Meet the Spartans

The Missouri Tigers did not beware the ides of March Madness.

Okay, so the date the Tigers met their demise was not the same as when Julius Caesar died, but it was pretty close. Caesar met his demise on March 15, 44 B.C. while the third ranked Tigers in the country met their demise on March 16, 2012 at the hands of Spartans.

Norfolk State's team looked anything like the fifth number 15 seed to ever win a NCAA tournament game. The Spartans had to fight against a school with bigger expectations, better players, and an army of over 33,000 fans. But even though nobody outside of Norfolk Virginia expected the underdogs to win, the Spartans looked into the eyes of the Tigers and smiled.

The Spartans did not falter when Missouri pounced with a rain of three pointers that extinguished the light of the sun. One of the better three point shooting teams in the country made 13 out of their 29 three point shots against the Spartans. Yet Norfolk State instead elected to fight in the shade rather than run like the 15 seed everyone thought they were. 

There was never a moment when the Spartans felt outclassed. Even though it was Norfolk State's first tournament appearance, they played with the poise reserved for the Dukes, North Carolinas, and Michigan States that go to the big dance every year. The Spartans and Tigers traded the lead a total of 24 times. Back and forth the two teams battled, not because Missouri played down to their competition, but because the Tigers and Spartans kept taking the lead from each other. 

Sure there were moments of improbability for the Spartans. A team that averaged 69 points per game in the regular season scored 86. Guards Pendarvis Williams and Chris McEachin, men who averaged 11.8 and 12.8 points a game respectively, both scored 20 points. And the bench players for Norfolk State did not have a single point between them. But there had to be moments of improbability for the Spartans to force an upset that detonated virtually every tournament bracket. 

As for Missouri, their time to dance has come to an end. The vaunted Tigers, Big 12 champions in their final season in the conference, never lead by more than four points. Kim English, a man who averaged 14.9 points per game in a tough conference, mustered just one bucket against the Spartans. And even though the Tigers shot 52 percent from the field, the slipper seemed to fit Norfolk State perfectly. 

The Spartans team perfectly embodies the spirit of March Madness. The best playoffs in sports have never been about the brackets that get broken. The NCAA tournament is about the kids who make the memories. And the Spartans emerge as a portion of tournament lore that will stay with the kids for the rest of their lives.

As the buzzer went off, the Spartans had no idea how to celebrate their victory. The crowd watched the starters gather at center court. A few of them jumping up and down, but the rest of the team was as awestruck as the fans who watched two titans trade blows. As glorious as the win was, there was no type of expectation in celebration. 

And that was perhaps the best part of the night.

The Norfolk State athletes who usually play for 5,400 students now have the entire country rooting for them. The talking heads that have previously written them off will now try to size up their chances against the Florida Gators. Kyle O'Quinn will likely be stuck with the predictable pun of 'O'Quinnsanity' within the next few hours. And Norfolk State's first ever win over a ranked opponent will be synonymous with the team's best win in school history to date.

The players at Norfolk State may get lost in the shuffle in history. A fate entirely possible if the player does not amount to anything after college. But for this day, Norfolk State can celebrate the fact that they Sparta kicked the Missouri Tigers out of the NCAA tournament.