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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Norfolk State coach Robert Jones has a monster chip on his shoulder entering his team's first-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 1 seed Florida on Friday.
He clearly feels his team has something to prove.
The 16th-seeded Spartans are a 28 1/2-point underdog against the Southeastern Conference Tournament champion Gators, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
“I know Florida’s really, really good, and they run a great program, got great players, but are we that bad that the point spread is like that?" Jones said. "I’m a little angry, and like I said, I’m a little bit more focused and play better when I’m angry."
He also added, "I think the players play better when they’re angry.”
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions have won 20 games in each of the past four years, and this is their third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five. The Spartans have some history in the NCAA Tournament, upsetting third-seeded Missouri in the 2012 NCAA Tournament before losing, ironically, in the next round to Florida 84-50.
Jones is hoping for a better result this time around against the highly-touted Gators.
“We’re trying to show that it’s more than just the MEAC, it’s more than the HBCUs, whatever it is,” Jones said. “We’re trying to show that we’re truly one of the best teams in the country. So I think there’s a different level of focus and intensity that we bring.”
Jones said that “no one in that locker room is scared” of playing Florida.
Jones, who calls himself a “New York City guy,” seems intent on proving people wrong.
“There’s doubters in the world because people think that, oh, he’s just doing it in in the MEAC or he’s just doing it in the HBCU, and that’s a damn lie,” Jones said. “We do it all across the country, against some of your favorite coaches have lost to Norfolk State. It’s just another opportunity to go out there with a chip on our shoulder, or my shoulder too, and show the world that it’s different than what they think it is.”
No. 16 seeds are 2-154 all-time against No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, with only wins coming when UMBC knocked off Virginia in 2018 and Farleigh Dickinson upset Purdue in 2023.
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