A wild finish in the MEAC tournament championship ended brutally for South Carolina State. Top-seeded Norfolk State punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 66-65 victory after South Carolina State senior Caleb McCarty mistakenly fouled the Spartans following a game-tying bucket with less than 10 seconds remaining.
The two-seed Bulldogs erased an eight-point deficit with less than a minute to play, capped by a stolen inbound pass and layup by McCarty to level the score at 65-65. McCarty, seemingly unaware that South Carolina State was no longer trailing, quickly fouled Norfolk State’s Christian Ings on the subsequent inbound pass, sending the Spartans to the free-throw line with eight seconds left. Ings made one of two from the stripe, and the Bulldogs’ last-second attempt rimmed out.
MAHEM IN THE MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP!! SC State gets the steal and tying layup on the inbounds before Caleb McCarty FOULS Norfolk State with 8.9 remaining while TIED. 💔💔
Norfolk State wins and is going to the NCAA tournament 66-65 pic.twitter.com/a8cls0oyTA
— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 15, 2025
The two teams shared the MEAC regular-season title. Norfolk State (24-10) heads to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022 and the third time in 12 seasons under head coach Robert Jones. South Carolina State (20-13), in its third season under head coach Erik Martin, has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2003.
Playing in their home city at the nearby Norfolk Scope Arena, the Spartans ended the Bulldogs’ 11-game win streak, climbing back from a nine-point halftime deficit. Norfolk State will likely be a 16- or 15-seed in the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Mike Caudill / AP)
