NORFOLK, VA (COURTESY OF NORFOLK STATE ATHLETICS) — The Norfolk State women’s basketball team opens the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament against the No. 2 seeded Stanford in Stanford, California on Friday, Mar. 22 at 7 p.m. PT.

Norfolk State (27-5) reached the NCAA Tournament after winning back-to-back Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship titles, the first MEAC school to achieve the feat since Hampton in 2014, after defeating Howard, 51-46, on Saturday.

Stanford (28-5) captured the No. 2 seed after losing to No. 1 seeded USC in the PAC-12 Championship title game on Sunday, 74-61.

The Spartans earned their third consecutive MEAC regular season championship after finishing 13-1 in the conference.

The Spartans have reached the MEAC Championship game in three consecutive seasons. They defeated Howard in the 2023 MEAC Championship 56-52 after falling to Howard in the 2022 MEAC Championship 61-44.

The Spartans will be making an appearance in the tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history after facing No. 1 seed South Carolina in the 2023 Tournament.

As a No. 16 seed last year, the Spartans fell in the opening round to South Carolina 72-40. 

The Spartans are pushing a 15-game win streak and are currently ranked in the College Insiders Mid-Major Women’s Basketball Poll at No. 17.

The Spartans will compete against Stanford in Region 4: Portland. The No. 1 seeded team in the region is Texas (30-4).

LAST TIME OUT
• The Spartans secured their 15th consecutive victory by defeating Howard 51-46 on Saturday behind a strong performance from the 2024 MEAC Player of the Year, Kierra Wheeler. 
• Wheeler recorded her 14th double-double of the season after a 20-point, 15-rebound day.
• The Spartans collected 14 steals and five blocks in a defensive effort that caused the Bison to shoot 29.4 percent from the floor and turn the ball over 15 times.
• MEAC Newcomer of the Year Diamond Johnson finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and four steals in the win
• Diamond Johnson was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for her terrific stretch, including a 30-point performance in the Spartans’ 73-44 semifinal win over Coppin State. 
• Johnson’s 30-point game marked the most points a Spartan has scored in a MEAC Women’s Basketball Tournament game in school history.

SERIES HISTORY
• Friday will mark the first ever meeting between the programs

CARDINAL SCOUT
•  Stanford (28-5) made it to the Pac-12 Championship game versus No. 1 USC, falling to the Trojans 74-61. 
• Stanford is ranked No.5 nationally, finishing with a 28-5 record led by the 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Cameron Brink and 2024 PAC-12 Most Improved Player Kiki Iriafen.
• Brink finished with 19 points, six blocks, and 10 rebounds and was joined by Iriafen as the only other double-digit scorer.
• Iriafen finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
• Tara VanDerveer, John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year, led her team to a regular season PAC-12 title.

NSU NATIONAL RANKINGS
• The Spartans are ranked No.3 nationally in scoring defense (52.2), No. 4 in steals per game (12.6), No. 5 in turnover margin (7.62), and No. 6 in turnovers forced per game (21.34)
• Norfolk State is also ranked No. 11 in field goal percentage defense (35.6)
• Kierra Wheeler ranks 19th in offensive rebounds per game (3.9)
• Diamond Johnson ranks 19th in steals (84) and Niya Fields ranks 23rd (81)
• Fields ranks 34th in assist/turnover ratio (2.24)

SU NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Stanford is ranked No. 9 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.46) and No. 8 in field goal percentage (35.4)
• Stanford is also ranked No. 3 nationally in rebounding margin (13.0), No. 6 in defensive rebounds per game (30.9), and No. 7 in rebounds per game (44.58)
• Stanford is also ranked No. 11 in scoring margin (18.3)
• Cameron Brink is leads the nation in blocks (109) and blocks per game (3.52), also ranking No. 8 in double-doubles (19), No. 5 in rebounds, No. 3 in defensive rebounds per game (9.1)
• Kiki Iriafen is ranked No. 9 nationally in field goals (258), 6 in rebounds (362), No. 16 in offensive rebounds per game (4.0), and No. 10 in rebounds per game (11.0)

WHAT’S AT STAKE
• With a win, Norfolk State would advance to the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the first time in program history.
• The Spartans would meet the winner of No. 7 seed Iowa State and No. 10 seed Maryland.

PROTECTING OUR HOUSE
• Norfolk State finished the 2023-34 season with a record of 10-0 at Joseph Echols Hall, the first undefeated home season in the program’s Division I history
• The Spartans are one of 13 unbeaten teams at home this season across Division I
• The Spartans have outscored opponents 734-463 at home this season, an average margin of 27.1 per game
• Norfolk State averaged 1,434 fans per game, with a season high of 2,157 in attendance for the home opener against Appalachian State

FIFTEEN IN A ROW
• Norfolk State currently owns a 15-game win streak, the highest of the program’s Division I history
• The streak started with a 99-43 win over Mary Washington on Jan. 22
• The Spartans have not lost a game since falling 60-73 at Howard on Jan. 20
• During the win streak, the Spartans have outscored opponents 1,058-698, an average margin of 24.0 points per game
• Across those 15 games, Diamond has led the Spartans with 20.8 points and 3.4 steals per game, shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from behind the arc

DYNAMIC DUO
• Norfolk State’s duo of Kierra Wheeler and Diamond Johnson have taken the conference by storm
• The 2024 MEAC Player of the Year, Kierra Wheeler is averaging 17.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, shooting 50.8 precent from the floor
• The 2024 MEAC Newcomer of the Year and the 2024 MEAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Diamond Johnson is averaging 20.3 points, 3.8 steals, 2.9 assists, shooting 44.2 percent from the floor, and 40.3 percent from three-point range
• The Spartans are 14-1 with both players in the lineup

FRESHMAN PHENOMS
• Norfolk State has recieved a significant contribution from freshmen Da’Brya Clark and Anjanae Richardson
• Clark is averaging 6.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game
• Clark has won MEAC Rookie of the Week on five occasions
• Richardson is averaging 7.1 points, 1.9 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and per game
• Richardson won MEAC Rookie of the Week on Jan. 3 after collecting 11 points, two rebounds, and four steals in the Spartans win over UNCW
• Both players were named to the 2024 MEAC All-MEAC Rookie Team

COACH OF THE YEAR: LARRY VICKERS
• Larrry Vickers was selected as MEAC Coach of the Year after finishing the season with a 24-5 record going 13-1 in conference play
• This is the second consecutive season that Vickers has been named MEAC Coach of the Year
• Vickers led the Spartans to a MEAC regular season title for the third straight year
• The Spartans clinched the regular season title on Feb 19 with a 72-44 win over N.C. Central
• The is Norfolk State’s second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance