Old Dominion Monarchs
Colonial Athletic Association (24-8, 15-3)
Seed: #12
Midwest Region
RPI: 39
Big Wins:
11/19 at Georgetown (75-62), 2/1 at Drexel (62-52), 2/10 VCU (79-63)
Bad Losses:
11/29 at Marist (71-84), 1/17 at James Madison (75-72), 3/4 vs George
Mason (63-79)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2005, First Round loss to Michigan State
Coach:
Blaine Taylor (0-3 in 3 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Drew
Williamson, Senior, Guard, 11.2 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.2 spg
Brian
Henderson, Junior, Guard, 9.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Brandon
Johnson, Junior, Guard, 8.2 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.1 spg
Valdas Vasylius,
Senior, Forward, 15.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Arnaud Dahi,
Senior, Forward, 9.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Abdi Lidonde,
Junior, Guard, 4.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Gerald Lee,
Freshman, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Jonathan Adams,
Sophomore, Forward, 3.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Sam Harris,
Junior, Center, 1.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
With a
frontcourt of Valdas Vasylius and Arnaud Dahi, Old Dominion can battle with
anybody under the basket. Despite being undersized at 6-7, the duo will work
hard on the glass and grab plenty of rebounds. Vasylius will score from
anywhere on the floor and Dahi continues to regain his form after injuring
his knee in the NIT semifinals last year.
What has made
the Monarchs so consistent is the point guard play of Drew Williamson. The
6-0 senior averages 4.5 assists and only 1.7 turnovers. He is not opposed to
doing a little scoring either and is second on the team with 11.2 points per
game. Williamson makes the rest of his team better and will have to lead the
way if ODU is looking for March success once again.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
Besides just
not having the same caliber of players as some of the bigger conference
schools, ODU has no glaring weaknesses. They play smart, efficient
basketball and it has proven to be successful. Vasylius and Dahi will run
into the occasional foul difficulties and that leaves underclassmen Gerald
Lee and Jonathan Adams, and crowd favorite Sam Harris, left to fill the
minutes. Harris, a 7-3 center, has not quite turned into the player ODU fans
hoped averaging under ten minutes per game, but the big guy is good for some
blocks and rebounds.
Who To
Watch:
The Monarchs
could use another backcourt scorer and Brian Henderson, Brandon Johnson and
Abdi Lidonde usually fill that role. They all have the ability to be that
scoring threat, but none are consistent. Henderson and Lidonde are decent
outside shooters and Johnson will use his speed to get to the basket, but if
one of them does not step up in any game, the Monarchs attack becomes much
more predictable.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: Sweet Sixteen loss to Florida
