# 2020–21 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team

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. 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.

## 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 | 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 | 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 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, VA |
| February 18, 2021 7:00 pm | | Howard | Canceled due to COVID-19 | 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 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Burr Gymnasium Washington, D.C. |
| February 27, 2021 TBA, ESPN+ | | at Howard | Canceled due to COVID-19 | 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 | 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