Hampton vs UCSB Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 4
Hampton at UCSB
Monday, November 21, 2021, 6:00 pm PST
Santa Barbara, Calif.
 

Quick Bite
The Gauchos (2-1) come home to lick their wounds after a shocking loss at lowly Northern Arizona.  UCSB's next two games are part of the long-awaited Santa Barbara Beach Classic, an MTE that gives each involved team two free games against the NCAA scheduling limit.  Hampton (1-2), an HBCU that began the mass-exodus out of the MEAC in 2018, is now a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.   Hampton's one win is against Regent (Va.).  They lost 106-58 at James Madison and 82-73 at East Carolina.


UCSB-Hampton History
The two squads have never played.


The Arena
In conjunction with the three games of the Santa Barbara Beach Classic, UC Santa Barbara is hosting a food drive in partnership with the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County.  Any fans that bring a canned food item will get free admission to any of the games. 


Head Coach
Edward Joyner, Jr.
overall/Hampton: 32-56 (.364) 
Head Coach Edward Joyner, Jr., is in his 14th season with Hampton University. He has been through three conferences and boasts a 207-211 record since stepping in for the 2009-10 season. 


Roster & Overview of the Bulldogs
In lieu of a detailed breakdown of the Pirates, I am stealing liberally from the UCSB website preview:

The Pirates have been fouled a lot this year.  With the number of attempts this team has taken throughout the year, they rank 36th in the NCAA with 24.7 attempts per game.  Despite the number of free throw opportunities, they only have a .622 free throw percentage.

Jordan Nesbitt is one of the most impactful playmakers in the Colonial Athletic Association and the NCAA.  The transfer from Saint Louis University ranks 40th in the NCAA and No. 1 in the CAA in assists per game, averaging 5.7.

Marquis Godwin has been the biggest contributor on offense for the Pirates.  The senior guard currently leads the team in scoring with 43 points.  Fellow senior guard Russell Dean follows up close behind him with 39.  Godwin is also the team's best three-point shooter, going 8 for 20 from with a .400 three-point field goal percentage.

Sophomore Nesbitt not only leads the team in assists, racking up 17 so far, but he's also third on the team in field goals with 10.  This follows up his 8.2 points per game with the Billikens in the Atlantic 10 Conference last season.

Five Pirates have double-digit rebounds at this point in the season with freshman Kyrese Mullen leading the way.  The freshman who comes off the bench and has only played 69 minutes has 19 rebounds to start his freshman season. 


Matchup/keys to the game
The news that Hampton gets fouled a lot should scare us.  This team has not proven it can consistently stop speedy guards penetrating the man-to-man defense.  In light of the loss in Flagstaff, this group cannot look past anyone.  Depth needs to be developed over the remainder of the non-conference season.

Prediction 
I'm operating on the theory that players are pissed and ready to take it out on someone.  UCSB 77, Hampton 57 


Official Site:  https://hamptonpirates.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  I'm not even going to look.  Frankly, we have nothing to crow about.
How to Watch:  https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ ... dd7d096bda
Live stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=428852