Norfolk State and Hampton are among the fiercest of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rivals, but the Spartans hope to emulate the Pirates on Friday in the NCAA tournament.
NSU (25-9) reports to Omaha, Neb., as the No. 15 seed in the West Region. The MEAC champion Spartans take on second-seeded Missouri (30-4), champion of the Big 12 Conference.
The last time a No. 15 seed eliminated a No. 2? Hampton did it in 2001, beating Iowa State 58-57 in Boise, Idaho. The University of Richmond became the first No. 15 seed to knock off a No. 2 when the Spiders dumped Syracuse in 1991. It has been done on two other occasions: Santa Clara over Arizona in 1993, and Coppin State over South Carolina in 1997.
When video from the most memorable NCAA tournament upsets roll through March, count on seeing Steve Merfeld, HU’s coach in 2001, sprinting from his bench with fists raised in celebration, being hoisted from behind by 6-foot-8 reserve center David Johnson.
Spread eagle in a dark suit, heels pointed to the roof, the 5-8 Merfeld took the ride of his life. Johnson kept telling him, “I gotcha, coach! I gotcha, coach!”
Asked this week what advice he would give the Spartans before they take the court vs. Missouri, Merfeld, now a Creighton assistant, said, “The most important factor is believing that you will win. Without that, you stand no chance. All 68 teams are in the Big Dance for the same reason. They all are good. At this time of the year, anything can happen. Make the most of this great opportunity.”
Hampton was carried by 6-foot-9 Tarvis Williams, who had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks vs. the Cyclones. He hit the winning shot from the baseline with 6.9 seconds left. Norfolk State also leads with a potent big man, 6-10 Kyle O’Quinn (15.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.7 bpg), and he doesn’t sense that the Spartans will be intimidated by Missouri.
“It’s not like we just played a MEAC schedule, and now this is the first time we step out of conference against (a quality program),” said O’Quinn. “We went down to the wire against some of the bigger schools, and actually beat some schools that did well in their conferences.”
Outside of MEAC competition, the Spartans beat Drexel, TCU, Eastern Kentucky and Toledo, among others. NSU fell to Marquette 59-57 in the championship game of November’s Paradise Jam.
“We’re going in with confidence,” O’Quinn said of the Spartans’ NCAA tournament approach.
Win or lose, the 2011-12 school year will be recalled as perhaps the finest in NSU athletics history. The Spartans upgraded from Division II to Division I for 1997-98, and won their first MEAC football championship in the fall before capturing the league’s hoops title and making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament bracket.
