NORFOLK, Va. – The No. 4 seed Norfolk State Spartans open postseason play Thursday evening in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament against the No. 5 seed South Carolina State Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. with the game broadcast on ESPN+.
SETTING THE SCENE
Norfolk State (15-16, 8-6 MEAC) enters the MEAC Tournament looking to bounce back after dropping its final two games of the regular season. The Spartans fell 90-84 on the road at Morgan State before closing the regular season with an 84-76 loss to Howard at Echols Hall.
Norfolk State secured the No. 4 seed in the conference standings and will face fifth-seeded South Carolina State in Thursday's quarterfinal matchup. The winner advances to Friday's semifinal round to face top-seeded Howard.
LAST TIME OUT
- FINAL: Norfolk State 76, Howard 84
- Devon Ellis: 22 points (9-11 FG, 4-4 FT)
- Additional double-digit scorers: Anthony McComb III (14), Elijah Jamison (15)
- Team Stats
- FG%: NSU 47.6% | HU 52.0%
- 3PT FG%: NSU 14.3% | HU 54.5%
- 3PT FGM-A: NSU 2-12 | HU 12-22
- FTM-A: NSU 14-17 | HU 20-26
- Points in the Paint: NSU 54 | HU 26
- Bench Points: NSU 25 | HU 11
SPARTAN NEWS & NOTES
- Devon Ellis tied his career high with 22 points in the contest.
- Anthony McComb III surpassed the 1,000-career-point milestone during the game.
- The last time Howard swept the season series against Norfolk State was during the 2022-23 season, when the Bison won both regular-season matchups and the MEAC Tournament meeting.
- This marks the first season since 2017-18 that the Spartans have finished below .500 overall (14-19; .424).
- The last time Norfolk State entered the MEAC Tournament lower than a No. 1 seed was the 2022-23 season, when the Spartans were the No. 3 seed.
- The last time NSU was seeded No. 4 or lower in the MEAC Tournament was the 2017-18 season, when the Spartans entered as the No. 5 seed.
- Norfolk State is 1-8 this season when opponents score 80 or more points.
- The lone win in those games came against South Carolina State on Jan. 17, when the Spartans earned an 89-82 victory.
NORFOLK STATE IN THE MEAC STATS RANKINGS
- Norfolk State enters the weekend leading the MEAC in team field goal percentage at 46.5% (831-of-1,789).
- Three Spartans are averaging double figures in conference play:
NSU VS. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
- Thursday's matchup marks the 57th all-time meeting between Norfolk State and South Carolina State.
- Norfolk State leads the all-time series 37-19 and enters the contest riding a three-game winning streak against the Bulldogs.
- Last season, the teams split the regular-season series before NSU defeated SCSU 66-65 in the MEAC Championship Game.
- Recent Meetings
- March 15, 2025 – NSU 66, SCSU 65 (MEAC Championship)
- Jan. 17, 2026 – NSU 89, SCSU 82
- Feb. 21, 2026 – NSU 90, SCSU 71
- The series dates back to the 1997-98 season, when Norfolk State joined Division I and the MEAC.
- South Carolina State won four of the first five meetings and eight of the first 11 games in the series.
- Norfolk State has won 18 of the last 19 meetings against the Bulldogs.
BULLDOGS SCOUT
- South Carolina State enters Thursday's matchup with a 9-21 overall record and a 7-7 MEAC mark.
- The Bulldogs are currently riding a two-game winning streak.
- SCSU last played N.C. Central on March 5, earning an 80-64 victory over the Eagles.
- Noah Treadwell led the Bulldogs with 16 points, shooting 5-of-11 from the field and 4-of-9 from three-point range.
- Owen Bronston (14), Florian Tenebay (13), and Jayden Johnson (10) also reached double figures in the win.
- Jayden Johnson leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 390 points, averaging 13.0 points per game.
- Owen Bronston adds 10.7 points per game as another scoring option.
- Cameron Clark and Chris Parker are tied for the team lead in rebounding at 5.1 rebounds per game (118 each).
- As a team, South Carolina State averages 66.6 points per game while allowing 78.7 points per contest.
- The Bulldogs are shooting 41% from the field, 33.8% from three-point range, and 66.6% from the free throw line this season.
- Head coach Erik Martin is in his fourth season leading the Bulldogs and holds a 48-78 record at South Carolina State.
UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday's quarterfinal matchup will advance to face No. 1 seed Howard in the MEAC Tournament semifinals. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, March 13.
