Gone but never forgetting, Hampton relishes NCAA chance

LOUISVILLE — Hampton University's basketball players don't understand the fascination with, well, them. They don't get why people all across the country are saying they've got Jesus on speed dial. Or what's so funny about them going through their pre-game walkthrough in their hotel lobby.

The Pirates were the lone team to enter the NCAA tournament with a sub-.500 record, yet they're about to face brighter lights and a bigger stage than they could possibly have imagined two weeks ago. They'll be the first team to face unbeaten Kentucky in this NCAA tournament, the first of a few obstacles to a perfect season for the Wildcats.

They know a 16 seed has never beaten a 1 seed; they know their situation is even more unique than most. They're about to become a historical footnote.

Knowing the odds and embracing the exposure, Hampton opened its doors to USA TODAY Sports for a look at their pre-game preparation and approach, beginning the moment the team arrived at the arena Thursday night.

7:32 p.m.

Hampton's bus pulls into the loading dock, a small miracle in its own right after yesterday's logistical gltich. The Pirates got a police escort today, so they're actually early. Players trickle out, Beats headphones covering their ears, black-and-white T-shirts emblazoned with THE BIG DANCE underneath their warmups. Joyner wears sweats, too, draping his suit over his shoulder.

No one knows it yet, but it will be nearly three hours before Hampton actually tips off against Kentucky. The coaches send the players out to the stands; they tell them they can watch Cincinnati-Purdue until halftime. In the coaches' locker room, the TV shows highlights of all of the day's wild upsets.

Those unexpected upsets: They're both the elephant in the room and also the goal for tonight. UAB, a 14 seed, knocked off No. 3 Iowa State here earlier today. Someone else mentions Georgia State. It's been 20 years since two 14 seeds won on the same day in the NCAA tournament. A 16 seed has never beaten a 1 seed. Everyone here knows that, but today feels a little loopy already. Maybe there will be more drama than everyone expects.

7:57 p.m.

The whiteboard fills up quickly, and neatly, with black lettering. Assistant Akeem Miskdeen had the scouting duty for this game, just like he has had for pretty much every Hampton game. He writes out each of Kentucky's starters and, with their names, their stats. He lists shooting percentages in the corner — Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis could very likely be Hampton's biggest headaches along the perimeter. In the center of the white board, he puts the Pirates' game keys:

— Limit TOs

— Transition def/off

— Box out! Get over the back calls!

— Protect the paint

Underneath, and needing no context: Hampton = David. He underlines both words.

Hampton had conducted its walkthrough earlier this afternoon in the lobby of a Hilton Garden Inn. It sounds funny, but it's worked; Hampton prepared in its hotel lobby before it beat Manhattan in Dayton earlier this week and before each of its games in the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference tournament.

8:22 p.m.

Utah-Stephen F. Austin is on, and the entire Hampton coaching staff is engrossed. Delon Wright, the Utes' star guard, is getting rave reviews. After a few minutes, a surprise visitor bursts through the door. It's Kenny Stokes, a volunteer assistant.

"I couldn't miss you guys going to war," Stokes says. He's just survived an 11-hour bus ride, one spent with Hampton students, to get here. The bus is expected to make its return trip right after the game. Stokes' arrival brings with it a great deal of laughter. The other assistants can't believe he talked his way past security and into their locker room without a credential — or, apparently, a pat-down from security. Stokes even snuck in a suitcase. "This might be a special day after all," Joyner says.

8:29 p.m.

Stokes wasn't with the team in Dayton, so he's alternating between catching up with the other coaches and making statements about Hampton's chances against Kentucky that either suggest outright delusion or an endearing amount of cockiness. He plans on lighting a fire under the players — but it's not clear they need any extra motivation. They know what they're up against. They also know how slim the odds were that they'd even reach this point. After a sixth-place regular-season finish in the MEAC, they went on a run and won the conference tournament despite losing their leading scorer, Dwight Meikle, early on. Then they spoiled coach Steve Masiello's night, beating Manhattan in the First Four to open the NCAA tournament on Monday.

"What a difference two weeks makes," Joyner says, in a rare moment of reflection. "We've already won. But I want this one, too."

8:33 p.m.

Joyner heads out to peek out into the stands. He reports back: "A whole lotta Hampton fans out there. All that blue." He keeps a straight face for a second, then smiles.

8:40 p.m.

