NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State men's basketball team opens its month-long road swing this weekend with a marquee matchup in Tucson, Ariz., taking on the No. 2/3 Arizona Wildcats. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. MT on ESPN+.

ABOUT THE SPARTANS
Norfolk State (4-4) enters Saturday's contest fresh off a historic offensive showcase, a 136–79 victory over Virginia-Lynchburg. The 136 points set a new NSU Division I scoring record and tied for fifth all-time in program history. The 57-point margin ranked as the sixth-largest in NSU's Division I era.

Sophomore forward Melo Baines delivered a perfect night, going 15-for-15 from the field on his way to a career-best 30 points. Anthony McComb III added a career-high 26 points, knocking down four triples, while Elijah Jamison posted the team's first double-double of the season (17 points, 11 assists). Devon Ellis (20 pts) and Dian Wright-Forde (16 pts) rounded out a balanced attack.

NSU enters the weekend as the MEAC's statistical leader in multiple categories:

• Scoring offense: 82.3 ppg
• Scoring defense: 67.1 ppg
• Scoring margin: +15.1
• Field goal percentage: .479 (244-509)
• Opponent field goal percentage: .389 (172-442)
• Rebounding: 39.8 rpg

McComb III ranks 3rd in the MEAC at 16.8 ppg, with Jamison (14.4) and Ellis (11.6) also in the top 10. McComb (5.5) and Ellis (4.5) sit among the conference's best rebounders, while head coach Robert Jones is just 10 wins away from career victory No. 250.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Arizona enters Saturday's matchup at 6-0 and ranked No. 2/3 nationally following a 103–73 win over Denver on Monday. The Wildcats climbed to No. 2 in the latest AP Poll (Nov. 24), marking the 27th week under head coach Tommy Lloyd that Arizona has been ranked.

Lloyd, now in his fifth season in Tucson, owns an impressive 118–33 (.782) career record and is 8–4 against Top-5 opponents.

Arizona owns three wins over nationally ranked programs this season – No. 3 Florida, No. 15 UCLA, and No. 3 UConn – and features a deep, efficient roster.

Jaden Bradley and Koa Peat share the team lead with 93 points (15.5 ppg), while Anthony Dell'Orso adds 10.5 ppg. Tobe Awaka anchors the interior with 10.8 rebounds per game and contributes 9.3 ppg.

Offensively, Arizona averages 85.5 ppg, while allowing just 68.0 ppg, resulting in a strong +17.5 scoring margin.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the first-ever meeting between Norfolk State and Arizona.

UP NEXT
The Spartans resume their road trip on Saturday, Dec. 6, when they visit James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.