Norfolk State left Omaha a winner

NORFOLK, Virginia - Norfolk State returned home Monday to a warm welcome, coming upon patches of fans at the airport and along campus streets before a crowd of almost 500 took part in a 5 p.m. reception at the student center. It was lively and special, Athletic Director Marty Miller said, after the Spartans pulled off the biggest basketball upset in school history three days earlier in Omaha.

"It was a big celebration," Miller said. "I think the players were surprised." But Miller said the appreciation for what Norfolk State had done started long before the Spartans were eliminated from their first NCAA tournament by Florida on Sunday night at the CenturyLink Center.

"It was a surprise to us the way that we seemed to win over the fans (in Omaha)," Miller said Tuesday. "We didn't expect that. But for some reason, the fans seemed to have gotten attached to our program and our student-athletes, and it was such a warm feeling."


Norfolk State made an impression in its first NCAA tournament, getting standing ovations across Omaha.

The main reason, of course, was the giant-killer role the Spartans played in upsetting Missouri 86-84. Before that second-round game, only four No. 15 seeds had beaten No. 2s under the current NCAA tournament format — and none since Hampton clipped Iowa State in 2001.

Some Norfolk State players were given a standing ovation by fans when they re-entered CenturyLink Center on Friday to watch some of the Purdue-St. Mary's game. The Spartans continued to get pats on the back or asked for autographs throughout their Omaha stay.

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