Assistant coach DeMarco Johnson asks Joyner if he's seen the point spread. He has. Thirty-five points. Joyner checks his phone, searching for the score of the Hampton women's basketball game. They're playing in the NIT. They're about to win.

Joyner starts pacing. He walks from the coaches' locker room to the tunnel leading to the court. And back. And into the main locker room. And back. He's not really antsy, but it's helping pass a minute here, a minute there. He's waited long enough.

Miskdeen says he's been sleeping about three nights a week since Hampton's magical postseason run began. He'll go on a "sleeping binge," he says, once the season is over. He's caught himself nodding off on short bus rides lately. But it's worth it to have a shot at Kentucky. He's tried to stress to the players that, "it's still basketball."

There's a play the Wildcats run that's so similar to plays they've seen all year, the Pirates get a little too excited watching film. "A MEAC special!" they call it.

8:50 p.m.

There's a brief discussion about the players' psychological state. The coaches want the players amped — but focused. They think that's what they'll see. "The team they say is invincible?" Johnson says. "How could you not be up for this?"

8:57 p.m.

Joyner is craving a hot dog. "I'm starving," he says to no one in particular. "All I had today was that tiny little salad." Joyner sends a team video guy to the concession stand. Ten minutes later, Joyner takes a bite of a hot dog coated in both ketchup and mustard. He's offering up a spare 'dog if anyone else is hungry.

9:12 p.m.

The CBS cameras catch Joyner eating his hotdog and moseying around the locker room. He doesn't notice. The clip airs during the end of Cincinnati-Purdue. He laughs when he finds out.

9:20 p.m.

There are 41 seconds left in the early game — a lifetime in college basketball, really — and Joyner finally changes into his dress clothes. A bright blue dress shirt, no tie yet. He says he'd coach in his sweats if he could.

9:29 p.m.

Purdue blows a six-point lead in the final minute. A Cincinnati layup at the buzzer rolls around and around the rim before falling, sending the game to overtime. Hampton is tired of waiting. Players had been in the tunnel, ready to jog out. They grumble and head back to their lockers, and headphones.

9:48 p.m.

Cincinnati has won, and Hampton is out on the court for warmups — all but Joyner. He finally puts on his tie as he wanders back and forth through the locker room alone in his thoughts.

10:04 p.m.

"They ain't that big!" a freshman yells as the team stampedes back into the locker room one last time. "What are we focused on? Defense!" someone else shouts into the massive huddle forming in the middle of the room. "Stops on stops on stops — add it up, that's a win!"

They go quiet for a few minutes. Miskdeen goes over the scouting report and prep one more time. He goes player by player. He suggests shot-faking against Willie Cauley-Stein. He calls Ulis Kentucky's best point guard. He says Booker is the Wildcats' best shooter — make him put it on the floor.

"You've got to believe — that's the No. 1 thing, everybody in here has to believe," Miskdeen says, his voice rising as his message increases its urgency. "Nobody out there believes we can win this game. If you don't believe, don't go out there … We gonna be David tonight. We gonna be David!"

Joyner then speaks — softly. He tells his players to trust the game plan, trust in the moment — they're ready for it — and trust themselves. "You all want to go out there and do something special," he says. "The only way you're able to do something special is you've got to put yourself in line to do it. Put yourself in line." The Pirates pray.

11:08 p.m.

David's time of death. On the heels of a 14-0 run, Kentucky has pulled away from Hampton. It's 38-19, and Kentucky's star forward Karl-Anthony Towns is doing whatever he pleases, though the rest of the team is a little sluggish by its standards. Hampton is learning, just as every Kentucky opponent before it has, that without similar size, depth and athleticism, it's impossible to beat the 'Cats.

12:28 a.m.

Towns finishes with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Two other Wildcats players score in double figures as Kentucky cruises to a 79-56 win. The Wildcats are five games away from a perfect season, one step closer to college basketball immortality. More Davids will come at them in the coming weeks.

12:36 a.m.

NCAA officials yank down the Hampton locker room sign. The doors open, and reporters charge in, anxiously awaiting answers about how good Goliath is, and if he can win a national championship. "It's bittersweet right now," guard Reggie Johnson says. "We went into that game trying to win the game."

Eventually, reality will sink in, and these players will understand the magnitude of it all — the MEAC title, the win in Dayton and the fight they exhibited against Kentucky. "Right now they can't see that," Joyner says, "but as time goes, they'll absorb the good things that they did tonight and the great things that they did over the last two weeks for themselves, their families, and the university."

And besides, sometimes Goliath is a true giant.