GAME THREAD: ODU @ FAU - January 10, 2019
Owls Return to The Burrow to Face ODU
What: Old Dominion (11-4, 1-1) vs. FAU (10-5, 1-1)
When: Thursday, Jan. 10th @ 7:00 PM Eastern
Where: The Burrow
Series: The Monarchs own a 7-1 record over the Owls. FAU’s lone victory came via a 14 point comeback in Norfolk.
TV: None
Live Video: ESPN+(FEE)
Radio: ESPN 106.3
ODU Team Site: Here
Monarchs at a Glance:
Offense – 66.6 PPG, 42% FG, 36% 3PT
Defense - 58.1 PPGA, 37% FGA, 32% 3PTA
Rebounding - 39.8 PG, 34.3 PG Opponents
Notables
Old Dominion comes into Boca having gone 7-1 since December. During that stretch, the Monarchs made national headlines with their 17-point comeback over rival VCU, an upset of national power Syracuse, and a 21-point comeback against WKU last Saturday. The lone loss came against defending conference champion Marshall.
The 2017-2018 All-Conference First Team PG Ahmed Caver is in his senior season at ODU. The Atlanta native’s 3.44 assist-to-turnover ratio is 13th in the nation, ahead of nationally known names such as Michigan’s Zavier Simpson and Oklahoma’s Jamal Bieniemy. Caver finished 11th in the nation in ATTR last season, beating out national phenom Trae Young.
SG B.J. Stith and Caver both hold positions in C-USA’s top-ten PPG at 18.8 PPG (#7) and 17.3 PPG (#10) respectively. On the other side of that same coin, this top two scorers give way to one of ODU’s few weaknesses: their scoring depth. ODU’s third leading scorer SG Xavier Green averages 8.1 points despite playing an average of 29.5 minutes per game.
The Monarchs make up for their lack of scoring depth with their strong defense. Their 58.1 opponent’s PPG is the fifth best in the nation.
Owls at a Glance:
Offense – 72.5 PPG, 41% FG, 30% 3PT
Defense - 68.3 PPGA, 41% FGA, 29% 3PTA
Rebounding - 41.5 PG, 36.5 PG Opponents
Notables
Last time out, the Owls got their first win over Middle Tennessee since 2011. The victory gave Dusty May his first C-USA win, and drew the Owls even on conference slate.
That game saw the return of SF Xavian Stapleton, who brings some much-needed depth to the #3 position after Jailyn Ingram tore his ACL in December. This bit of good news is not without a setback, as Freshman Jaylen Sebree’s season is cut short with a torn labrum, which he suffered the game before against UAB.
Despite the slew of injuries, Dusty May’s Owls have battled hard for the program’s earliest double-digit win season since the 2010-2011 season, which ended in a Sun Belt Regular Season Championship and an NIT invite.
Offensively, the Owls rely heavily on PG/SG Anthony Adger, whose 33 points vs. Middle Tennessee set a new career record. The Senior’s 36.7% 3Pt puts him in the top-five of the conference’s best three-point shooters.
Playing a strong defensive side like ODU, the Owls will have to make the most of their possessions. Limiting turnovers and staying out of foul trouble will be key. Do not expect the Owls to earn many extra possessions along the boards, as the Monarchs come to The Burrow as the #2 rebounding team in C-USA. FAU is the conference’s top rebounding team but have slumped to #8 when only counting conference play.
Opening Line: FAU +5.5
If the Owls can control the pace, make progress with perimeter shooting, they can keep this game close with a heavily favored Old Dominion club. See you in The Burrow tonight.
Tonight's Staring Five for #FAU vs. #ODU
— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 10, 2019
PG - Michael Forrest
SG - Anthony Adger
SF - Richardson Maitre
PF - Madiaw Niang
C - Simeon Lepichev
Matire normally plays out of the SG spot. With Adger playing out of his mind, it's smart to get Maitre in at the #3 slot instead.
13:23 1H | #FAU 17 - #ODU 14
— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 11, 2019
*catches breath*
Wow, what a start we have here at The Burrow. Both sides are lighting up the scoreboard early. ODU is shooting 63%, FAU 70%. With 8 points, Matire is just 4 away from matching his season high.
11:10 1H | #FAU 21 - #ODU 14
— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 11, 2019
It's a football score at The Burrow!
Owls defense force the Monarchs to turn the ball over with a shot-clock violation. FAU has converted 7 of their last 7 FGs, the two most recent coming from Anthony Adger.
(we beat ODU 52-33 in football btw)
🕺 CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP 🕺
— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 11, 2019
Owls are amidst a 12-0 run over the last 5 minutes!
8:30 1H | #FAU 27 - #ODU 14
3:21 1H | #FAU 35 - #ODU 22
— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 11, 2019
The Owls are shooting an insane 70% from the field. Meanwhile the Monarchs haven't converted a FG in over three minutes.
HALFTIME | #FAU 40 - #ODU 31
— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 11, 2019
The Monarchs end the half on 6-0 run to pull within single digits. The away side switched to the 1-3-1 defense to prevent the Owls from scoring in the last two and a half minutes.
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