Monday, November 12th, 9:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Comcast Center (17,950) -- College Park. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Hampton 0-0, Maryland 1-0. Away Record: Hampton 0-0, Maryland 0-0. Neutral Record: Hampton 1-0, Maryland 0-0. Conference Record: Hampton 0-0, Maryland 0-0. Series Record: Maryland leads, 2-0.

GAME NOTES: With a chance to advance to the Semifinal Round on the CBE Classic on the line, the Maryland Terrapins will host the Hampton Pirates this evening at the Comcast Center. Tonight's winner will travel to Kansas City to take part in the semifinals on Monday November 19th. The Pirates opened their new campaign with a bang, defeating the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, 72-55. It was the first step to hopefully a successful 2007-08 season for Hampton, which returns four starters to the mix. As for the Terps, they had very little trouble disposing of North Florida, as Maryland hammered the Ospreys, 79-50. The Terps are outstanding in regular season tournaments, boasting a 100-38 all-time record, while collecting 28 titles. The Terps have won both prior meetings with Hampton, with the most recent victory coming this past season in College Park, 102-75.

Entering this season the Pirates were tabbed as one of the top teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and after the team's season opening performance there is little doubt that the Pirates will be a tough matchup for any opponent. In the victory over Tulsa, the Pirates had a stellar outing by Rashad West. The preseason favorite to win the MEAC Player of the Year award scored 22 points in the victory. However, he was not the main scoring threat, as the team received a surprising performance from Vincent Simpson, a sophomore guard from Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philadelphia. The 6-1 guard shot 7-of-11 from the field, finishing the game with a team-high 25 points. Forward Matthew Pilgrim finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in the win, but fellow frontcourt member, Michael Freeman struggled, netting just five points in the game.

As for the Terps, they posted a 29-point victory in the their opener over North Florida, despite struggling offensively. Maryland finished the contest with a meager 38.1 percent shooting effort from the field. The team also struggled from long range (38.5 percent) and the foul line (64.3 percent). The Terps also made a few too many mistakes, committing 20 turnovers in the win. However, they also forced 20 miscues and dominated the glass, outrebounding North Florida, 43-26. What helped Maryland open the year with a win was the team's defensive effort, as the Terps held the Ospreys to a pathetic 30.5 percent shooting effort from the field, and an even worse 27.3 percent showing from long range. The most production for the Terps came from the backcourt, as Greivis Vasquez poured in 18 points to go along with six assists and seven rebounds. Fellow guard Eric Hayes added 15 points and eight helpers, while forward Osby Bambale also tallied 15 points in the win.

Hampton's win over Tulsa was impressive, but now the team will have a much tougher task this evening. The Terps were not very sharp in their opener, but the team should play better tonight en route to a solid win.

Predicted Outcome

Maryland 77, Hampton 64