It’s a Wednesday morning matinee in Chapel Hill, with the No. 17 UNC Tarheels (2-0) hosting the Hampton Lady Pirates (0-1) at 11 a.m. ET (ACCNX).
For the second-straight season, the Lady Pirates are taking an early trip to the Carolinas for a tough test against a ranked opponent. Last year, Hampton headed to Columbia, SC to meet the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks. The Tarheels might not be as intimidating an opponent as the Gamecocks, but they still present a tall task for the Lady Pirates, projected to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the Coastal Athletic Conference (CAA).
For Hampton and 15th-year head coach David Six, the challenge of facing a Power 5 opponent on the road is exacerbated by the team’s inexperience. The Lady Pirates return only four active players from last year’s team, which finished 12-18 overall and 8-10 in the CAA. Hampton dropped the season opener last Tuesday, falling 76-46 at the Providence Friars. The Lady Pirates struggled to put the ball in basket or grab rebounds, a recipe for a resounding defeat. Senior wing Camryn Hill did her best to keep Hampton in striking distance, scoring a team-high 22 points.
On Sunday, UNC nearly joined the ranks of ranked teams that lost in the wild first week of the season. After amassing a double-digit…
