Norfolk State Men’s hoops to open MEAC Tournament with UMES

_{image via Nick Sutton}

Courtesy of Alex Lehmbeck, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Communicatio, Norfolk State University

NORFOLK, Va. – Fresh off securing a regular season championship crown, the Norfolk State men’s basketball team remains close to home this week in its quest for another postseason trophy at the nearby Norfolk Scope Arena.

The Spartans (21-10, 11-3 MEAC) enter the 2025 MEAC Men’s Basketball Tournament as the event’s No. 1 seed for the second straight year, searching for their third MEAC Tournament title since 2020.

Norfolk State faces No. 8 seed Maryland Eastern Shore (6-24, 2-12) in the quarterfinal round, the first of a three-game path to winning the tournament and securing an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. The teams will open the men’s tournament at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 12.

NSU closed out the regular season on the right foot, bouncing back from a two-game losing streak with an 81-69 victory at Howard. Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans with 21 points on a 9-of-18 shooting day, while Jalen Myers put together a 19-point, 10-rebound double double to claim NSU a share of the regular season title for the fifth time in head coach Robert Jones‘ tenure.

Norfolk State swept both regular season meetings with UMES, winning 81-59 at home and 75-63 on the road over a month later. Moore led the Spartans to both victories, averaging 19.5 points per game across the two contests.

WNSB 91.1 FM will provide radio coverage for all of Norfolk State’s matchups in the MEAC Tournament. The quarterfinals and semifinals will air on ESPN+, with the championship game televised on ESPN2.

LAST TIME OUT

• Norfolk State concluded the regular season 21-10 overall, 11-3 in the MEAC, with an 81-69 win at Howard’s Burr Gymnasium on Thursday
• Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans with 21 points on a 9-of-18 shooting day, adding four assists and three steals
• Jalen Myers put together a 19-point, 10-rebound double double, shooting 9-of-11 at the free throw line
• Chris Fields Jr. tallied 12 points in 14 minutes of action
• Norfolk State outscored Howard 48-24 in the paint
• Howard shot 11-of-29 (37.9 percent) from behind the arc, while NSU went 2-of-10 from deep (20.0 percent)
• Thursday’s game featured six ties and six lead changes

SERIES HISTORY

• Wednesday will mark the 74th meeting between the Norfolk State and UMES men’s basketball programs
• Norfolk State leads the all-times series between the schools 55-18
• Norfolk State won both regular season matchups between the teams, taking down UMES 81-59 at home before earning a 75-63 win at UMES a month later
• Brian Moore Jr. led the Spartans to both victories, averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game across the two contests

HAWK SCOUT

• UMES enters Wednesday’s game with a 6-24 record, 2-12 in MEAC play
• The Hawks concluded the regular season with a 75-68 loss at Delaware State
• Junior guard Ketron Shaw leads the Hawks with 18.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game
• The Hawks struggle at the free throw line (66.9 percent), ranking last in the MEAC and 319^th out of 355 Division I teams
• Maryland Eastern Shore’s last win in the MEAC Tournament came on Mar. 9, 2023, an 80-64 victory over Morgan State