NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Norfolk State and Hampton have home arenas that are separated by about 16 miles and a body of water. This weekend, they'll collide about 2,500 miles away.
The Battle of the Bay will tip off at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as part of Chris Paul's HBCU Challenge. The NBA star started this event last year to give HBCU programs a spotlight to showcase their skills. The two teams squared off in last year's event as well, which took place in Phoenix.
"Just the overall logistics of it, they treated us the way that we should be treated with the gourmet meals, the travel, the hotels and everything like that," said Spartans' head coach Robert Jones. "With this tournament, Chris Paul and his crew do a great job of giving HBCU's the high-major experience."
"I think it's another way for another part of the country to see how special the HBCU rivalries are," added Hampton head coach Edward Joyner. "People know about Duke and North Carolina, but you don't know about Norfolk State and Hampton and how big of a game that is. It's a chance for us to showcase both of our platforms in another part of the country and show truly how special our universities and programs are."
The showdown between the two programs often features jam-packed gyms and plenty of energy. The amount of fans in the seats may a little bit decreased with the difference in setting, but both teams expect the intensity of the rivalry to be high as usual.
"It takes a little bit of the atmosphere away," Jones noted. "But the actual intensity on the court, no, that doesn't go anywhere."
"I'm not going to downplay that and say Vegas would be better," said Joyner. "Nice added change maybe, but nothing like playing in one of our home gyms."
As for the players, they're ready to go after a big early season victory. The two squads split their regular season match-ups last year, with NSU winning in Phoenix and the Pirates claiming the second match-up at Hampton.
"We're fired up, ready to go," said Hampton senior guard Marquis Godwin. "We can play them anywhere in the country. It's going to be the same excitement, same mental, same focus, everything. Everything's going to be the same."
"No matter where we play, it's still the same rivalry, still the same team, Norfolk State versus Hampton," Spartan senior guard Joe Bryant Jr. added. "The place doesn't matter. We just worry about us."
Norfolk State is 6-4 and faces Bowling Green on Wednesday night before heading to Las Vegas. The Pirates come in with a 3-7 record. After they meet on Saturday, the two will play a second game in Vegas on Sunday, the Spartans taking on North Carolina A&T and Hampton squaring off with Texas Southern.
The two rivals tipoff at 4:00 PM ET on Saturday and will meet again in February in Newark, New Jersey.
