Norfolk State completes the 2020-21 non-conference portion of its schedule with a mark of 4-3.
That includes wins over James Madison, Radford, Hampton and now George Mason. There have been losses to Old Dominion, UNC Greensboro and UNC Wilmington as well, but NSU has represented itself and the MEAC quite well to this point.
The Spartans are a team still coming together. Devante Carter has stepped up to lead NSU with 16 points per game during the stretch, highlighted by a near-triple-double performance against Hampton in early December. He’s put up double-figures in all seven contests and was named MEAC Player of The Week.
Arkansas State transfer JJ Matthews has shown the ability to be a scoring threat down low. He was held to just two points in six minutes on Saturday, but put up 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting against UNC W. There should be more big games in his future when NSU steps in MEAC play.
Another player to watch for the Spartans is redshirt junior Jalen Hawkins. The Robert Morris transfer was unavailable to NSU during its first five games, but the NCAA’s transfer waiver allowed him to join the active roster immediately. He was scoreless in five minutes against UNC W, but his 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting show he will be a big part of what the Spartans do going forward.
That’s not even mentioning guard Joe Bryant, one of NSU’s top scorers a year ago. NSU always performs well in conference, so don’t expect it to fall back to the pack.
NSU will tip off MEAC play Jan. 2-3 with a back-to-back homestand with Howard University.
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