Monmouth claims the right to play No. 1 seed Villanova

DAYTON, Ohio -- A hot shooter and an imposing center won over a neutral crowd and helped Monmouth finally measure up in the NCAA tournament.

Chris Kenny set an opening-round record with six 3-pointers Tuesday night, and 7-foot-2 center John Bunch entertained the crowd with his bulk and blocks during a 71-49 victory over Hampton in the play-in game.

Monmouth (19-14) moves on to Philadelphia to play No. 1 seed Villanova in the Wildcats' backyard on Friday, looking to pull off that elusive 16-over-1 upset.

Even if they don't get it, the Northeast Conference champions have already had a breakthrough tournament.

Monmouth lost by 24 points to Marquette in 1996, by 43 points to No. 1 seed Duke in 2001, and by 33 points to Mississippi State in 2004.

Kenny finished with 18 points, and Dejan Delic had 14. Overall, Monmouth went 10-of-26 from behind the 3-point arc.

Hampton finished its season at 16-16.