Spartans close to clinching division
NORFOLK — All things considered, Norfolk State’s chaotic schedule has worked out pretty well.
Alone in first place in the MEAC’s Southern Division going into their final regular-season league game, the Spartans can clinch at least a share of the division championship with a win Wednesday against Delaware State at Echols Hall.
Never mind that the conference has used divisional play to cut down on travel and expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A title is a title.
“Hey, when you’re in Rome, you play with the Romans, right?” NSU coach Robert Jones said. “So this is the championship that we’ve got to play for. We’re in a division, so if you’re in a division, you want to play for a division championship. If you’re in a conference, you play for a conference championship. So we want to win the division championship.”
The Spartans (12-7, 7-4 MEAC) sit slightly ahead of Morgan State (11-6, 6-4) and Coppin State (7-12, 6-4) in the division standings.
Morgan State’s regular season may or may not be over; the Bears could make up a pair of games postponed last weekend. Coppin State has two games against Delaware State this weekend that could force a firstplace tie with NSU, all of which could open a Pando
ra’s box of MEAC tournament seeding scenarios.
Wednesday’s game against the last-place Hornets (1-12, 0-7) represents a chance for the Spartans to take matters into their own hands as much as possible.
“They’re a pretty good team,” NSU junior guard Joe Bryant said. “They’re struggling right now in their season, but they aren’t playing for any playoff hopes, so they’re trying to come spoil our chances of being in first place. So we’ve just got to take care of business.”
Rust could be a factor. Thanks to Howard’s COVIDdriven decision to cancel the rest of its season, NSU hasn’t played since a 68-65 win at Morgan State on Feb. 14.
To stay sharp for next month’s MEAC tournament, the Spartans recently scheduled a game for Sunday against Division III St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The game allows enough time before the MEAC tournament for any necessary quarantining.
It’s the latest adjustment to a schedule that, thanks to a slew of postponements, cancellations and last-minute additions, has looked nothing like the original version.
“It’s a lot of chess this year, man,” Jones said, laughing. “Not a lot of checkers.”
Bryant, who starred at Lake Taylor High, said his team is well aware of what’s at stake Wednesday.
NSU last won a regular-season title in 2018-19.
“It’s definitely hard not to think about it,” Bryant said. “Of course we want to win, but we’ve just got to stay locked in in practice and control what we can control, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Jones, who will complete his seventh winning season in eight years at the helm, said he wants his players thinking about the big picture and a chance to be part of history.
“With any championship, whenever they go back in the record books, you’re going to always say, ‘I was part of that team that won a championship,’ “Jones said. “And no one can take that away from you. So we do talk about it. I don’t try to downplay it or just say, ‘Hey, it’s a regular game.’ It’s not a regular game.”