OMAHA, Neb. — After Florida finished its demolition of Virginia, the identity of the Gators next opponent seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
Fans and analysts alike were quick to move mighty Missouri past lowly Norfolk State, and members of the media were working on their UF against Mizzou previews before the Tigers had even taken the court. The Gators, however, weren’t so quick to play along.
“We’ll see how it goes with them and Norfolk State,” Kenny Boynton said.
“We’ve just got to wait and see who wins that game, and play whoever wins,” Erik Murphy said.
“For whoever wins the game, it doesn’t matter who we’re guarding,” Brad Beal said.
“I’m sure our coaches are on that right now, scouting both teams,” Patric Young said.
Young was right. With the media working in the depths of the stadium, coach Billy Donovan and assistant John Pelphrey took spots on press row. The two shot observations back and forth, with Donovan scribbling notes and rough diagrams of offensive sets in blue ink on a sheet of printer paper. Donovan’s gaze was stern, like a hawk hunting its next prey.
No one would have blamed him for focusing more on Missouri’s Marcus Denmon, Ricardo Ratliffe and Phil Pressey than Norfolk State’s Kyle O’Quinn, Chris McEachin or any of the other names nobody in America knew before Friday night. When asked about the possibility of Beal playing against his home-state school, Donovan insisted “We will wait and see how the game goes.”
What he ended up seeing was one of the greatest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, as Norfolk State became just the fifth 15-seed in Big Dance history to win a game.
So what does Florida need to know about Norfolk State? Plenty of numbers capture how unlikely and nonsensical Norfolk’s win was. A group that struggles in a lot of areas and is above average in few, the Spartans came into Friday ranked 212th in KenPom.com’s overall efficiency ratings. Missouri was a 23-point favorite, and the line against Florida before Friday wouldn’t have been much smaller.
But all the numbers need to be thrown out the window, because Norfolk State’s mentality is what makes this team dangerous. This is a confident group that thinks it can hang with anyone and isn’t satisfied by a single NCAA Tournament win.
Sure, the Norfolk locker room after the game had the obvious signs of a team that had never been there before. Across the room, players shouted, “Yo Hot Rod, you on the main screen of Yahoo!”
They marveled over the revelation that they were trending on Twitter, expressing shock at how often their phones were going off and the sudden spurt of media attention.
“I’ve never had all these cameras in my face, I’ll tell you that much,” Marcos Tamares said.
The Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference team from a school of just more than 6,000 students isn’t used to all that attention. Brandon Wheeless sat at his locker, cutting off his own ankle tape with a pair of slightly rusted scissors as Jamel Funtes repeatedly shouted, “Shout out to Barack Obama’s bracket!” The president had picked Missouri, and this group of upstarts was proud to prove him wrong.
But even through all the elation, Norfolk State’s eyes were on the future. Jordan Weathers even went so far as to shout “We want Marquette,” hoping for a rematch with the Big East power that beat Norfolk by two on Nov. 21.
One and done won’t satisfy Norfolk State, and why should it? The Spartans give an otherwise nonpartisan crowd in Omaha someone to root for, and that support can go a long way against a Gators team that is 4-7 in true road games. NSU will have the same size advantage it had against Missouri — all five starters are 6-foot-5 or taller — and the Spartans get to face another guard-heavy roster they feel they can match up with.
Norfolk beat Missouri not because it slowed down the Tigers, but because it simply outscored them. Another offensive outburst against the Gators couldn’t be considered shocking, not against a UF defense that let an inept Georgia team shoot 52.9 percent in a 14-point UGA win less than a month ago.
And, above all, Norfolk has five seniors who have nothing to lose and will be playing with all the confidence in the world.
“We’ll be able to enjoy this today, but focus and get back to work tomorrow,” Tamares said. “We’re ready. We’re ready for Florida.”
Is Florida ready for them?
Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org.
