Meet the Spartans: From Elizabeth City to Shining City on Hill

Talk about going from the outhouse to the penthouse! Norfolk State made a dramatic turnaround this season before ascending to the NCAA Tournament mountaintop with a shocking 86-84 victory over #2 seed Missouri. The reversal had Mizzou and Son, with weary fans still seeking the Tigers to reach the Final Four for the first time, clutching their chest and sounding like Fred Sanford: "Oh, this is the biggest one (disappointment) I ever had. You hear that Elizabeth? I'm coming to join you."

Speaking of Elizabeth, the Spartans lost at home by double digits against Elizabeth City State (NC), 69-57, when they committed more than twice as many turnovers (34) as field goals made. That setback is particularly perplexing because it occurred only two games after NCAA playoff virgin Norfolk narrowly lost to Big East Conference power Marquette, 59-57, in a tournament at the Virgin Islands.

Elizabeth City State, which lost at home to Bowie State (MD) by 25 points, had to win three of its last four games to finish this season with a winning record (15-14). Similar "David vs. Goliath" matchups, including Chaminade (Hawaii) three consecutive seasons from 1982-83 through 1984-85, previously took place. Following is a chronological list of additional victories by small schools over major universities going on to win at least one NCAA playoff game that season:

NOTES: Michigan '89 became NCAA champion and Louisville '59 reached the Final Four. . . . UC Riverside subsequently moved up to the NCAA Division I level in 2000-01.