Missouri Vs. Old Dominion Preview: Tigers Shouldn’t Overlook The Monarchs
by Evan Pfaff on Dec 30, 2010 8:00 AM CST
in Missouri Tigers Basketball
Email
Print
The Old Dominion Monarchs might not be a familiar name to casual college basketball fans, but if you look at their resume you will find out why the Missouri Tigers should be wary.
ODU (9-2) comes into the game with an RPI of 12 in the country - compared to Mizzou's 29th ranking - and has defeated name brands like the Richmond Spiders, Clemson Tigers and Xavier Musketeers.
When you look at like opponents, the Monarchs also hold their own. Both teams played, and lost to, the Georgetown Hoyas, but ODU's three point loss at Georgetown was closer than Mizzou's nine-point loss at "home." The two teams also beat the Presbyterian Blue Hose, with Mizzou winning 70-55 and coming away with a similarly scored 63-54 victory.
ODU's strength is on the glass, where as a team they average 42.4 boards per game, which ranks them sixth in the country. The Tigers average over six less rebounds a game, and their 36.3 clip nets them 150th in the country. To put it another way, the Monarchs have five guys averaging over five rebounds a game in Frank Hassell (9.7 rpg), Keyon Carter (6.1), Ben Finney (6.0), Chris Cooper (5.5) and Kent Bazemore (5.1). Mizzou can only claim Ricardo Ratliffe and Laurence Bowers in that category.
Where Mizzou (12-1) should dominate is in scoring. The Tigers currently are ranked fifth in the country in points per game at 85, whereas ODU is only averaging 69.8 per game, placing them 177th in the country.
Mizzou's top five scorers all average double figure scoring, led by Marcus Denmon's 16.7 and followed by Ratliffe (12.3 ppg), Bowers (12 ppg), Kim English (10.9) and Mike Dixon (10.6). The Monarch only have three guys in double figure averages: Bazemore, Hassell and Finney.
For Mizzou to win they need to keep ODU off the glass and keep the tempo on high. And if there is any carryover whatsoever from the Northern Illinois Huskies win, then the Tigers should be fine.
6 comments
|
Add comment
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Should be a good one...
Miguel is excited to watch tonight. As the blogger stated, ODU hits the boards well, especially on the offensive end. According to Ken Pom, they are 2nd in the nation in O-rebounding. Frank Hassell and Chris Cooper are the guys to watch here. Mizzou is 245th in stopping teams from getting offensive rebounds.
Tigers have to watch out for Trian Iliadis. Even though he doesn’t start, he contributes a lot of offensive off the bench, particularly from behind the 3-point line.
Also, while ODU isn’t as deep as Mizzou, they are very experienced (7th in nation according to Ken Pom). Eight of their top nine players are either Jr/Sr.
A solid, experienced, deep team that has played five top 100 teams already. Should be a good one.
Why does OT matter?
Was close for 40 minutes, but pretty sure the game was 45 minutes.
by Miguel Mejia on Dec 30, 2010 9:36 AM CST up reply actions
True
and aside from trying to save the ball from underneath G-Town’s basket, Mizzou would have won.
I was just using the stat to show that even though ODU isn’t a household name they shouldn’t be overlooked.
If you like Big 12 Hoops, you'll like Big 12 Hoops - An SB Nation blog dedicated to Big 12 conference men's basketball
Follow on Twitter
SB Nation Denver
This game is a sell out
by the way. A good chunk of students will MIA but the rest of the arena should be full
Great moments are born from great opportunity.
Follow me on Twitter @muwxman
Tweet from Steve Walentik of Columbia Daily Tribune
#Mizzou recruiting target Ben McLemore sitting behind Tigers bench in Cardinals hat
Direct Link to the Tweet
If you like Big 12 Hoops, you'll like Big 12 Hoops - An SB Nation blog dedicated to Big 12 conference men's basketball
Follow on Twitter
SB Nation Denver
Something to say? Choose one of these options to log in.
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Big12Hoops.com is the only blog on the web dedicated solely to Big XII basketball.
