Norfolk State announced they will play at Arizona on November 29 with the release of their non-conference schedule on Monday. Arizona and Norfolk State will be playing for the first time. Norfolk State finished 24-11 in 2024-25 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they were eliminated by eventual National Champion Florida.
Norfolk State finished 11-3 in the Mideastern Athletic Conference to tie South Carolina State for the regular season title. The Spartans beat the Bulldogs 66-65 in the MEAC Championship game to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Norfolk State has had to rebuild its roster with only three players returning on the 2025-26 roster. The Spartans lost the top nine scorers from their 2024-25 roster. A pair of transfers from mid-majors and lower Division I joined Norfolk State for the 2025-26 season.
Norfolk State played at a much slower pace than Arizona in 2024-25. The Spartans were 219th nationally, averaging 69.5 possessions per game. Arizona was 55th, averaging 72.7 possessions per game. Arizona should be able to dictate pace playing at home and with a huge talent advantage.
Arizona has four wins and no losses all-time versus MEAC teams. Arizona defeated Coppin State 99-82 in 1997 and is 3-0 versus Morgan State. The Wildcats beat the Bears by at least 35 points in each of the three meetings in 1997, 2022 and 2023.
Norfolk State will also play at Arizona's Big XII rival Baylor on December 10. The game against Norfolk State is the first 2025 non-major non-conference opponent for Arizona that has been released. Arizona previously released a difficult slate of non-conference games against six major opponents.
Arizona has not officially announced the game against Norfolk State. The full 2025 Arizona non-conference schedule will likely be released in early September. Arizona will open the season on November 3 versus defending national champion Florida at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.