HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball program, fresh off of its 2015 MEAC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament run, has unveiled its 2015-16 schedule – a slate that racks up the frequent flier miles.
“This is a difficult schedule,” head coach Edward Joyner Jr. said. “Probably the most difficult non-conference schedule we’ve had. It’s a by-product of success; the more you win at this level, the more difficult it becomes to schedule teams.”
“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Director of Athletics Eugene Marshall said. “I believe Coach Joyner and the Pirates have a good chance of repeating as MEAC champions, and the non-conference slate will provide a solid test.”
The season will start on Nov. 13, when the Pirates (17-18, 8-8 MEAC in 2014-15) head to Rock Hill, S.C. to take on Winthrop. From there, Hampton will head to Washington, D.C. on Nov. 17 to square off against American.
Hampton’s home opener will be on Nov. 20, when the Pirates take on Appalachian State in the Convocation Center in the first of just two non-conference home games on the schedule.
On Nov. 25, the Pirates will be in Williamsburg, Va. to take on William & Mary, before they head to Arizona for a pair of games: at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix on Nov. 30 and at Northern Arizona in Flagstaff on Dec. 2.
Hampton’s MEAC opener will be at Coppin State on Dec. 5.
From there, the Pirates will compete in the 2015 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic – which will kick off with road games against SMU (Dec. 17) and Colorado (Dec. 19), before culminating in Las Vegas, Nev. on Dec. 22-23 in a field that will include Nicholl State, Canisius, and Louisiana Monroe.
After the holiday, the Pirates will be in Birmingham, Ala. on Dec. 31 to take on Texas Southern.
The Pirates will return home on Jan. 3, ringing in the New Year by taking on Princeton.
MEAC play resumes in earnest on Jan. 6 with another trip to Baltimore, Md. – this time to take on Morgan State – before the Pirates return home to take on Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 9 and Florida A&M on Jan. 11.
The Pirates will then hit the road on Jan. 16 to take on North Carolina A&T State – their first trip to Greensboro, N.C. since the 2010-11 season – before heading to Durham, N.C. on Jan. 18 to take on North Carolina Central.
Three straight home games will follow, starting with a tilt against Savannah State on Jan. 23. South Carolina State will visit the Pirates on Jan. 25, before rival Norfolk State comes to town on Jan. 30 for the first installment of the Battle of the Bay.
Hampton’s last non-conference game will be on Feb. 2, when they play host to Washington Adventist.
On Feb. 6, the Pirates will be in Princess Anne, Md. to take on Maryland Eastern Shore, before heading to Washington, D.C. on Feb. 8 to take on rival Howard in part one of the Battle for the Real HU.
Hampton will return home on Feb. 15 to take on Morgan State, before hitting the road again on Feb. 22 -- heading to Dover, Del. to take on Delaware State. Hampton defeated Delaware State in the title game of last year’s MEAC Tournament.
Howard will come to the Convocation Center on Feb. 27, before the Pirates play their home finale on Feb. 29 against Delaware State.
The regular season will wrap up on March 3, when Hampton takes on rival Norfolk State in Echols Hall.
The 2016 MEAC Basketball Championships will be held March 7-12 in Norfolk Scope Arena.
Dates and times are subject to change.