RICHMOND, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will continue its run through the 2016 Barclays Classic on Tuesday afternoon, squaring off against the Spiders from the University of Richmond at the Robins Center at 12 p.m.
 
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The Series: The Pirates are 1-4 against Richmond, with that lone win coming in the first meeting between the two teams – a 61-60 win in the HU Convocation Center during the 2002-03 season. Each of the four meetings after that have been in Richmond, Va., with the Spiders winning each meeting. Hampton and Richmond last faced off in the 2012-13 season, with the Spiders winning 68-58.
 
Pirates Against the A-10: The Pirates are 10-20 against teams currently in the A-10. Hampton is 0-1 against Davidson; 0-1 against Dayton; 1-0 against Duquesne; 2-1 against Fordham; 1-4 against George Mason; 1-1 against George Washington; 1-1 against La Salle; 1-4 against Richmond; 2-0 against Saint Bonaventure; and 1-7 against VCU. The Pirates have never faced Massachusetts, Rhode Island; Saint Louis, or Saint Joseph's.
 
Pirates on the Road: In head coach Edward Joyner Jr.'s first seven-plus seasons at the helm, the Pirates are 43-61 on the road, including an 8-7 mark last season. Hampton has won at least eight road games in three of its first seven seasons under Joyner – and in all three of those seasons, the Pirates made the postseason (2011 and 2016 NCAA, 2015 CBI). Hampton's best road mark came in 2010-11, when the Pirates were 8-5 in true road games.
 
Scouting the Spiders: Richmond (2-1) is entering its 12th season under head coach Chris Mooney, and the Spiders were picked to finish sixth in the A-10 this season. Richmond returns four starters from last year, accounting for nearly 77 points per game – including Preseason A-10 honorees T.J. Cline and ShawnDre' Jones. Jones is averaging 23 points a game so far this season, while Cline is averaging 17 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
 
Pirates Picked to Finish Third: Despite winning back-to-back MEAC titles, the Pirates were picked to finish third in the conference this season in a poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Hampton, which returns just one starter from last season, picked up two first-place votes and racked up 250 points in the poll. Howard was tabbed the preseason favorite, while South Carolina State – which fell to the Pirates in last season's MEAC Tournament championship game – was picked to finish second.
 
Cooks the Only One: Lawrence Cooks is the lone returning starter for the Pirates, and he comes into 2016-17 as the team's top returner in scoring (7.8 ppg), rebounding (3.7 rpg), assists (47), and steals (19). He is also the only player on this year's team that isn't a freshman, sophomore, or junior – though he does have two MEAC championship rings and NCAA Tournament appearances to his credit. Cooks dropped a career-high 22 points at Winthrop last season, a campaign in which he scored in double figures 11 times. Cooks had 10 points in Hampton's season opener against Rider.
 
Wilson-Fisher Looking for a Bigger Role: Charles Wilson-Fisher was a key role player in the Pirates' run through the MEAC Tournament in 2015, and he was a key reserve down low for the Pirates last season. 2016-17 could figure to be a breakout season for the Los Angeles native with the graduation of Jervon Pressley, and Wilson-Fisher will be looking to improve on his scoring and rebounding averages (2.7 and 2.5, respectively) this season. He tied his career high in points with 10 last season against Northern Arizona, and this past Friday against Rider, he set new career highs in rebounds (15) and blocks (two).
 
Strong Start for Marrow: Three games into his collegiate career, freshman Jermaine Marrow leads the Pirates in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game. He opened his career with 13 points against Rider, before dropping 11 points this past Thursday in an overtime win over Chowan and then scoring 15 points at Kansas State this past Sunday. The Heritage High graduate from nearby Newport News, Va. was 4A East State Player of the Year last season, proving to be one of Virginia's best scorers – averaging over 25 points a game in 2015-16.
 
Astroth Making an Impact: AJ Astroth was key in Hampton's win over Chowan this past Thursday – not just because he poured in a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds in just his second game with the program, but because it was his layup in the closing moments that gave the Pirates the lead. Astroth is tied for second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.0 points per game.
 
For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5757, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.