The Hampton Pirates are one of the rare teams that enter the NCAA Tournament with a losing record, making a Cinderella run through the MEAC Tournament to claim the title and the conference's automatic bid.
Resume:
Record – 16-17 (8-8 in MEAC)
RPI – 268
Strength of Schedule – 334
Starting Lineup:
G Deron Powers (Jr.) – 10.3 ppg, 3.8 apg
G Reginald Johnson (Jr.) – 11.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg
G Brian Darden (Jr.) – 9.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg
G Quinton Chievous (Sr.) – 10.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg
F Jervon Pressley (Jr.) – 6.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Key Player:
Deron Powers
Hampton's leading scorer and rebounder, Dwight Meikle, missed the MEAC Tournament with various injuries and isn't likely to play in the NCAA Tournament. Powers stepped up in his absence and played his best basketball of the season, and that's going to have to continue for Hampton to play their best.
Biggest Strength:
Rebounding
Even though the Pirates start four guards, they rank in the top 50 in the country in rebounds, grabbing over 37 boards per game. Hampton has everyone crash the glass on both ends of the floor, which can lead to some easy baskets in transition for the opposition, but the Pirates usually come up with the ball.
Biggest Weakness:
Outside Shooting
Everyone on Hampton's roster is good attacking the rim and finishing around the basket, but they don't have anyone that can consistently hit shots from beyond the arc. They shoot just over 30 percent from deep as a team, and no one shoots over 35 percent.
Outlook:
Hampton, like many other small conference schools, simply don't have the talent to play with the better teams in the country. They'll lose in the first round without putting up much of a fight.
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