In a wide-open Conference USA, Old Dominion hosts Western Kentucky in a pivotal game for both teams. Which one comes out on top?
TV Schedule: Saturday, January 5th, 7:00p.m. ET, Check local listings
Arena: Ted Constant Convocation Center, Norfolk, VA
Conference USA looks like it will be one of the more hotly contested conferences in college basketball this season and two of the teams hoping to be at the top of the mountain when it’s all over will square off on Saturday when Old Dominion (10-4) hosts Western Kentucky (8-6).
Since losing three of their first five games of the season, Jeff Jones’ team has reeled off seven wins in their last eight games, including going into the Carrier Dome and knocking off then No. 25 Syracuse 68-62. Two of their four losses, to Oregon State and Northern Iowa, were by a total of six points. The Monarchs began league play by tangling with the team that represented the team in the Big Dance last season, Marshall, they fell 70-67.
So far this season, ODU has been proving the old sports adage that defense wins to be true on an elite level. The Monarchs give up a paltry 67.5 points per game, having allowed over 65 points just three times. Not only does Old Dominion not give up points, but they also don’t let their opponents shoot it well, the 36.4% they allow is the 4th best number in the country.
As good as they are defensively, they’re just as bad at the other end of the spectrum on offense, scoring just 66 points per game. They have just two double-digit scorers but they are two good ones in senior guards Ahmad Caver and B.J. Stith. One or the other has led the team in scoring in every game this season and Stith has led the team in rebounding in all but four games. The two combine to net 35.8 of the team’s 66 points, while grabbing 12.3 rebounds, and handing out 6.8 assists.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers entered the season with a lot of hype after Rick Stansbury got a commitment from five-star recruit Charles Bassey. Thus far, however, they have been a bit of a mystery with an 8-6 record. Despite wins over West Virginia, Arkansas, and Saint Mary’s but have also fallen to Indiana State, Missouri State, and Troy.
Bassey has been good for the Hilltoppers in his first season, averaging 14.3 points and 8.8 rebounds. The team’s leading scorer is sophomore guard Taveion Hollingsworth. The 6-2-point man from Lexington is averaging 15.3 points and leads the team with 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Junior Jared Savage is Western Kentucky’s other leading scorer, netting 14.6 per game. But the program took a big hit when 6-4 forward and transfer from Auburn DeSean Murray decided to leave the program in December to pursue professional opportunities. In his eight games of action Murray scored at least 10 in five of them, since his departure, the Hilltoppers are 3-2.
Key matchup
The key matchup in this game will be the battle between the leading scorers Hollingsworth and Caver. Both 6-2 guards are the engines that make their respective offenses go and the one that gets a leg up on both ends of the floor will go a long way in deciding which C-USA contender will get the win.
Prediction: Yes, both teams are a bit offensively challenged but the home team has the best player on the floor in my opinion in Caver, and as they say, defense never slumps. Old Dominion wins this by about eight.