The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

This Sunday the Lady Monarchs will play North Carolina Central, which will be the second of three teams from the MEAC that ODU will play at home this season. The curious thing about NCCU is that they won 5 games last season (one against a non-division one team) and they were picked to finish in last place in the MEAC. NSU with three wins had more votes and finished one place higher than NCCU in the preseason conference poll.

To be frank, I don't see much of a point to this game. If we win, it won't help with RPI or win any credit with the NCAA selection team. It's an empty calorie game (to use Dr Selig's terminology). ODU should be expected to win. There is nothing wrong with scheduling games like this during the season. Playing this game two games after playing NSU though is....early I think.

Coach Larry was well known for having tough non conference schedules. But even she liked to have a game on the schedule where players can build confidence and get some game experience. (ie- freshmen who may not get playing time against an uber tough team where starters will get the majority of playing time) And that was usually a team like NCCU.

However NCCU team is really bad this year. I would rather see ODU play a tougher team than this. But we have to go with the schedule.....

The Eagles Schedule

Vs Pfeiffer L 47-50 Division Two team, no RPI rank.

@ Costal Carolina L 50-66 Record: 1-2 RPI: 202

Vs Johnson & Wales W 75-38 This campus is part of the United States Collegiate Altheletic Association. This is the Charlotte campus. The other three campuses of Johnson & Wales are members of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) This game does not factor into RPI since it's not a division one college.

@ Campbell L 30-61 Record: 1-2 RPI: 319

Eagle's Starting Five
#23 Morgan Jones SR G 5'9" 10 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, 28.8 FG%, 27.3 3P%, 57.1 FT% 26.3 mpg
#22 Deja McCain SO F 5'10" 7.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.0 apg, 40.7 Fg%, 66.7 FT%, 24.5 mpg
#12 Dominique Adams SO G 5'7" 6.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.5 apg, 31.3 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 44.4 FT%, 32.3 mpg
#35 Kierona Morton JR F 6'1" 3.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.0 apg, 36.4 FG%, 83.3 FT%, 11.8 mpg
#10 Monique Whaley-Briggs SR G 5'8" 0.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 20.0 FG%, 50.0 FT%, 12.3 mpg

Top Bench

#11 Jada Blow FR G 5'5" 7.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 3.5 tpg, 2 spg, 12.8 FG%, 23.5 3P%, 77.8 FT% 28.5 mpg
#21 Erin Houser FR F 6'2" 7.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.0 apg, 31.4 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 55.6 FT%, 18.3 mpg

One important note about this team. As a team they are shooting 27.5% from the field. Out of 344 NCAA division one teams, that ranks 343th. Also keep in mind that the stats include the game against the division two opponent and the USCAA team. So *IF* the write up after the game is that ODU played strong defense...which I hope is true....keep in mind that the team that we are playing isn't known for shooting the ball.

The Eagles have two players on the team's roster that are over six foot. So we should have the height advantage. Jones and Blow are the players most likely to shoot from beyond the arc. The team's defense revolves around trapping the ball with steals.

Inside the stats...
........NCCU.....ODU
PPG......50.5....62.3
OPPG... 53.8....71.7
FG%.....27.5.....42.4
FGPG....17.3.....24.3
3P%.....26.4.....24.5
3PGM....3.5.......4.0
FT%......65.8.....60.4
FTMPG...12.5....9.7
RPG.......44.8....43.3
ORPG.....42.8....36.3
APG.......9.3.......12.3
TPG.......18.3......20.7
SPG.......10.0.......5.7
BPG.......1.0.........5.0
AST/TO RATIO
NCCU...0.5,....ODU...0.6

At the end of the day, ODU should win this game. But it's more important to see improvement from the team than just wining the game. Better passing, better handling the defensive pressure, better shot selection, etc.

well ODU did hire a D-3 coach

ODU wins 83 to 52. Next up is Dartmouth on Wednesday at 11 am for the annual Education Day game.

Glad they won, but this doesn't move the needle on KB.

There are two telling stats to the game. First ODU's in the paint points. ODU had 52 to NCCU's 4. If you listened to the pregame show, when they interviewed NCCU's coach she said point blank "we know that ODU will push it inside, we have to be ready for it". Well they did call it right...

The other stat that is worth mentioning is the official attendance for the game. 762. That is the lowest attendance for a regular season game (that wasn't snowed in) during the KB era. That is worth watching and hopefully the low numbers are due to a holiday weekend. You hate to think we dropped from 1,000 fans to 700 already... (obviously ignore attendance records for the next game, education game is not your normal marker of attendance)