Norfolk State owns one of the most famous first-round upsets in tournament history. In the 2012 tournament, they entered as a 15 seed and scrapped tooth and nail with Missouri before a 12-2 run straddling the final media timeout gave them just enough breathing room to hold on at the end. That was the last time they made the tournament until last year, when they won a (play-in) game as a 16 seed before getting run off the floor by Gonzaga.
That beating aside, Norfolk State had a solid season last year. After going 4-3 in the non-conference, they went 8-4 in a dozen conference games, and 3 of their 4 losses were to Coppin State.