Gators' First Round Opponent Not Overlooking Themselves: 'Some of your Favorite Coaches Lost to Norfolk State'

The Florida Gators may be a favorite to win the NCAA Tournament, but Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones doesn't want the nation to underestimate his team.

Mar 20, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Norfolk State Spartans head coach Robert Jones during the press conference at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

RALEIGH, NC. -- Though huge favorites in their Round of 64 matchup against 16-seed Norfolk State on Friday, the Florida Gators must avoid being poached.

Florida opens as a popular pick to win the NCAA Tournament, making their first game easy to overlook. Coming in as a big fish - or, rather, big reptile - there will be plenty of lines in the water and targets on their back.

“In the MEAC Conference, we are always the hunted… but out of conference, we’re the hunters,” Spartan’s head coach Robert Jones said Thursday about the upcoming matchup. “We’re trying to show that we’re truly one of the best teams in the country.”

Securing a No. 1 seed for only the third time in school history, the Gators have huge expectations heading into the tournament. While the country may be looking past Norfolk State in the Round of 64, the Spartans are not overlooking themselves.

“I coach better when I'm angry, and I'm a little angry about the way the point spread is and things like that," Jones said. “I think tomorrow the guys are excited about the challenge. No one in that locker room is scared. No one in that locker room is afraid. We’re excited about the challenge of playing the University of Florida.”

While the Spartans come out of a smaller conference, they are not new to tough opponents. Norfolk State has faced five tournament teams so far this year, a list made up of two-seed Tennessee, nine-seed Baylor, 13-seeds Grand Canyon and High Point and 16-seed Alabama State. In those games, they are 2-3 with a -38-point differential.

“That was done on purpose, to get to moments like this," Jones said about scheduling those matchups. “We played other people close; this shouldn’t be a shell shock to us, right?”

While Norfolk State comes in with confidence, a victory for the Spartans will be a huge outlier in the history of the tournament. Top seeds in the NCAA tournament hold a 154-2 record against 16-seeded teams, with the underdogs holding just a 1.28% winning percentage.

However, the two upsets have come in just the past seven years of a 40-year expanded field history.

A victory would be an outlier for the Norfolk State program, as well.

The Spartans have only managed to win one true tournament game in their three trips in the history of the school, coming all the way back in 2012 with a huge 15-seed upset victory over two-seed Missouri. In their four games in all, they are 1-3 with a -111-point differential, including a 84-50 loss to the Gators in the Round of 32 in 2012. Under Jones, they are 0-2 with both losses being by at least 35 points.

Despite the odds, the confidence from Jones and Norfolk State remains strong.

“It’s just another opportunity to go out there with a chip on our shoulder, my shoulder too, and show the world that it’s different than what they think it is,” Jones said. “We do it all across the country…some of your favorite coaches have lost to Norfolk State.”

While history is on the side of the Gators, they also sit in open water, needing to remain aware of the constant threat of hunters, big or small.

"They're going to make us think tomorrow, which I think is a good strategy in this type of situation," UF head coach Todd Golden said of Norfolk State. "But our guys will be prepared. From a program standpoint, we obviously made a big jump last week getting back to being able to raise a trophy at the SEC Tournament, and now we feel like taking this next step in the NCAA Tournament, obviously winning tomorrow will be the first step in our ability to make a deep run.

"It starts (Friday). We've got to have a great game (Friday) night."

Tipoff between the Gators and Spartans is at 6:50 p.m. with television coverage on TNT.

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