Norfolk State Spartans

The Norfolk State Spartans are a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference power playing home games at Echols Hall in Norfolk, Virginia. The program is best known nationally for one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, though its foundation runs much deeper through a dominant Division II era. Under head coach Robert Jones, Norfolk State has become one of the MEAC's most consistent modern programs. The Spartans have turned March into their signature month, repeatedly punching well above their seed line.

Norfolk State built a Division II powerhouse in the CIAA before moving to Division I in 1997, winning 12 CIAA regular-season titles and 15 tournament championships along the way, highlighted by a 29-2 season in 1983-84. As a Division I program, the Spartans stunned the sports world in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, upsetting No. 2 seed Missouri 86-84. Under Robert Jones, Norfolk State has captured six MEAC regular-season titles and four MEAC Tournament championships, reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2012, 2021, 2022, and 2025.