THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 23, 1994 TAG: 9411230590
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Ed Miller
LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
They may have lost a game Sunday, but Sports Illustrated isn't giving up on the Norfolk State Spartans.
The magazine, in its annual college basketball issue due out today, picks Norfolk State to win the Division II national championship.
Norfolk State, 27-6 last year, has been picked as high as second by other magazines, but SI is the only one picking the Spartans to win it all.
``That's nice for the university, and for the community,'' Norfolk State coach Mike Bernard said. ``It's a tribute to the fact that the guys had a great year last year.
``But we can't pay attention to preseason predictions. It has nothing to do with winning games, and that's obvious, because we've already been beaten.''
The Spartans (1-1) were upset by UMass-Lowell, 72-65, Sunday afternoon in the championship of the New England Tip-Off Weekend in Lowell, Mass.
``We knew we weren't going to go undefeated,'' Bernard said. ``Nobody is. We've got to regroup and start playing basketball.'' by CNB