Old Dominion 2009 CIT Tournament Preview

Old Dominion Monarchs -Colonial Athletic Association (21-10, 12-6)

RPI: 103

Big Wins: 12/17 at Duquesne (86-60), 1/31 George Mason (73-71), 2/14 VCU (69-65)

Bad Losses: 11/25 at Bucknell (82-83), 11/29 at Marshall (64-68), 1/3 at Georgia State (54-55)

Coach: Blaine Taylor

Probable Old Dominion Starters:

• Darius James, Sophomore, Guard, 6.7 ppg, 4.5 apg

• Marsharee Neely, Junior, Guard, 6.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg

• Ben Finney, Sophomore, Guard, 10.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg

• Gerald Lee, Junior, Forward, 15.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg

• Frank Hassell, Sophomore, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg

Key Old Dominion Roleplayers:

• Jonathan Adams, Senior, Forward, 5.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg

• Kent Bazemore, Freshman, Guard, 4.4 ppg, 1.5 apg

• Keyon Carter, Sophomore, Forward, 7.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg

Why Old Dominion Can Surprise:

Old Dominion does two things extremely well. They rebound and they share the ball. The success on the glass is in large part due to Keyon Carter, Ben Finney and Gerald Lee. Those are also the top three scorers on the team. Carter, a 6-8 sophomore, has not even been starting most of the games this year, but he is a capable interior scorer who can also step out and hit the mid-range jumper. Finney, a 6-5 wing, is actually the best rebounder on the team and has developed into a diverse scoring threat. But it is Lee who is the best player on the team. The 6-10 junior is a great athlete who can score a bunch of points in a hurry.

The backcourt is led by point guard Darius James and he deserves a ton of credit for creating open looks for the main scoring threats. James dishes out 4.5 assists and only turns the ball over 2.1 times per game. If the Monarchs can continue to keep the turnovers down and grab more boards than their opposition, they can win a game or two in the tournament.

Why The Monarchs Can Disappoint:
However, the scoring in the paint does not lead to many open looks from beyond the arc. Finney, James and Marsharee Neely are all capable outside shooters, but none of them are that dangerous. At some point it will be necessary for ODU to hit some outside shots. At the least, it opens up space for the interior scorers. The shooting woes continue at the charity stripe as the team hits only 64.3 percent from the charity stripe. That is not going to cut it down the stretch in a close game.

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Who To Watch:
The Monarchs are a frontcourt dominated team with Lee and Carter, but there is also some quality depth behind them. Frank Hassell has worked his way into the starting lineup and the 6-8 sophomore is a tough rebounder and the team’s best shot blocking threat. Whether he is starting or coming in off the bench, Hassell will have a big effect on the defensive side of the floor. Like Hassell, Jonathan Adams is not much of a scorer, but the 6-6 senior is an effective rebounder and will do a lot of the dirty work around the basket. With those two available off the bench, few teams can match the talent and depth of Old Dominion’s frontcourt.

Old Dominion By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 66.1 (204th in nation, 7th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 60.8 (31, 3)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.5 (129, 4)

Field-Goal Defense: 42.0 (109, 5)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.8 (290, 12)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: na

Free-Throw Percentage: 63.8 (296, 11)

Rebound Margin: 6.2 (22, 1)

Assists Per Game: 15.5 (43, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 (62, 4)

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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