#15 Seed Hampton - Saturday 3/20 @ 2:30 PM - Cameron Indoor Stadium
(Televised on ESPN Networks, check local listings)

The Roster: The Lady Pirates are led by wing Quanneisha Perry, the team's only double-digit scorer at 13 ppg. Perry is also the team's top rebounder at an impressive 9 rpg and got to the foul line 4 times a game. Considering that she's only 5-10, that rebounding figure is especially amazing. Hampton uses a very tight six-player rotation, with guard Jericka Jenkins acting as both the team's floor general and mad bomber. The 5-4 mighty mite is averaging 9.8 ppg, is shooting 32% from three, and is dishing out 4 apg. She leads the team with 2 steals a game and has a 2:1 assist/turnover ratio. Fellow mighty mite Bernadette Fortune is more a slasher than Jenkins, averaging 9.7 ppg, getting more of them from the foul line. 5-5 Choicetta McMillan (Hampton is chock full of All-Name candidates) is the team's other bomber, averaging 6 ppg and shooting 35% from three. 5-10 Melanie Warner averages 7 ppg and 4 rpg, while wing Laura Lewis is the team's tallest regular at 6-2, averaging 5.7 ppg and 4.2 rpg. Warner was the MVP of the MEAC tourney, averaging 18 ppg in helping Hampton cruise to the title.

The Skinny: This is a very interesting and unconventional team that could seriously annoy Duke for a half. They played a solid non-conference schedule but started the year off at 4-9, losing to Richmond, SMU, Fresno State, Temple, Old Dominion and Georgia Tech. Most of these games were not blowouts; the Lady Pirates were within 9 points of Georgia Tech and 3 points of Temple. The Lady Pirates righted their ship and won 16 of their last 18 games, cruising through the MEAC tournament with three double-digit wins. Hampton started winning thanks to their team speed, their defense (forcing 22 turnovers a game) and the fact that five of their six regulars could pop off a three at any time. As a result, Hampton held their opponents to just 54 points a game.

Defending Hampton's pesky guards will be a priority for Jasmine Thomas (left) and host Duke.

The Matchup: Stopping Jenkins will be Duke's top priority. They've dealt with tiny guards with potent offensive games this year like JMU's Dawn Evans and UNC's Cetera DeGraffenreid, and they will need to contain her as shooter and playmaker. Look for Keturah Jackson and Jasmine Thomas to take turns defending her by bodying her up. Perry is the team's toughest inside scorer but is both foul and turnover prone. The Devils will need to attack her dribble, with Karima Christmas and Bridgette Mitchell taking turns trying to force her into mistakes. Duke's overwhelming size advantage means that they should extend the defense, force the Lady Pirates to drive and let Krystal Thomas & Allison Vernerey block shots. As long as Duke is careful to move its feet quickly, they should be able to frustrate Hampton into taking a lot of bad shots. They must be careful not to put them on the foul line.

At the other end of the floor, Duke should use its size and strength to overpower the Lady Pirates and get their top players in foul trouble. Beyond their top six, Hampton really doesn't send a lot of players into meaningful game action for any extended period of time. They'll try some sort of zone press in an attempt to force Duke turnovers and limit looks inside. Duke needs to respond by forcing that zone to move and taking good shots over shorter opponents. If Duke can patiently throw the ball over the top of the zone, they should be able to get lots of easy shots inside. Joy Cheek will be a key player on offense; Hampton will leave her open at the top of the key and Joy both needs to be able to hit that shot and keep Hampton off-balance by attacking the basket.

Tidbits: Duke owns a 3-0 series lead over Hampton, including an easy win in Los Angeles back in December of 2003 that was most memorable for being Caitlin Howe's first appearance as a collegian....Maryland star Lynetta Kizer's younger sister Quiana is a frosh for Hampton, having played just 30 minutes this season...Hampton's coach is David Six, interim until signing a three year contract yesterday. Six made his name coaching high school basketball and it's safe to say that he has done a tremendous job with this team.