Kentucky's quest to go undefeated this season continue on Thursday as they prepare to take on the Hampton Pirates, a team they likely did not know existed until Wednesday. The no. 1 seed in college basketball has managed to go 34-0 this season looking to become the first undefeated national champion in the school's impressive basketball history. No one has pulled that accomplishment off since the 70s. The Hampton Pirates are aware of the tough road ahead as they have dreams of being the Cinderella team of the 2015 tournament.
Hampton comes into the tournament as the No. 16 seed. They upset the Manhattan Jaspers to reach the Big Dance and now they have nothing to lose and everything to gain against the Wildcats. Naturally they enter as heavy underdogs considering Kentucky's perfect record and roster filled with top recruits. They certainly looked good in their First Four matchup, never trailing Manhattan before getting the 74-64 win. It was their fifth-straight win of the season.
The Pirates are aware this matchup is not ideal. Las Vegas books have Kentucky as a 33-point favorite over Hampton. The team will have Quinton Chievous on the court after he suffered a sprain ankle, but Dwight Meikle who leads the team in scoring and rebounding will be out with a high ankle sprain. Hampton is at an even bigger disadvantage than before wit that loss.
Kentucky freshman Tyler Ulis admitted that he has not watched film on Hampton yet, but is confident his team can avoid being the major upset of the tournament. The Wildcats intend on playing a high-energy, intense game against Hampton to help set the tone for the remaining games of the tournament. The team is aware they have the roster to overpower Hampton as players like Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns will be too much to handle, but the team cannot afford to play sloppy. The Wildcats have been dealing with foul trouble lately and need to avoiding creating the habit that could hurt them in later rounds.
Is Hampton the Cinderella story of 2015? The Pirates are certainly hoping to be, but being the first team to beat Kentucky this season would certainly be a tough task to match.
