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Courtesy of Alysse Scripter, Director of Strategic Communications, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The 2025 MEAC tournament champion Norfolk State University men’s basketball team drew the Southeastern Conference (SEC) tournament champion Florida (30-4) as their opponent in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. The announcement came Sunday nightduring the annual Selection Show on CBS.
16-seeded Norfolk State earned the MEAC’s automatic bid to the postseason tournament and will battle top-seeded Florida in the first round on Friday, March 21, hosted by North Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C.
Norfolk State (24-10, 11-3 MEAC) secured the MEAC tournament title for the first time since 2022, defeating South Carolina State, 66-65. It is the fourth overall conference tournament victory in Norfolk State’s history and the program’s fourth trip to the NCAA Division I tournament.
Norfolk State is led by All-MEAC First Team selection and MEAC Newcomer of the Year, Brian Moore Jr., who also received the Most Outstanding Player honors during the men’s tournament. He is complimented by All-MEAC Third Team selection Christian Ings. Moore Jr. leads the team in scoring and ranks second in the conference with 18.4 ppg and ranks second in field goal percentage (54.6%), while Ings ranks fifth in the MEAC in assists with 3.2 per game.
Norfolk State takes on the Gators of Florida (30-4 SEC) for the first time since the 2011-12 season when Florida defeated Norfolk State, 84-50, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Florida secured an automatic bid after winning the SEC tournament championship earlier on Sunday, March 16, defeating Tennessee 86-77. The Gators claimed their first basketball championship of any kind (regular season or tournament) since 2014 with the victory.
Florida is led by Walter Clayton, Jr., a first-team All-SEC selection. Gators head coach Todd Golden is in his third season and will guide the program to its second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
