We should get a better grasp of what JMU has with this game. The teams had a wrestling match in Norfolk last year and PF Brandon Stith ended up being the deciding factor with a double-double in a 62-55 win. He is back and ODU will bring their same full contact rugby style as well. Will the Dukes be able to have any interior offensive threat? If not, will they press the entire time to make it a small ball game?
It should be a fun contest against a state rival and former Conference member.
The Dukes need a tight home court whistle to win this one because Physical play will favor ODU.
I watched some of the JMU game against Bridgeport and JMU looks better to me than they did last season. I know it was against a weak opponent, but JMU looks like they have a bigger and more athletic team than before. That should bode well for your team going forward this season.
ODU is still going to bring the defensive effort, but they are trying to play up tempo this season. We aren't as deep in the front court with the graduation of Denzel Taylor, but we have a couple of freshmen that are pretty good outside shooters that have been added. Redshirt freshman Xavier Green is a tall, lean, guard that is pretty skilled that will play significant minutes as well.
I think it was the '95 CAAT final that was one of the best games I've witnessed in person. It was the Rowe vs Sessoms Show. We may have lost that one, but it was a great duel between those guys
(11-12-2017 06:31 PM)s2dsayer Wrote: I think it was the '95 CAAT final that was one of the best games I've witnessed in person. It was the Rowe vs Sessoms Show. We may have lost that one, but it was a great duel between those guys
(11-12-2017 06:31 PM)s2dsayer Wrote: I think it was the '95 CAAT final that was one of the best games I've witnessed in person. It was the Rowe vs Sessoms Show. We may have lost that one, but it was a great duel between those guys
Looking forward to this one. One thing that stuck with me, especially about the freshman, we the amount of energy and passion they played with Friday. Great sign going forward.
(11-12-2017 04:26 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote: We should get a better grasp of what JMU has with this game. The teams had a wrestling match in Norfolk last year and PF Brandon Stith ended up being the deciding factor with a double-double in a 62-55 win. He is back and ODU will bring their same full contact rugby style as well. Will the Dukes be able to have any interior offensive threat? If not, will they press the entire time to make it a small ball game?
It should be a fun contest against a state rival and former Conference member.
The Dukes need a tight home court whistle to win this one because Physical play will favor ODU.
ODU 67
JMU 60
This is pretty spot on.
I think Scissum will get exposed pretty early and we will see Cam and Zach Jacobs coming in at the four. So much of this season will be a function of how stuckey and Develle do and tonight will be no different.
This should be an interesting matchup. When I looked up ODU's roster the other day on the VC site, I couldn't help but notice what a big team they have. Towson played them tough, but lost by 3 or so on the road. Over the summer, both JMU and Towson played Carleton, the Canadian team, and both came away with wins. Towson, though, did it on the road rather than at a neutral site. Given the score of the ODU-Towson game, looks like the Monarchs, again, are going to hat their hat on defense and rebounding. JMU will have to shoot well to win tonight and will have to rebound to have a chance.
1. If the Good Guys can get a W at home tonight, it will obviously be our 2nd win of the young season. Last year, the Dukes didn't get our 2nd win of the season until Dec. 28th over Eastern Mennonite.
2. The Dukes' opening opponent in this upcoming weekend's Islands of the Bahamas Showcase is Northern Kentucky, who won 24 games a season ago, is already 2-0 on the season. They opened with an 18-pt win over ETSU on Friday and then followed with another home win over Div. III Wilmington College (the Fighting Quakers out of Ohio) by 28 pts. They don't play again until Friday against the Good Guys.
3. The Dukes will face either Iona or Weber State on Saturday. Iona opened on Friday with a 2-pt loss at Albany. They play again at Syracuse Tuesday night before heading to the Bahamas. Weber State opened with a 6-pt win at home over Utah State. They host West Coast Baptist Tuesday night before going to the Bahamas. West Coast Baptist, who I've never heard of, I learned only fields a men's hoops and women's volleyball team. Not affiliated with the NCAA or NAIA that I can see.
(11-13-2017 11:08 AM)Dukes84 Wrote: This should be an interesting matchup. When I looked up ODU's roster the other day on the VC site, I couldn't help but notice what a big team they have. Towson played them tough, but lost by 3 or so on the road. Over the summer, both JMU and Towson played Carleton, the Canadian team, and both came away with wins. Towson, though, did it on the road rather than at a neutral site. Given the score of the ODU-Towson game, looks like the Monarchs, again, are going to hat their hat on defense and rebounding. JMU will have to shoot well to win tonight and will have to rebound to have a chance.
ODU is actually smaller this season than they were last season. They lost two 6'-7" forwards (Taylor and Talley) from last season, along with 6'-7" forward (McClinton) and 6'-9" forward (Kah) due to injury this season. Talley won the 6th man of the year award in C-USA, graduated, and is playing this season for Iowa State as a graduate transfer. Taylor graduated.
The defense will still be one of their main ingredients this season, but they are trying to play more of an uptempo offense than they have in recent years. ODU should be a better 3 point shooting team than they were last season. Towson outrebounded ODU by around 15 so that will need to be improved upon going forward.
This might be a close game either way (6 points or less).
(11-12-2017 06:31 PM)s2dsayer Wrote: I think it was the '95 CAAT final that was one of the best games I've witnessed in person. It was the Rowe vs Sessoms Show. We may have lost that one, but it was a great duel between those guys
I was sitting down low at that game in Richmond and you are right, it was a thrilling game that could have gone either way. Neither team could stop the star of the other team (Rowe or Sessoms). I think Lefty was JMU's coach, right?
After I made my post (which was based on my previous read of the VC site), I looked up each ODU player from the most recent box score. The team still has good overall size and plays Trey Porter, who's 6-10. The only player, though, that showed shooting prowess in that game was Stith, the guard. Looks like ODU plays a three guard set, though, like a lot of college teams these days. I think it should be a competitive game too.
Towson had twice the turnovers, 16 to 8, and outrebounded the Monarchs 46-31. Towson is typically one of the best rebounding teams in the country. Towson also shot an abysmal 34.5% from the field. ODU was 3 for 16 from three point range and less than 50% from the FT line. ODU hangs its hat on defense and limiting turnovers, then, if the first game is any indication. Towson is often offensively challenged, so one can't read too much into the first game.
(11-12-2017 06:31 PM)s2dsayer Wrote: I think it was the '95 CAAT final that was one of the best games I've witnessed in person. It was the Rowe vs Sessoms Show. We may have lost that one, but it was a great duel between those guys
I was sitting down low at that game in Richmond and you are right, it was a thrilling game that could have gone either way. Neither team could stop the star of the other team (Rowe or Sessoms). I think Lefty was JMU's coach, right?
Yep, sort of the beginning of the end for him, though. There were some studs on both those mid-90s ODU and JMU teams. Odell Hodges, Petey, Rowe, Kent Culuko, Clayton Ritter...nobody in the CAA has that kind of talent nowadays.
I don't think our guard play is ready for the defensive pressure expected from ODU. I hope I'm wrong but I think we lose this one in a lower scoring game
(unless Mosely just can't miss and has a career game).
Either way it will be good at giving us a true benchmark (as opposed to Bridgewater) as to where we stand, pros and cons.
