No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 16 Hampton in Raleigh, N.C., 3:10 p.m. truTV
Virginia received a No. 1 seed for the second time in three years Sunday, despite losing in the ACC tournament title game to North Carolina. The Cavaliers play the Pirates in the first round of the tournament. And as a wonderful side note, it is called first round again. With the introduction of the First Four games in 2011, Thursday and Friday for the NCAA tournament had been called the second round, which was really confusing for people. Especially when you would reference past games and say things like, "Virginia lost to Michigan State in the third round last year." So UVa went 2-1 in the dance last season? No, it went 1-1. The third round was just the Cavs' second game. So as you can see, the confusion will decrease with this move. The first round is once again the first round, not the second round. The First Four is just the First Four.
Virginia last played Hampton at the beginning of the 2013-14 season, winning 69-40. Here's more on this year's Pirates:
Record: 21-10, 13-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, MEAC tournament champions
Scorers in double figures: Senior guard Reginald Johnson Jr. (18.3), senior guard Quinton Chievious, senior guard Brian Darden (13.2)
Leading rebounders: Chievious (11), senior forward Jervon Pressley (6), senior forward Dionte Adams (5.8)
Assist leaders: Johnson (4.1), Chievious (2.1)
Notable: Lawrence Cooks (8), Pressley (6.7), and Adams (5.2) are all above 5 ppg. Nine Hampton players average at least 10 minutes.
Best win: The Pirates beat Louisiana-Monroe, of the Sun Belt Conference, 75-64, in Las Vegas in December. The Warhawks ended up 20-13.
Worst win: In early December, the Pirates beat Northern Arizona in double overtime. The Lumberjacks ended up just 5-25.
Other wins: American, Appalachian State, Coppin State, Morgan State (three times), Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Savannah State, Norfolk State, Washington
Adventist, Howard (twice), Delaware State (twice)
Best loss: In late November, Hampton lost at Grand Canyon University, 63-51. The Antelopes ended up 25-6 and might have gotten into the NCAA tournament, however, they were ineligible.
Worst loss: The Pirates lost at Maryland-Eastern Shore, 73-70, on Feb. 6. The Hawks ended up just 10-22.
Other losses: Winthrop, William & Mary, SMU, Colorado, Nicholls State, Princeton, South Carolina State, Norfolk State
What Hampton does well: Hampton has scored well this year at 74.8 ppg (142nd in the nation) and has been strong on the boards, tallying 41.6 rpg (7th) and is at +5.1 per game (42nd)
What Hampton does poorly: The Pirates aren't great shooters. They shoot 41.5 percent overall from the field (286th), 30.8 percent from 3 (312th), and 65.7 percent on free throws (311th). They also aren't great defenders. 73.8 ppg (233rd).
Well, you know the drill for this one. No. 1 seeds are undefeated vs. No. 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament. That doesn't mean there haven't been close calls. But as long as Virginia has its head on straight, it should come away with a victory in this one fairly easily. Virginia played one other team from the MEAC this season, Morgan State in the first game of the year, and won by 38. Morgan State won just nine games, but played the Pirates tough in three games, losing by three, eight, and two.
Of course, two years ago as a No. 1 seed, UVa got down to Coastal Carolina by 10 in the first half, but stormed back to win comfortably in the second half. I'm sure Wahoo fans would be fine if UVa avoided scaring them like that this time around.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 15-20 points.
Virginia received a No. 1 seed for the second time in three years Sunday, despite losing in the ACC tournament title game to North Carolina. The Cavaliers play the Pirates in the first round of the tournament. And as a wonderful side note, it is called first round again. With the introduction of the First Four games in 2011, Thursday and Friday for the NCAA tournament had been called the second round, which was really confusing for people. Especially when you would reference past games and say things like, "Virginia lost to Michigan State in the third round last year." So UVa went 2-1 in the dance last season? No, it went 1-1. The third round was just the Cavs' second game. So as you can see, the confusion will decrease with this move. The first round is once again the first round, not the second round. The First Four is just the First Four.
Virginia last played Hampton at the beginning of the 2013-14 season, winning 69-40. Here's more on this year's Pirates:
Record: 21-10, 13-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, MEAC tournament champions
Scorers in double figures: Senior guard Reginald Johnson Jr. (18.3), senior guard Quinton Chievious, senior guard Brian Darden (13.2)
Leading rebounders: Chievious (11), senior forward Jervon Pressley (6), senior forward Dionte Adams (5.8)
Assist leaders: Johnson (4.1), Chievious (2.1)
Notable: Lawrence Cooks (8), Pressley (6.7), and Adams (5.2) are all above 5 ppg. Nine Hampton players average at least 10 minutes.
Best win: The Pirates beat Louisiana-Monroe, of the Sun Belt Conference, 75-64, in Las Vegas in December. The Warhawks ended up 20-13.
Worst win: In early December, the Pirates beat Northern Arizona in double overtime. The Lumberjacks ended up just 5-25.
Other wins: American, Appalachian State, Coppin State, Morgan State (three times), Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Savannah State, Norfolk State, Washington
Best loss: In late November, Hampton lost at Grand Canyon University, 63-51. The Antelopes ended up 25-6 and might have gotten into the NCAA tournament, however, they were ineligible.
Worst loss: The Pirates lost at Maryland-Eastern Shore, 73-70, on Feb. 6. The Hawks ended up just 10-22.
Other losses: Winthrop, William & Mary, SMU, Colorado, Nicholls State, Princeton, South Carolina State, Norfolk State
What Hampton does well: Hampton has scored well this year at 74.8 ppg (142nd in the nation) and has been strong on the boards, tallying 41.6 rpg (7th) and is at +5.1 per game (42nd)
What Hampton does poorly: The Pirates aren't great shooters. They shoot 41.5 percent overall from the field (286th), 30.8 percent from 3 (312th), and 65.7 percent on free throws (311th). They also aren't great defenders. 73.8 ppg (233rd).
Well, you know the drill for this one. No. 1 seeds are undefeated vs. No. 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament. That doesn't mean there haven't been close calls. But as long as Virginia has its head on straight, it should come away with a victory in this one fairly easily. Virginia played one other team from the MEAC this season, Morgan State in the first game of the year, and won by 38. Morgan State won just nine games, but played the Pirates tough in three games, losing by three, eight, and two.
Of course, two years ago as a No. 1 seed, UVa got down to Coastal Carolina by 10 in the first half, but stormed back to win comfortably in the second half. I'm sure Wahoo fans would be fine if UVa avoided scaring them like that this time around.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 15-20 points.
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