Norfolk St. ‘angry’ over enormous underdog status
Mar 20, 2025, 03:11 PM ET
RALEIGH, N.C.– Norfolk State coach Robert Jones has a monster chip on his shoulder entering his team’s first-round NCAA tournament game versus No. 1 seed Florida on Friday.He clearly
feels his group has something to prove.The 16th-seeded Spartans are 27.5-point underdogs against SEC tournament champ Gators, according to ESPN BET.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated”I understand
Florida’s actually, really great, and they run an excellent program, got great players, but are we that bad that the point spread resembles that?” Jones said. “I’m a little angry, and like I stated, I’m a little bit more concentrated and play much better when I’m upset.”
He also included, “I think the players play much better when they’re upset.”
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champs have won 20 games in each of the previous four years, and this is their 3rd NCAA Competition look in the last five. The Spartans have some history in the NCAA competition, upsetting third-seeded Missouri in 2012 before losing, coincidentally, in the next round to Florida 84-50.
Jones is expecting a much better result this time around versus the highly promoted Gators.
“We’re attempting to show that it’s more than just the MEAC, it’s more than the HBCUs, whatever it is,” Jones stated. “We’re trying to show that we’re really one of the best teams in the country. So I believe there’s a different level of focus and strength that we bring.”
Jones stated that “no one in that locker room is terrified” of playing Florida.Jones, who calls himself a “New York City guy,” appears intent on proving people wrong.
“There’s skeptics in the world because people believe that, oh, he’s simply doing it in the MEAC or he’s just doing it in the HBCU, which’s a damn lie,” Jones said. “We do it all throughout the nation, against a few of your favorite coaches have actually lost to Norfolk State. It’s just another opportunity to head out there with a chip on our shoulder, or my shoulder too, and reveal the world that it’s different than what they think it is.”
No. 16 seeds are 2-154 perpetuity against No. 1 seeds in the NCAA competition, with the only wins coming when UMBC knocked off Virginia in 2018 and Farleigh Dickinson upset Purdue in 2023.
Details from The Associated Press was used in this report.