After a relatively quiet Day One, 15th-seeded Norfolk State wreaked havoc on brackets throughout the country when they upset 2nd-seeded Missouri, 86-84 on Friday night.
With the surprising victory, Norfolk State became just the fifth 15-seed to win a game in tournament history. The last time it happened? In 2001 when Hampton beat Iowa State. Oddly enough, Norfolk State and Hampton both represent the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Kyle O'Quinn led the Spartans with 26 points and 14 rebounds. O'Quinn knew the implications of their historic win shouting, "We messed up some brackets!" as he celebrated with his team after the final buzzer. The excited senior later admitted, "We even messed up my bracket."
The senior star was not the only bright spot for the Spartans as two other starters, Chris McEachin and Pendarvis Williams, chipped in 20 points each. As a team, Norfolk State shot a blistering 52.4 percent from the field and 52.6 percent from behind the arc. In one of the stranger stats in NCAA history, Norfolk State had zero points from their bench — the Spartans' starting five accounted for all 86 points.
In these kind of shocking upsets, it's usually because the favored team just comes out lacking energy, shoots unusually poorly, or underestimates their opponent. That wasn't the case on Friday, which is what made this game so special. Missouri actually played quite well, shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from downtown while committing just eight turnovers.
As is often the case, you have to look to the battle on the boards to find the difference maker in this one. The Spartans manhandled the Tigers on the glass, leading to a 35 to 23 rebounding advantage. O'Quinn alone grabbed five offensive rebounds, just one fewer than the entire Missouri team.
The Spartans are not the only 15-seed moving on to the round of 32, as Lehigh shocked the college basketball world just hours later by defeating Duke. Norfolk State will undoubtedly remain heavy underdogs in their third-round matchup against 7-seeded Florida, but with the way that the second day of the second round finished, don't be surprised if the upsets keep coming.
After all, I guess that's why they call it March Madness.
