Entering the 2001 NCAA Tournament, the Iowa State Cyclones were coming off an early exit in that season's Big 12 Tournament. Still, they had won 25 games in the regular season and were placed on the 2-line for their body of work. In contrast, the Hampton Pirates stood before the Cyclones with a record of 24-6 as the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

From the start, the Pirates didn't play like just another mid-major team. They jumped out to a 31-27 lead after 20 minutes, and then survived a second-half charge to win by a single point. They held a high-powered Iowa State offense to just 57 points, racking up 17 forced turnovers and 8 blocks. Their leading scorer, Tarvis Williams, put up 16 points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes.

Prior to the game, the Cyclones, with a nERD of 12.98, held a 12.06 advantage in nERD. The Pirates' nERD of 0.92 suggests that they weren't even 1 point better than an average team on a neutral court, but they were better than the Cyclones that day.