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

Yikes, the line has already moved to FAU +7.5.  Safe to assume Vegas heard about Sebree's shoulder.

The Owls face a strong test in today's Conference USA home opener vs Old Dominion.  The Monarchs won at Syracuse in non-conference play and defeated a strong VCU team. Old Dominion is a team with lots of length, so it will be an interesting match up in the paint.  Once again the Owls will be relying on G Anthony Adger for a bulk of its offensive production.  F Xavian Stapleton will once again be on a minutes restriction as he works his way back from injury.  Freshmen F Jaylen Sebree is out for the season with an arm injury.  The Owls will need some production from the young wings (Cedric Jackson, Kevaughn Ellis) to stay competitive with a very talented Old Dominion club.  Look for the Owls to feed the ball inside to improving big man Karlis Sillins, who looked very impressive recently vs Middle Tennessee and Illinois.  The Owls will need to protect the basketball, and control the turnover battle. This has been a struggle for FAU to begin the season.  

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.

Definitely going. Biggest home game of the year. Solid opponent. Our two best players out for the year.

Hoping for a dog fight.

Smaller Starting Five for Dusty May's Owls. This is to counter a smaller lineup from ODU.

Tonight's Staring Five for #FAU vs. #ODU

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.

— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 10, 2019

Wondering why we haven't posted an update yet? We have only seen one stoppage since the tipoff. It's been constance action here at The Burrow.

13:23 1H | #FAU 17 - #ODU 14

*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.

— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 11, 2019

We keep getting these football scores at the media breaks.  

11:10 1H | #FAU 21 - #ODU 14

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)

— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 11, 2019

This is a nice run the the Owls are riding. Lest we forget that ODU gave up a 21-0 run to start their game vs. WKU before storming back for the victory.

🕺 CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP 🕺

Owls are amidst a 12-0 run over the last 5 minutes!

8:30 1H | #FAU 27 - #ODU 14

— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 11, 2019

We've hit the final media stoppage before the half. Shame, I don't want this half to end. Any break in the action could be enough to end the Owls stellar shooting run.

3:21 1H | #FAU 35 - #ODU 22

The Owls are shooting an insane 70% from the field. Meanwhile the Monarchs haven't converted a FG in over three minutes.

— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 11, 2019

We've hit the half-way-point from at The Burrow. ODU has pulled within single digits to make this a game again.

HALFTIME | #FAU 40 - #ODU 31

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.

— FAU Owl's Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) January 11, 2019