2020–21 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 2020–21 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represented Norfolk State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The Spartans, led by eighth-year head coach Robert Jones , played their home games at the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in Norfolk, Virginia as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference . With the creation of divisions to cut down on travel due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , they played in the Northern division.[ 1] They finished the season 17–8, 8–4 in MEAC play to finish in tie for first place in the Northern division. They defeated North Carolina Central in the quarterfinals of the MEAC tournament and advanced to the championship when North Carolina A&T withdrew from the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols. They defeated Morgan State to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 16 seed in the West region. They defeated Appalachian State in the First Four, but were eliminated by No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga in the first round.
Previous season
The Spartans finished the 2019–20 season 16–15, 12–4 in MEAC play to finish in a tie for second place. They were scheduled to play Coppin State in the quarterfinals of the MEAC tournament , but the remainder of the tournament was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic .[ 2]
Roster
2020–21 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
F
1
Nyzaiah Chambers
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
So
Hillcrest Prep (AZ)
Chesapeake, Virginia
G/F
2
Kashaun Hicks
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
RS Sr
Central Connecticut
Harlem , New York
G
3
Mustafa Lawrence
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Sr
Fresno State
Newark, New Jersey
G
4
Joe Bryant Jr.
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Jr
Lake Taylor High School
Norfolk, Virginia
G/F
5
Tyrese Jenkins
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
So
Varina High School
Richmond, Virginia
G
13
Daryl Anderson
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
So
Miller School of Albemarle
North Chesterfield, Virginia
G
14
Devante Carter
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Sr
Odessa College
Newport News, Virginia
F
15
J.J. Matthews
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
RS Sr
Arkansas State
Richmond, Virginia
G
22
Andre Bottoms
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Fr
Oscar Smith High School
Chesapeake, Virginia
F/C
23
Efstratios Kalogerias
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
Sr
Hillsborough Community College
Piraeus , Greece
G
24
Jalen Hawkins
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
RS Jr
Robert Morris
Bronx , New York
F
32
Chris Ford
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Jr
L. C. Bird High School
Chesterfield, Virginia
G/F
35
Yoro Sidibe
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
So
Long Island Lutheran High School
Dakar , Senegal
G
55
Kyonze Chavis
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
RS Sr
Colby Community College
Chesapeake, Virginia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster Last update: January 7, 2021
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 27, 2020 *12:00 pm, FloHoops
at James Madison
W 83–73
1–0
Atlantic Union Bank Center (250)Harrisonburg, VA
November 28, 2020 *7:00 pm
vs. Radford
W 57–54
2–0
Atlantic Union Bank Center (150)Harrisonburg, VA
December 2, 2020 *8:00 pm, WGNT
Old Dominion Scope Series
L 66–80
2–1
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (250)Norfolk, VA
December 7, 2020 *7:00 pm
Hampton
W 76–64
3–1
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, VA
December 9, 2020 *7:00 pm
William & Mary
Postponed
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, VA
December 13, 2020 *2:00 pm, ESPN+
at UNC Greensboro
L 47–64
3–2
Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC
December 15, 2020 *7:00 pm
Regent
Postponed
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, VA
December 18, 2020 *4:00 pm
UNC Wilmington
L 72–80
3–3
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (110)Norfolk, VA
December 26, 2020 *4:00 pm, ESPN+
at George Mason
W 68–65
4–3
EagleBank Arena (202)Fairfax, VA
January 9, 2021 2:00 pm, FloHoops
Morgan State
L 74–78
4–4 (0–1)
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (110)Norfolk, VA
January 10, 2021 2:00 pm, FloHoops
Morgan State
W 89–85
5–4 (1–1)
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (137)Norfolk, VA
January 13, 2021 *4:00 pm
North Carolina Wesleyan
W 80–58
6–4
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (130)Norfolk, VA
January 16, 2021 5:00 pm
at Delaware State
W 87–76
7–4 (2–1)
Memorial Hall Dover, DE
January 17, 2021 5:00 pm
at Delaware State
W 83–79 OT
8–4 (3–1)
Memorial Hall Dover, DE
January 23, 2021 1:00 pm
at Coppin State
L 71–81
8–5 (3–2)
Physical Education Complex Baltimore, MD
January 24, 2021 1:00 pm
at Coppin State
L 77–81
8–6 (3–3)
Physical Education Complex Baltimore, MD
January 30, 2021 4:30 pm
Delaware State
W 94–66
9–6 (4–3)
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, VA
February 7, 2021 2:00 pm
Coppin State
W 84–72
10–6 (5–3)
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, VA
February 8, 2021 2:00 pm
Coppin State
L 64–74
10–7 (5–4)
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, VA
February 13, 2021 2:00 pm, FloHoops
at Morgan State
W 74–69
11–7 (6–4)
Talmadge L. Hill Field House Baltimore, MD
February 14, 2021 2:00 pm, FloHoops
at Morgan State
W 68–65
12–7 (7–4)
Talmadge L. Hill Field House Baltimore, MD
February 17, 2021 7:00 pm
Howard
Canceled due to COVID-19
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, VA
February 18, 2021 7:00 pm
Howard
Canceled due to COVID-19
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, VA
February 24, 2021 7:00 pm
Delaware State
W 86–55
13–7 (8–4)
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, VA
February 27, 2021 TBA
at Howard
Canceled due to COVID-19
Burr Gymnasium Washington, D.C.
February 27, 2021 TBA, ESPN+
at Howard
Canceled due to COVID-19
Burr Gymnasium (0)Washington, D.C.
February 28, 2021 2:00 pm
St. Mary's College
W 72–51
14–7
Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (0)Norfolk, VA
MEAC tournament
March 11, 2021 8:00 pm, FloHoops
(N2)
vs. (S3) North Carolina Central Quarterfinals
W 87–58
15–7
Norfolk Scope (0)Norfolk, VA
March 12, 2021 8:00 pm, FloHoops
(N2)
vs. (S1) North Carolina A&T Semifinals
Advanced by forfeit due to positive COVID-19 test at North Carolina A&T
Norfolk Scope (0)Norfolk, VA
March 13, 2021 1:00 pm, ESPN2
(N2)
vs. (N3) Morgan State Championship
W 71–63
16–7
Norfolk Scope (0)Norfolk, VA
NCAA tournament
March 18, 2021 8:40 pm, truTV
(16 W)
vs. (16 W) Appalachian State First Four
W 54–53
17–7
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (3,444)Bloomington, IN
March 20, 2021 9:20 pm, TBS
(16 W)
vs. (1 W) No. 1 Gonzaga First Round
L 55–98
17–8
Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in
Eastern .
Sources[ 3]
References