NORFOLK, Va. — NORFOLK, Va. (WTKR) — The Norfolk State women can add another milestone to a season that's been filled with history.
On Sunday, the Spartans receiving a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the highest they've ever landed in the bracket. Larry Vickers' group will head to fourth seed Maryland on Saturday.
"We're definitely excited to stay on the East Coast where a lot of fans can travel," Vickers said. "To have an opportunity to advance every year, from a 16 to a 15 and now a 13, we're excited about that."
The green and gold is coming off their third consecutive MEAC Tournament Championship and season that's included 30 wins, the most in program history, and a 19-game winning streak going into March Madness.
Now the program has an opportunity to create even benchmark moments with a shot at their first ever NCAA Tournament victory.
"A couple years ago, you saw the men shock the world when they beat Missouri," said senior guard Diamond Johnson. "We want to do that and that's our mindset going in."
"We had some goals at the beginning of the year, and getting a win (in the NCAA Tournament) was one of them," said senior forward Kierra Wheeler. "We were satisfied with winning the MEAC, but that was just a notch and getting a win here is one of our notches."
That will not be a simple task with the Terrapins. Led by national championship winning coach Brenda Frese, Maryland is 23-6 this season and finished ranked 15th in the country. The Terps have been off since March 7, however, after losing in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
It also puts NSU in a unique spot this season, having been the favorite to get another MEAC title. After a year filled with targets on their back and getting everyone's best shot, the Spartans enter a game as a rare underdog.
They don't look at that as disrespect, they see it as opportunity.
"I went into the MEAC Championship telling them, 'We've got a WBIT guaranteed.' They didn't want to hear that but I do think it helped our start," Vickers said. "So not being the favorites, I like that seat. I like that as a coach, my players like it."
"We know what to expect and other schools know what to expect from us. We've come out swinging against Power Five schools," Wheeler said. "So I want my team to mindful of who we play and I feel like we're disciplined to know what we've got to do when we play Power Five schools."
