# 2021–22 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represented Norfolk State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by ninth-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. They finished the season 24–7, 12–2 in MEAC Play to finish as regular season champions. They defeated Delaware State, Morgan State, and Coppin State to win the MEAC tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 16 seed in the East Region where they lost in the first round to Baylor.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Spartans finished the 2020–21 season 17–8, 8–4 in MEAC play to finish in a tie for first place in the Northern Division. They defeated North Carolina Central in the quarterfinals of the MEAC tournament, advancing directly to the championship game after their semifinal opponent, North Carolina A&T, had to withdraw due to COVID-19 protocols. They defeated Morgan State in the championship game. As a result, the received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the school's second ever tournament appearance and their first since 2012. They received a No. 16 seed in the West Region where they defeated Appalachian State in the First Four before losing to overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the first round.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 8:00 pm | | Bridgewater | W 79–56 | 1–0 | 18 – Bryant | 14 – Bankston | 3 – Bryant | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (2,703) Norfolk, VA |
| November 11, 2021* 7:00 pm | | Penn State Wilkes-Barre | W 111–55 | 2–0 | 14 – 3 Tied | 9 – Jenkins | 6 – Bryant | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (1,013) Norfolk, VA |
| November 13, 2021* 5:00 pm | | vs. Tennessee State Gateway Invitational | W 66–59 | 3–0 | 28 – Bryant | 8 – Bryant | 1 – 4 Tied | Gateway Center Arena (350) College Park, GA |
| November 16, 2021* 7:00 pm | | William & Mary | W 91–74 | 4–0 | 31 – Ings | 6 – 2 Tied | 6 – Bryant | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (1,898) Norfolk, VA |
| November 19, 2021* 5:30 pm, ESPN3 | | at Bowling Green | W 90–84 | 5–0 | 17 – Jenkins | 9 – Bankston | 5 – Ings | Stroh Center (1,325) Bowling Green, OH |
| November 21, 2021* 12:00 pm, FS1 | | at Xavier | L 48–88 | 5–1 | 12 – Ings | 5 – Bankston | 2 – 2 Tied | Cintas Center (9,361) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 23, 2021* 7:00 pm | | Regent | W 95–20 | 6–1 | 16 – Hawkins | 7 – Bankston | 6 – 2 Tied | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (637) Norfolk, VA |
| November 28, 2021* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Hampton HBCU Challenge Hosted by Chris Paul | W 70–61 | 7–1 | 20 – Bryant | 6 – Chambers | 3 – Brown | Footprint Center (2,103) Phoenix, AZ |
| November 29, 2021* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Grambling State HBCU Challenge Hosted by Chris Paul | W 68–63 | 8–1 | 20 – Bankston | 10 – Bankston | 5 – Ings | Footprint Center (720) Phoenix, AZ |
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 pm, FloHoops | | at UNC Wilmington | W 74–69 | 9–1 | 17 – Tate | 9 – 2 Tied | 6 – Ings | Trask Coliseum (3,067) Wilmington, NC |
| December 4, 2021* 5:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Hampton | L 57–58 | 9–2 | 15 – Bryant | 8 – Bankston | 1 – 1 Tied | Hampton Convocation Center (2,162) Hampton, VA |
| December 11, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Wichita State | L 58–71 | 9–3 | 22 – Tate | 8 – Tate | 4 – Ings | Charles Koch Arena (8,742) Wichita, KS |
| December 19, 2021* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Loyola–Chicago | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Joseph J. Gentile Arena Chicago, IL |
