What to expect: ODU at VCU

Some may say University of Richmond, some may say George Mason, but no rivalry is more dramatic, bitter, and important than ODU vs VCU. Saturday at 8pm for the first of what might be three meetings this season, the Rams host the Monarchs.

January 20, 2012; 6:12 PM • by Aaron Williams

• What: VCU Rams (14-5, 5-2) host ODU Monarchs (11-8, 6-1)
• Where: Stuart C. Siegel Center
• When: Saturday January 21st at 8pm
• Watch: Comcast SportsNet
• Listen: 107.3 or Online

ODU vs. VCU on Saturday night is a gold out.

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The Rundown

Some may say University of Richmond, some may say George Mason, but no rivalry is more dramatic, bitter, and important than ODU vs VCU. Saturday at 8pm for the first of what might be three meetings this season, the Rams host the Monarchs.

Last season, VCU stole the first W by winning in Norfolk 59-50. It appeared as if the Rams could sweep the season series for the first since 2004 until ODU handled VCU in the Siegel Center 59-70. The score can hardly capture the embarressment of the game. After VCU recovered from a disastrous February, both teams met in the finals of the 2011 CAA tournament.

After some controversy surrounding ODU fans inadvertantly throwing chalk on the court, and multiple VCU offensive possessions ending in Rams slipping and turning the ball over, ODU took home the CAA title with a 70-65 victory.

Things worked out for the Rams as they squeaked into the NCAA tournament, but for more than a week it looked as if ODU had squashed the Ram’s chances. While last years Final Four run may have erased some of the memory of last years tournament, Saturday will likely bring back bitter memories.

During the offseason, some bitter words intensified the rivalry off the court:

* ODU coach Blaine Taylor’s comments from the CAA media day: “You can’t value yourself based on the tournament. The Tournament can make rock stars out of average people…the tournament is not really the litmus test on whether your team is strong.”
* ODU fans argue that since Butler beat ODU by two points in March and VCU by eight points in April, ODU was a better team.
* An ODU assistant coach comment that consecutive CAA titles is a bigger accomplishment than going to the Final Four.

While it is still early in the conference schedule, Saturdays game offers VCU the opportunity to make up ground in the conference standings. If VCU wins, both teams with be tied at 6-2 and George Mason will likely be left in sole possession of first place at 7-1.

The Team

ODU’s out of conference record is a little misleading. The Monarchs always play a very tough pre-conference schedule, and many of those games happened when Senior Kent Bazemore was not at full strength after surgery to fix a stress fracture in his left foot.

Combine VCU’s recent shooting woes with ODU’s 44.5 effective field percentage (303rd nationally) and Saturdays game will likely be a brick fest. The Rams rank second nationally in defensive turnover % while ODU ranks seventh in defensive turnover %. VCU and ODU are two of the CAAs elite defensive teams and it will be interesting to see who can score when it counts.

History suggests that ODU will likely play zone defense for a majority of the game. Last year, their approach had mixed results but it undoubtedly rattled the Rams in the Siegel Center.

The Star

After averaging 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 steals in his 2011 campaign, senior guard Kent Bazemore was selected as the CAA defensive player of the year and the 2012 CAA preseason player of the year. In 2012, Kent Bazemore’s production is up and he is a favorite to run away with the CAA Player of the Year award.

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ODU profile

• Location: Norfolk, VA
• Conference: CAA
• All time series: VCU leads 43-42
• Last meeting: ODU won 70-65

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January 20, 2012 6:12 PM 6