NORFOLK, Va. - Norfolk State can extract some revenge this weekend when the Spartan men's basketball team hosts Coppin State for a pair of contests. Game 1 will start at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Joseph Echols Hall. Game 2 is set for Monday at 7 p.m. live on ESPNU.

The Spartans can even the score after Coppin State won both games on its home court in January. NSU sits a half game behind CSU in the MEAC Northern Division standings at 4-3, 9-6 overall. The Eagles own a 6-11 overall record, 5-3 in the league. Both teams are chasing first-place Morgan State (5-2).

Media Coverage
Derek Jones and Cory Alexander will have Monday's call live on ESPNU, which is also available through the ESPN App.

The games will 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 follow along with the live stats and the live video feed (Sunday only). The video feed also carries the radio broadcast.

Series History
The Eagles broke a 14-game losing streak to Norfolk State with two wins at CSU last month, 81-71 and then 81-77. The Spartans had not lost to Coppin State since the 2011-12 season, when the Eagles won 87-82 at Echols Hall, or at CSU since the 2006-07 season. NSU has won seven in a row on its home court since that loss in 20212 and still leads the all-time series by a 33-13 margin.

Coppin State at a Glance
The Eagles are looking to bounce back after a pair of home losses this past week at home to Morgan State. Anthony Tarke had 22 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 95-82 loss to MSU. The stat stuffer averages 16.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game. Dejuan Clayton is second on the team with 15.3 points. The Eagles are great at forcing turnovers (17.0 per game), but they struggle on the boards to the tune of a -11.7 rebound margin. In addition to Tarke and Clayton, Koby Thomas (12.2 points, 6.0 rebounds) and Kyle Cardaci (10.1 points) also reach double figures.

Last Time Out
Norfolk State made quick work of Delaware State, jumping out to a 25-point halftime lead on the way to a 94-66 victory last Saturday at Echols Hall. The Spartans sank 15 3-pointers and shot 53 percent from the floor while scoring a season high in points. They outscored DSU 23-8 in fastbreak points and led by as much as 33 late in the game. Joe Bryant Jr. fell one point short of his career high with 24 points, five rebounds and five assists, sinking six 3-pointers along the way. Devante Carter added 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and Jalen Hawkins tied his career high from his time at Robert Morris with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Myles Carter led the way with 19 points for DSU, which shot nearly 70 percent in the second half and 47 percent for the game.

Quick Hits
 • NSU's 94-66 win over Delaware State had several distinctions: It was tied for NSU's fifth-biggest scoring margin ever in a MEAC game; NSU's 15 3-pointers were the third-most ever in school history; NSU's 23 assists were the most against another Division I opponent since the 2014-15 season.
 • Norfolk State now sits 69th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (40.9) and 72nd in turnover margin (+2.3). They sit first in the MEAC in scoring defense (72.3), field goal percentage defense, and defensive rebound percentage (70.4), and second in rebounding (35.8), rebound margin (-1.6) and scoring margin (+2.7).
 • NSU currently sits 40th in the nation and second in the MEAC in 3-point shooting at 37.6 percent, a pace that would top the school's D-I record of 36.6 percent set in 2018-19. The top 3-point scorers are all shooting better than 40 percent in Daryl Anderson (22-of-42, 52.4%), Kashaun Hicks (20-of-47, 42.6%), Joe Bryant Jr. (20-of-47, 42.6), and Jalen Hawkins (12-of-29, 41.4). Anderson ranks first in the MEAC in 3-point shooting.
 • Bryant, meanwhile, is now averaging 16.6 points in his last five games, including 21 points at Coppin State (1/23) and 24 points against Delaware State (1/30).
 • The team is up to 74.9 points per game, which would rank as the most since 1999-2000 (76.0) and the third-most in its D-I history.
 • The Spartans rank 84th in the nation in turnovers per game (12.27). They are ahead of the school record for fewest turnovers in a season of 12.44 set in 2015-16.
 • NSU has used eight different starting lineups this year and none more than three times.
 • The Spartans are getting more than 30 points per game from their bench this year. They have outscored all 15 opponents in bench points, and for the year they are outscoring teams 33.1-18.5 per game.
 • NSU has outscored 13 of 15 opponents in points off turnovers, and for the year the Spartans hold a 17.4-13.0 edge in points off turnovers.
 • In six of the last seven games, the Spartans have scored more second-chance points and points in the paint than the opposition, averaging 11.9 second-chance points and 30.9 points in the paint during that time.
 • This year, the Spartans have had the same amount or fewer fouls than the opposition in 12 of 15 games. Last year it was the opposite, as the Spartans had the same amount or more fouls in 22 of 31 games.
 • NSU is becoming adept at second half surges. This season, the team has scored the same amount or more points in second halves than first halves in 10 of 15 games, including eight of the last 10. The Spartans are averaging +4.8 more points in second halves (39.4-34.6).
 • The Spartans committed just six turnovers at Coppin State on Jan. 24, the fourth game this season in single digits. It also marked the fewest in a game for NSU since having six turnovers twice during the 2015-16 season.
 • In the overtime win at Delaware State on Jan. 17, NSU rallied from a last-minute deficit (in regulation) for the second time this year. They did the same in a victory at George Mason.

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 and NSU students 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 2011-12, Norfolk State owns a 117-34 record in regular season MEAC play, a 77.5 winning percentage. Among all D-I programs, NSU ranks 10th in the nation in conference winning percentage during that time.

At 117-34 (63-12 at home - 38-5 since the start of the 2015-16 season - and 54-22 on the road), NSU is ahead of North Carolina Central (110-36) for the best record in the league during that time. Counting MEAC tournament games, the Spartans are 129-41, while the Eagles are 127-40.

NSU owns a current 181-139 overall record since the start of the 2011-12 season, second in the conference to North Carolina Central (189-114).

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 (See table page 7). 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.