The 2011 MEAC Basketball Tournament champion Hampton Lady Pirates earned a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament and will face No. 4 Kentucky in the first round of tournament play. The game will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will be televised on ESPN2.

The Lady Pirates number 13 seed marks the highest seed by a women's team since the inception of the 64-team bracket in 1994. North Carolina A&T earned a No. 14 seed in 2009 and faced No. 3 Florida State. Prior to 1994, Howard and South Carolina State earned the eighth seed in 1982 and 1983 respectively.

The Lady Pirates (25-6) defeated Howard, 61-42, in the MEAC Basketball Tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Saturday to earn the conference's automatic qualification to the divisional tournament.

Senior forward Quanneisha Perry, was named the tournament Outstanding Player while teammate Jericka Jenkins earned All-Tournament Team honors. 

Head Coach David Six, in his second year, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Coach.

Hampton will be making its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament. Last year, the No. 16 Lady Pirates fell to  top-seeded Duke in the first round 72-37.  

The Lady Pirates, winners of 13 straight, boasts regular-season wins over Colonial Athletic Association champion James Madison (a 69-64 decision to open the season in Harrisonburg, Va.) and a convincing home win over Florida.

Kentucky (24-8), fell to the Lady Vols of Tennessee State in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship game on March 6. The Wildcats are led by SEC Player of the Year Victoria Dunlap, who averages 17.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

The Lady Pirates have never faced Kentucky and are 1-6 all-time against schools from the SEC.