THE GAME:  After a critical MEAC road win at Norfolk State on Saturday, North Carolina Central University faces another tough conference test in Virginia against Hampton University, which suffered its first league loss on Saturday against North Carolina A&T. The Eagles have won seven straight games, and 12 of their last 14.
 
SCOUTING REPORT:  HAMPTON
- The Pirates of Hampton entered Saturday as one of three MEAC teams with unbeaten conference records, but lost to North Carolina A&T.
- Hampton ranks second in the conference in rebounding with 37.8 caroms per game, and third in the league in field goal percentage defense.
 
SERIES VS. HAMPTON
This will be the 77th meeting between the Eagles and Pirates. North Carolina Central leads the series 45-31. NCCU has won the last three match-ups with Hampton, including a 74-61 victory on Jan. 7, 2014 in Durham, North Carolina.
 
NCCU'S RPI IN TOP 100
According to NCAA.com (as of Jan. 18), NCCU's RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) is 86 out of 351 teams across the nation. Hampton is 294.
 
EAGLES SOARING AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE
NCCU is ranked among some of the top schools in the nation in a few statistical categories listed below, including games through Jan. 17:
 
CATEGORY                   NCCU    NCAA
Opp. Three-Point FG Pct. 26.4% 4th
Opp. Field Goal Pct..... 35.7% 8th
Opp. Points Per Game.. 55.3   9th
Scoring Margin............. +14.1 16th
Blocked Shots Per Game 5.2  30th
Steals Per Game................ 8.3   33rd
Field Goal Percentage 47.4% 38th
 
DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
Under the leadership of sixth-year head coach LeVelle Moton, NCCU believes its identity is rooted in playing defense. As evidence, the Eagles rank among the NCAA Division I top-10 in three key defensive categories: fourth in three-point percentage defense (26.4%), eighth in field goal percentage defense (35.7%) and ninth in scoring defense (55.3 points allowed per game).
 
JORDAN PARKS ON THE MARK
After leading the nation in field goal shooting last season at 65.9 percent, NCCU senior forward Jordan Parks ranks fourth in the NCAA Division I at 64.2 percent, which leads the MEAC.
 
NIMROD THE PLAYMAKER
NCCU senior point guard Nimrod Hilliard has scored 83 points in NCCU's last five games combined (16.6 avg.), but the Lamar University transfer continues to lead the MEAC and rank 29th in the nation with an average of 5.6 assists per game.
 
McDONALD AN ARCH EXPERT
Ronald McDonald knows golden arches. Anthony McDonald knows three-point arches. The NCCU senior sharp-shooter tops the conference and ranks 23rd in the country with 3.0 made three-pointers per game. He has a MEAC-high 54 baskets from behind the arch.