Norfolk State HC Jokes About Point-Spread Comments After Losing to Florida By 26

Even though Norfolk State's NCAA tournament ended after just one game with a 95-69 loss to Florida on Friday, head coach Robert Jones was able to find a silver lining.

During his postgame press conference, Jones joked that his team proved they didn't deserve to be as big of an underdog as they were going into the game because they covered the point spread.

When the matchups were first announced on Sunday, the Gators were favored by 27.5 points.

Jones was clearly made aware of the spread because he told reporters on Thursday that he was angry to see Norfolk State as that big of an underdog.

"I know Florida's really, really good, and they run a great program, got great players, but are we that bad that the point spread is like that?" Jones said. "I'm a little angry, and like I said, I'm a little bit more focused and play better when I'm angry. ... I think the players play better when they're angry."

If it's any consolation to Jones, his team had the lowest point spread among the four No. 16 seeds in the field. SIU Edwardsville was a 29.5-point underdog to Houston.

Duke was favored by 32 points over Mount St. Mary's. Auburn entered its matchup with South Alabama with minus-31.5 odds.

The Spartans also had the second-smallest margin of defeat among the 16 seeds. Alabama State only lost by 20 to Auburn.

Despite the difficult end to this season, Jones can take comfort in the job he has done building up Norfolk State. He has led the program to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three tournament appearances in the past five years since being hired in 2013.

Prior to Jones' initial hiring as interim head coach, the Spartans had just one tournament appearance and two 20-win seasons in 16 years as a Division I program dating back to 1997.