 during the last four minutes of the game. Mustafa Lawrence (13 points), Devante Carter (12) and Kashaun Hicks (11) also scored in double figures. NSU shot 52 percent in the second half and was 7-of-17 from deep.

Quick Hits
 • NSU's win at George Mason, the first meeting between the two schools, marked the first time the Spartans won after trailing in the last minute of play since an overtime win over Bowling Green on Dec. 20, 2019.
 • All four non-conference wins this year came against in-state opponents (George Mason, Hampton, Radford, James Madison). It was the first time NSU defeated even three in-state Division I opponents in the same season since the Spartans moved to D-I in 1997-98.
 • Barring any additions to its schedule, and with a 4-3 record, NSU is guaranteed to finish regular season non-conference play at .500 or better for the first time since 2011-12. That year, they went 9-6 against non-MEAC schools during the regular season.
 • Norfolk State's defense continues to play tough. The Spartans now rank 11th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (37.2) and 15th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.2). They sit first in the MEAC in scoring defense (68.6), field goal percentage defense, and 3-point field goal percentage defense.
 • So far this year, five of NSU's seven opponents have been held to less than 40 percent overall shooting, and no team has hit better than 42 percent. No team has shot better than 32 percent from deep in any game as well.
 • NSU currently sits 14th in the nation and first in the MEAC in 3-point shooting at 40.2 percent. Two big reasons for that are sophomore Daryl Anderson (14-of-22, 63.6 percent) and Kashaun Hicks (11-of-22, 50.0 percent). Anderson's percentage would rank second in the nation if he had enough makes per game. He is currently first in the MEAC in 3-point shooting, however.
 • The Spartans are getting more than 30 points per game from their bench this year. They have outscored all seven opponents in bench points, and for the year they are outscoring teams 33.9-16.6 per game.
 • NSU has outscored five of seven opponents in points off turnovers, and for the year the Spartans hold a 15.3-13.7 edge in points off turnovers.
 • Devante Carter is third in the MEAC in scoring (16.1), fifth in rebounds (5.9) and eighth in assists (3.4). He is the only player in the league in the top 10 of all three categories.

Fan Attendance Update
Until further notice, NSU will not have fans in the stands. Echols Hall will be restricted to the team travel parties, essential personnel, media and a limited number of family members due to Governor Ralph Northam's Amendment to the Executive Order 67 that limited attendees at sports venues to 250 people.

The Norfolk State Athletics Department will sell season streaming packages through its website on Spartan Showcase Video Streaming for $50, covering both men's and women's home games. Individual game passes are also available for $10 per game. Fans can purchase cutouts through the NSU Ticket Office for $50 that will be displayed throughout the arena.

Conference Domination
Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Norfolk State is 113-31 in regular season MEAC play, a 78.5 winning percentage. Among all D-I programs, NSU ranks 11th in the nation in conference winning percentage during that time.

At 113-31 (61-11 at home - 36-4 since the start of the 2015-16 season - and 52-20 on the road), NSU is ahead of North Carolina Central (108-36) for the best record in the league since 2011. Counting MEAC tournament games, the Spartans are 125-38, while the Eagles are 125-40 during that time.

Conference Standings
The Spartans have finished fourth or better in the MEAC standings in 13 of the last 14 seasons, including nine straight years. Only 11 other teams in Division I have a longer streak than NSU of finishing in the top 4 of their respective conference standings.

Conference Streak
NSU has posted 22 straight seasons with a .500 or better conference record in its Division I era. In fact, in Norfolk State's 65 seasons in either the EIAC, CIAA or the MEAC, the program has had just one losing conference record (9-10 in the CIAA in 1990-91).

NSU ranks seventh in the nation for the longest streak of .500-or-better conference records in a row in D-I. NSU has posted 28 straight .500 or better conference records, dating back to that 1990-91 campaign.

Every other team in the MEAC has had at least one losing conference record since 2015-16.

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 at 26-23. In fact, the Spartans are one of 15 schools in the nation that have a winning record against every other school in their league.