Hampton Pirates
Head coach: Edward Joyner Jr. (6th season)
Record: 16-17, 8-8 MEAC
Season summary: The Pirates struggled all year, finishing at 8-8 in the MEAC and getting the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament, but got hot at the right time. Hampton upset the conference's second, third and fifth seeds on consecutive days to steal the conference's automatic bid and earn a surprising spot in the field of 68. The Pirates have a balanced attack, with five players averaging 9.7 points or more per game—headlined by junior guard Dwight Meikle, who missed the First Four game with an ankle injury—but really struggle to move the ball at times and rank 303rd nationally in assists per game at just 10.6 per contest.
How they make a run: Hampton continues putting up big offensive numbers by attacking off the bounce, pulling the upset to end all upsets against overall No. 1 seed Kentucky.
How they falter: The Pirates' spacing and ball movement disappear on the big stage and Hampton's Cinderella postseason run comes to an abrupt end against the Wildcats.
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