| December 21, 2021* 9:00 pm | | at New Mexico | L 54–68 | 9–4 | 16 – Bryant | 8 – Bankston | 4 – Bryant | The Pit (8,105) Albuquerque, NM |
| December 29, 2021* 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Campbell | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Gore Arena Buies Creek, NC |
| MEAC regular season |||||||||
| January 12, 2022 7:30 pm | | Delaware State | W 80–51 | 10–4 (1–0) | 29 – Bryant | 9 – Bankston | 5 – Bryant | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (515) Norfolk, VA |
| January 15, 2022 4:00 pm | | at Howard | W 77–74 | 11–4 (2–0) | 24 – Bryant | 8 – Jenkins | 3 – Bryant | Burr Gymnasium (735) Washington, D.C. |
| January 17, 2022 4:00 pm | | at Maryland Eastern Shore Rescheduled from January 8 | W 72–58 | 12–4 (3–0) | 25 – Bryant | 12 – Brown | 6 – Brown | Hytche Athletic Center (350) Princess Anne, MD |
| January 22, 2022 6:00 pm | | Coppin State | W 84–77 | 13–4 (4–0) | 20 – Hawkins | 9 – Hawkins | 4 – Hawkins | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (1,036) Norfolk, VA |
| January 24, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Morgan State | W 82–62 | 14–4 (5–0) | 18 – Bryant | 8 – Bankston | 6 – Bryant | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (1,562) Norfolk, VA |
| January 29, 2022 4:00 pm | | at South Carolina State | W 87–69 | 15–4 (6–0) | 22 – Bryant | 8 – Bankston | 4 – Bryant | SHM Memorial Center (612) Orangeburg, SC |
| January 31, 2022 7:30 pm, ESPNU | | at North Carolina Central | L 67–70 | 15–5 (6–1) | 18 – Bryant | 8 – Bryant | 4 – Ings | McDougald–McLendon Arena (2,878) Durham, NC |
| February 12, 2022 6:00 pm | | Maryland Eastern Shore | W 70–63 | 16–5 (7–1) | 16 – Hawkins | 9 – Hawkins | 4 – Bryant | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (3,278) Norfolk, VA |
| February 14, 2022 7:30 pm | | at Delaware State | W 69–66 | 17–5 (8–1) | 20 – Tate | 7 – Bryant | 6 – Bryant | Memorial Hall (600) Dover, DE |
| February 19, 2022 4:00 pm | | at Coppin State | W 89–59 | 18–5 (9–1) | 29 – Bryant | 12 – Bankston | 6 – Bryant | Physical Education Complex (545) Baltimore, MD |
| February 21, 2022 7:30 pm | | at Morgan State | L 74–85 | 18–6 (9–2) | 20 – Bryant | 8 – Tate | 5 – Hawkins | Talmadge L. Hill Field House (2,891) Baltimore, MD |
| February 26, 2022 6:00 pm | | South Carolina State | W 63–59 | 19–6 (10–2) | 15 – Tate | 9 – Tate | 3 – Bryant | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (3,997) Norfolk, VA |
| February 28, 2022 7:30 pm | | North Carolina Central | W 75–46 | 20–6 (11–2) | 21 – Bankston | 11 – Bankston | 7 – Byrant | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (2,646) Norfolk, VA |
| March 3, 2022 7:30 pm | | Howard | W 83–61 | 21–6 (12–2) | 27 – Bryant | 7 – Chambers | 3 – Hawkins | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (2,897) Norfolk, VA |
| MEAC tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | (1) | vs. (8) Delaware State Quarterfinals | W 74–66 | 22–6 | 17 – Hawkins | 7 – Tied | 6 – Ings | Norfolk Scope Norfolk, VA |
| March 11, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | (1) | vs. (4) Morgan State Semifinals | W 72–63 | 23–6 | 19 – Tied | 11 – Tate | 4 – Bryant Jr. | Norfolk Scope Norfolk, VA |
| March 12, 2022 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | (1) | vs. (7) Coppin State Championship | W 72–57 | 24–6 | 23 – Bryant Jr. | 8 – Tied | 3 – Bankston | Norfolk Scope Norfolk, VA |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022 2:00 pm, TBS | (16 E) | vs. (1 E) No. 4 Baylor First Round | L 49–85 | 24–7 | 15 – Bryant | 5 – Tied | 3 – Bankston | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources