Jan. 11, 2008
James Madison Game Notes in PDF Format
RING CEREMONY: Join the Old Dominion women's basketball team pre-game as the 16-time CAA champions receive thier CAA championship rings and the addition to the CAA banner is spotlighted.
ABOUT THE LADY MONARCHS:The Lady Monarchs are winners in their last five contests and in eight of their last nine games. Old Dominion is coming off a 67-55 victory at UNC-Wilmington as they held off a pesky Seahawk squad to close out a four-game road swing. Sunday's game against James Madison will be the first time Old Dominion has played at home since a 70-28 victory over Delaware State on December 20th. Two-time CAA Player of the Week, senior guard T.J. Jordan, continues to lead the Lady Monarchs in scoring at 16.4 points per game. She is currently tied for third in scoring in the league. Sophomore forward and current CAA Player of the Week Jessica Canady, who is coming off the bench, and junior Tiffany Green are second in scoring on the ODU squad at 9.9 points per game. Green is also hauling a team-second best 7.1 rebounds per game. Senior Megan Pym lead the rebounding corps at 7.5 boards per game and is the Lady Monarchs' third leading scorer at 8.9 points per contest.
ABOUT JAMES MADISON:James Madison enters Sunday's game sporting a 9-4 overall mark and 2-0 CAA record. The Dukes opened up the 2007-08 season with six straight wins before dropping four straight, including a 71-65 setback to No. 4/5 Maryland in Harrisonburg. James Madison comes to the Ted Constant Convocation Center having won three straight, including home wins with a 79-39 drubbing of UNC-Wilmington and a 93-49 downing of Georgia State. Sunday will be the Dukes' first road conference game of the year. James Madison has a pair of Dukes averaging double figures. CAA Preseason Player of the Year, Tamera Young, is leading the conference in both points and rebounds per game. She is pouring in 20.7 points per game along with 9.5 boards per game. Rookie standout Dawn Evans is adding in 12.6 points per contest.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST:
ODU - JMU
70.6 - Scoring - 76.1
.415 - Field Goal Percentage -.410
.368 - 3PT Field Goal Percentage - .291
.618 - Free Throw Percentage -.646
40.9 - Rebounds Per Game - 46.5
14.5 - Assists Per Game - 15.4
19.9 - Turnovers Per Game - 15.4
11.9 - Steals Per Game - 8.5
4.4 - Blocks Per Game - 3.8
SERIES WITH JAMES MADISON:The Lady Monarchs have faced no other opponent as many times as they have the Dukes. Sunday's game will represent the 65th meeting between Old Dominion and James Madison with the Lady Monarchs owning a 49-15 advantage in the all-time series. James Madison handed Old Dominion its only loss last season in conference competition, 50-79, in Harrisonburg, but in the rematch during the regular season, Old Dominion took a 92-61 victory. Additionally, they defeated the Dukes, 78-60, in the CAA championship game for their 16th straight conference title.
LAST TIME VS. JAMES MADISON:The Old Dominion women's basketball team did it again...for the 16th time that is. The top-seeded Lady Monarchs captured its NCAA record 16th Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title with a 78-70 victory over second-seeded James Madison on March 10, 2007 at the Bob Carpenter Center. The Lady Monarchs advanced to their 24th NCAA Tournament in school history. Junior T.J. Jordan was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year as she poured in 17 points in the win over James Madison and averaged 15 points per game over the three CAA Tournament games. Joining Jordan on the All-Tournament team was former Lady Monarch Sherida Triggs. Triggs had eight points and six rebounds in the tournament finale. The game began with Old Dominion establishing a 18-7 lead by the 13:43 mark of the first half fueled by six points from Triggs. However, James Madison came back going on a 9-0 over the next four and a half minutes to pull within two of the Lady Monarch lead. The Lady Monarchs immediately responded with a Tiffany Green jumper and three-pointer from Jazzmin Walters to push their lead to seven, 23-16, with 8:16 left in the half. A 10-0 run by the Dukes followed giving James Madison a 26-23 edge with 4:45 left in the half. Jordan tied the game on the following play and over the next four and half minutes the game would be tied three times with James Madison never regaining the lead. Just as it look as if the half would end at a 30-30 stalemate, Tish Lyons inbounded the ball from the baseline with .5 seconds left on the game clock to Jordan where she lofted a 40-footer to put Old Dominion ahead 33-30. The Dukes never led in the second half but did manage to pull within one four times. Tamera Young hit two free throws in the opening minute and a half to close the gap to 35-34, but back-to-back buckets by Jordan along with senior Shantel Wilson gave the Lady Monarchs an eight point, 42-34 lead with 17:30 left. James Madison's Andrea Benvenuto pulled her team to within one for the second time at the second half's midway mark. Tay Ransburg, who had suffered a game-ending muscular knee injury the previous day, put her first points in of the afternoon to bump the Old Dominion lead back to three. Two more times the Dukes would pull to within one with the final coming at the 8:33 mark as Alexis put away two free throws. With 3:19 left in the game, Young put away a jumper as James Madison trailed 63-61, but Old Dominion used an 8-0 run to re-establish a double-digit lead put the game away for good. Green joined Jordan in double figures for the Lady Monarchs adding 16 points along with seven boards. Wilson poured in 10 points, dished out four assists, and notched three steals.
UNDEFEATED - AT HOME:Old Dominion is currently 5-0 at home and finished non-conference play at 5-0 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
HOME COURT STREAK:The Lady Monarchs have won 16 straight home contests dating back to the Dec. 20, 2006, 72-55, victory over national runner-up Rutgers. ODU's last loss at the Ted Constant Convocation Center was against national champion Tennessee, 59-75, back on Dec. 22, 2006.
CAA HOME COURT STREAK:The Lady Monarchs have won 26 straight home CAA contests dating back to the January 14, 2005, 78-59, victory over Virginia Commonwealth. ODU's last conference loss at the Ted Constant Convocation Center was against Delaware, 70-73, on January 9, 2005. Old Dominion holds a 152-2 home CAA mark.
WELCOME TO THE TED:Since the doors opened at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in 2002, the Lady Monarchs have enjoyed a 68-12 record.
Ranked Wins At The Constant Center:
11/25/03 - #7 Penn State - W, 75-68
12/7/03- #12/13 UNC - W, 73-68
12/5/04- #16/19 Rutgers - W, 69-61
2/25/07 - #22/25 James Madison- W, 62-57
12/2/07 - #20/19 Michigan State - W, 79-73
Losses At The Constant Center:
11/22/02 - Virginia - L, 55-63
1/7/03- #5 Tennessee - L, 63-91
1/31/03- Rutgers - L, 59-67
3/22/03- Boston College (NCAA) - L, 72-73
1/2/05- #8 Tennessee- L, 58-68
1/9/05- Delaware - L, 70-73
11/20/05 - #1/2 Duke - L, 56-93
12/4/05- #19/20 Vanderbilt - L, 77-82
12/29/05 - #5 North Carolina - L, 80-88 (OT)
3/19/06- George Washington (NCAA) - L, 72-87
11/18/06 - #21/24 Kentucky - L, 55-69
12/22/05 - #5 Tennessee - L, 59-75
TOP WBB ATTENDANCE AT THE CONSTANT CENTER
1. Tennessee 1/7/03 - 7,758
2. Virginia 11/22/02 - 7,316
3. Tennessee 12/22/06 - 7,108
4. Tennessee 1/2/05 - 7,063
5. George Washington (NCAA) 3/19/06 - 6,847
6. Rutgers 1/31/03 - 6,384
CAA OPENERS:Old Dominion is 17-0 in CAA openers. Here's how the Lady Monarchs have done in all their 17 CAA openers.
91-92 - at William & Mary W, 70-51
92-93 - at George Mason W, 81-48
93-94 - VCU W, 80-49
94-95 - at VCU W, 71-54
95-96 - at Richmond W, 79-36
96-97 - Richmond W, 89-53
97-98 - at William & Mary W, 94-53
98-99 - at UNC-W W, 104-60
99-00 - at UNC-W W, 84-65
00-01 - at UNC-W W, 74-59
01-02 - Towson W, 82-26
02-03 - UNC-WW, 71-58
03-04 - at William & Mary - W, 75-58
04-05 - at James Madison - W, 70-58
05-06 - at VCU - W, 82-62
06-07 - at VCU - W, 81-70
07-08 - at Georgia State - W, 79-59
CAA HOME OPENERS:Old Dominion is 15-1 in CAA openers including a 3-1 mark at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Here's how the Lady Monarchs have done in their last 16 CAA home openers:
91-92 - James Madison - W, 64-62
92-93 - Richmond - W, 75-51
93-94 - VCU - W, 80-49
94-95 - James Madison - W, 68-64
95-96 - American - W, 94-39
96-97 - Richmond - W, 89-53
97-98 - Richmond - W, 80-58
98-99 - VCU - W, 80-48
99-00 - Richmond - W, 108-67
00-01 - American - W, 86-41
01-02 - Towson - W, 82-26
02-03 - UNC-W - W, 71-58
03-04 - Towson- W, 87-34
04-05 - Delaware - L, 70-73
05-06 - Hofstra - W, 71-57
06-07 - Drexel - W, 70-45
COUNT TO TEN:With a 79-59 victory over Georgia State to open up the CAA portion of its schedule on January 6th, the Lady Monarchs collected their 10th win of the season. It was the fastest Old Dominion has collected 10 wins since the 1997-98 team accomplished the feat on January 4th.
CANADY SEEING DOUBLE:Sophomore Jessica Canady, who helped the Lady Monarchs improve to 17-0 all-time in CAA openers in a 79-59 win at Georgia State, was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Week for the week ending January 6th. She is the second Lady Monarch to earn a weekly honor from the conference this season. Canady came off the bench and poured in a career-high 21 points along with 10 rebounds. It was her second double-double of the season and of her career and the first time in her career she scored over 20 points in a game. Canady shot a blistering 7-of-8 from the field (87.5 percent) and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
THE RETURN OF JORDAN:Old Dominion's victory over Kentucky saw the return of leading scorer, senior guard T.J. Jordan, who had missed the previous two games (Tennessee, Delaware State) with a stress reaction in her left foot. Jordan picked up right where she left off netting a game-high 22 points. In the first half, she had 10 points while playing 13 minutes. Jordan was involved in a scary incident with 8:26 remaining in the game. After getting elbowed in the stomach, triggering an asthma attack, Jordan was able to get back down the court to help Old Dominion complete the play. After leaving the court, Jordan returned a few minutes later and finished out the game.
IT'S NOT THE SIZE OF THE DOG IN THE FIGHT; IT'S THE SIZE OF THE FIGHT IN THE DOG:While nine members of the Vanderbilt women's basketball team are 5-11 or taller, it was five-foot-two Jazzmin Walter's who was the game's leading rebounder in ODU's match-up with the then No. 21/20 Commodores. Walters hauled in a career-high seven boards as Old Dominion outrebounded Vanderbilt, 40-29.
RANKED AND ON THE ROAD:Old Dominon's win at then No. 21/20 Vanderbilt was the Lady Monarchs first true road win (non-neutral site) since defeating Purdue in West Lafayette in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2002.
THREE AGAINST THE SEC:The BIG 10 is not the only conference the Lady Monarchs saw three times during non-conference play. Old Dominion took on Tennessee, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt of the SEC with defending MEAC champion Delaware State breaking up the mix. The Lady Monarchs went 2-1 against the SEC having dropped its contest at then top-ranked Tennessee back on Dec. 5. They followed with a pair of road wins, a 71-62 win over Kentucky at Memorial Coliseum and a 80-65 win over then No. 21/20 Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium.
NON-CONFERENCE COMESTO A CLOSE:The Lady Monarchs entered the CAA slate with a 9-3 mark against non-CAA competition, their best non-conference record since going 7-3 in non-conference action since the 1998-99 season.
HELLO TOP 25 - AP:The Lady Monarchs returned to the Top 25 in the Associated Press Poll for week four following their upset victory over Michigan State on December 2. Old Dominion was ranked at No. 24 and made its first appearance in the AP Poll since the final poll of the 2002 season when the Lady Monarchs finished 15th and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
STILL IN THE TOP 25 AND MOVING UP:The Lady Monarchs dropped a spot to No. 25 following its loss to top-ranked Tennessee on December 5th and remained at No. 25 for a second straight week after being idle. Following a 70-28 route of Delaware State, the Lady Monarchs moved up to No. 23 in the AP Poll. Returning from the holidays, Old Dominion downed both Kentucky and Vanderbilt on the road to catapult four spots in the poll to No. 19. Old Dominion still continues to rise following its conference opening win at Georgia State. The Lady Monarchs currently sit at No. 18.
HELLO TOP 25 - ESPN/USA TODAY:The Lady Monarchs cracked the Top 25 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll during week seven coming at No. 23 following SEC road wins at Kentucky and Vanderbilt. It is the Lady Monarchs first appearance in the Coaches' Poll since the second week of the 2002-03 season. Following the January 6th win at Georgia State, Old Dominion moved up a spot to No. 22.
WAY TO START:The Lady Monarchs opened the 2007-08 season with a 6-2 overall mark. Among the six victories are wins over two ranked teams in Purdue and Michigan State as well as conference champions from the Sun Belt (Middle Tennessee) and Conference USA (East Carolina). Both losses happened against team ranked in the top four at the time of play - UConn & Stanford. It is the best start for the Lady Monarchs since the 1999-2000 season when Old Dominion opened up the year 7-1.
THREE IN A ROW AGAINST THE BIG 10:Old Dominion made it back-to-back-to-back victories over the BIG 10. The Lady Monarchs returned from a 66-53 upset win over then No. 22/20 Purdue at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, only to return home to see two more BIG 10 squads. Old Dominion then proceeded to down Penn State, 77-49, and upset then No. 19/20 Michigan State, 79-73.
CANADY CAN DO:Sophomore Jessica Canady had a huge hand in Old Dominion's 70-28 victory over Delaware State on Dec. 20, the Lady Monarchs' largest victory of the season. Canady poured in her first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Her 13 rebounds were not her only career number as she reset career marks in blocks (4) and assists (3) as well.
30 BELOW:For the 21st time in school history, the Old Dominion women's basketball team kept an opponent under 30 points. The Lady Monarchs did on Dec. 20 in a 70-28 victory over Delaware State. It was the fewest points an opponent as scored against the Lady Monarchs since a 66-27 win at Towson on Feb. 3, 2002. The following are ODU's game holding opponents below 30 points for the game:
1. 1969-70 Virginia Wesleyan - W, 96-13
2. 1969-70 Christopher Newport - W, 29-17
3. 1969-70 at Christopher Newport - W, 71-18
4. 1969-70 William & Mary - W, 62-22
5. 1969-70 Lynchburg - W, 44-27
6. 1969-70 at James Madison - W, 41-21
7. 1969-70 Longwood - W, 41-24
8. 1971-72 Christopher Newport - W, 95-10
9. 1971-72 Lynchburg - W, 41-21
10. 1972-73 at James Madison - W, 23-12
11. 1972-73 Virginia Tech - W, 31-29
12. 1973-74 Chowan - W, 48-29
13. 1975-76 George Mason - W, 83-20
14. 1976-77 at William & Mary - W, 70-28
15. 1977-78 Virginia - W, 74-26
16. 1979-80 Virginia Union - W, 62-22
17. 1/21/96 UNC-Wilmington - W, 103-22
18. 11/23/96 Indiana State - W, 116-26
19. 11/16/01 Towson - W, 82-26
20. 2/3/02 Towson - W, 66-27
21. 12/20/07 Delaware State - W, 70-28
* Emory & Henry forfeited a game in the 1975-76 season giving ODU a 2-0 victory.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE-DOUBLE:A trio of Lady Monarchs registered double-doubles in the 70-28 victory over Delaware State, the most by Old Dominion this season. sophomore Jessica Canady collecting her first career (12 pts., 13 reb.), senior Megan Pym earning her second of the year (12 pts., 12 reb.), and junior Tiffany Green putting away the 12th of her career (11 pts., 12 reb.).
HEIR JORDAN:Senior guard T.J. Jordan led Old Dominion to a pair of victories over Penn State and No. 20/19 Michigan averaging 19.0 points and 4.0 assists per game to be named the Colonial Athletic Association Co-Player of the Week for the week ending December 2. It was the Lady Monarchs first weekly conference award of the year. After the Lady Lions held Jordan scoreless in the first half, she lit up the court for 14 second half points to end as the game's leading scorer. Jordan's 14 points helped her surpass the 1,200 career point mark. She followed with a game-high 24 points in ODU's upset over #19/20 Michigan State. It was her second 20 + point effort of the season and 14th of her career. Jordan leads Old Dominion averaging 16.5 points per game.
20/20:Old Dominion had two score 20 or more points in the upset win over Michigan State. Senior guard T.J. Jordan led all scorers with 24 points in her second 20+ point performance of the year and the 14th of her career. Junior forward/center Tiffany Green posted 20 points to tie her career mark. Green also poured in 20 points against CAA rival William & Mary her freshman year in January of 2005.
CAN'T KEEP A GOODLADY MONARCH DOWN:Penn State managed to keep Old Dominion leading scorer T.J. Jordan from hitting a bucket in the first half, but Jordan got revenge in half number two. The senior guard lit up the floor for a game-high 14 points all coming in the second half of action.
OPPONENT HIGH, ODU LOW:Penn State turned the ball over 30 times resulting in 28 points in the Lady Monarchs' 77-49 victory over the Lady Lions. The 30 turnovers were the most for an ODU opponent this season. Conversely, the Lady Monarchs committed only 12 turnovers, a season low for the team.
GREENING UP THE ROSTER:Freshman Shadasia Green, not to be confused with the other Green in senior Tiffany Green, posted some of her highest numbers of the season in the victory over Penn State. Green tied her high in points with eight, field goals made with four, field goals attempted with five, and minutes played with 13. She also stole the ball three times for another career mark.
BEEN AWHILE...:Old Dominion met up with some foes they haven't' seen for awhile at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas over Thanksgiving...but sure do have some memories from the last time they played. The first game featured Connecticut and was the first the Lady Monarch took on the Huskies since the 2002 Elite Eight match-up. When Old Dominion took the court for the second game of the tournament, it was the first time the Lady Monarchs and Stanford faced each other since the thrilling over time national semifinal game in 1997. With Purdue in the third game, it marked the first time 2002 Old Dominion faced the Boilermakers since it's upset over second-seeded and host Purdue in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2002.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TIME:It's not the post-season just yet, but already one Lady Monarch has been named to an all-tournament team. Senior guard T.J. Jordan averaged 13.3 points in games against #2/2 Connecticut, #4/4 Stanford, and #22/20 Purdue to earn a spot on the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team. Jordan led Old Dominion in scoring with 13 against the Huskies and 17 points against the Boilermakers and also poured in 10 points versus the Cardinal.
NO PAIN, NO GAIN:Coming off a sprained ankle in the meeting with No. 2/2 Connecticut in the first game at the Paradise Jam, senior Megan Pym rebounded by collecting her first career double-double against No. 4/4 Stanford in the tournament. Pym poured in a career-tying 12 points along with 10 rebounds, on board shy of her career mark. It was also Pym's 100th game as a Lady Monarch.
TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER:Jen Nuzzo has always been regarded as one of the Lady Monarch leaders and it certainly showed against No. 4/4 Stanford in the second game at the Paradise Jam. Nuzzo, a junior point guard, set a new career mark with 14 points, also marking the first time in her career she led ODU in scoring. In the following game against Purdue, Nuzzo reached double figure scoring again, this time added in 10 points.
STARTING ON THE RIGHT FOOT:Old Dominion opened the season with three consecutive wins for the first time since the 1998-1999 season. That season the Lady Monarchs opened the year with five straight wins en-route to the Sweet 16. The five wins came against Marshall, No. 8/12 Teas Tech, No. 10 N.C. State, and Southern California and Southwest Missouri State in the Torneo Cancun de Basquetboll Tournament. The streak came to end in a setback to No.6/7 Alabama in the Wachovia Women's Classic.
WRITING HER NAME INTO HISTORY:Senior guard T.J. Jordan managed to find to more places to put her name in the Old Dominion record books in the Lady Monarchs' 80-59 victory over Charlotte. With a game-high 28 points, Jordan broke the ODU record for most points scored by a Lady Monarch at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The previous record of 27 points was held by Max Nhassengo against Hofstra on Feb. 24, 2004. Additionally with her six three-pointers made, she became the ODU recorder holder for three-pointers made in a career, surpassing Aubrey Eblin's (1995-1999) former mark of 250. Jordan currently has 279 made shots from downtown in her career.
DISH IT TO ME:Junior guard Jazzmin Walters dished out a career-high 12 assists in ODU's 88-66 victory over East Carolina, while committing no turnovers. The 5-2 guard recorded five steals as well in the victory. Last season, Walters finished seventh on the sophomore assist leaders list with 100 dishes.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP:Jessica Canady shined in the first three Lady Monarch games of 2007-08 season debut. Against Middle Tennessee in the season and home opener, the lone ODU sophomore came off the bench and played a career-high 23 minutes. Netting a then career-high 13 points, she also added three steals and three blocks. Canady did not have to wait much longer to reset her career mark in points as she lead all scorers with 18 in ODU's victory at East Carolina. Returning home to host Charlotte, the second year Lady Monarch posted new career marks in steals (4) and minutes played (28). Against No. 4 Stanford, Canady reset her marks in rebounds hauling in eight against the Cardinal.
MOVING ON UP:With 19 points against the Blue Raiders in the season opener against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 10, senior guard T.J. Jordan moved into 21st on the all-time Old Dominion scoring leaders list. With her 14 points against Penn State in a 77-49 victory Jordan surpassed the 1,200 point mark. With 16 points at UNC-Wilmington on January 9, she moved into sole possesion of 20th on the all-time list. She currently has with 1,291 career points.
FREE POINTS:Old Dominion went to the line 35 times against Middle Tennessee in the season opener, sinking 27 shots and shooting 77.1 percent from the charity stripe. Two Lady Monarchs showed that working on free throws over the summer can certainly pay off. Junior Tiffany Green,who hit only 51 percent a year ago from the line, went 8-of-9 and senior Shahida Williams, who connected for just 49 percent last season, netted 5-of-6. Also sinking shots from the free throw line against the Blue Raiders was senior T.J. Jordan, who went 6-of-7.
REJECTED:The Old Dominion women's basketball team collected 12 blocks against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 10 to set a new team record at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The previous record of 11 occurred against East Carolina on Nov. 21, 2006 and conference rival UNC-Wilmington on Feb. 24, 2005. Senior Shahida Williams and junior Tiffany Green led the rejections with four apiece. Williams set a new career mark in the block category while sophomore Jessica Canady tied her career mark with three swats.
IN THE POLLS:The 2007-08 Old Dominion women's basketball team received votes in the ESPN/USA Today Women's Basketball Preseason Poll and moved up to to receiving votes in both national polls following the first week of action. Old Dominion's last Top 25 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll was November 18th, 2003. Old Dominion's last appearance in the Associated Press Top 25 was the final poll of the 2002 season as the Lady Monarchs danced their way to the "Elite Eight".
RANK `EM UP - ESPN/USA TODAY POLL:The Lady Monarchs will be taking on six teams ranked among the nation's top 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Women's Basketball Preseason Poll. Among the teams the Lady Monarchs will take on include three teams in the poll's top ten in No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Connecticut, and No. 8 Stanford. Other upcoming Lady Monarch opponents include No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Michigan State, and No. 20 Purdue. Old Dominion opponents receiving votes in the preseason poll include Middle Tennessee, who will serve as the Lady Monarchs season and home opener on November 10th, as well as Kentucky.
RANK `EM UP - AP POLL:The Lady Monarchs will be taking on five teams ranked among the nation's top 25 in the Associated Press Women's Basketball Preseason Poll. Among the teams the Lady Monarchs will take on include three teams in the poll's top ten in No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Connecticut, and No. 7 Stanford. Other upcoming Lady Monarch opponents include No. 17 Michigan State and No. 23 Vanderbilt Old Dominion opponents receiving votes in the preseason poll include Middle Tennessee, Kentucky, and Purdue.
SEASON OPENERS:The Lady Monarchs are 26-13 in season openers including the 2007-08 season opening victory over Middle Tennessee on Nov. 10, 76-68. It was the Lady Monarchs first season opening victory since the 2001-02 season., a 82-26 victory over Towson welcoming the Tigers to the CAA in their first conference meeting following a move from the America East Conference. In between this year's victory over the Blue Raiders and the 2001-02 win against the Tigers, Old Dominion has fallen to Virginia (2002: 55-63; 2006: 92-72) to open up the Ted Constant Convocation Center in 2002 and the John Paul Jones Arena in 2006, #20 Colorado (2003: 67-84) at the WBCA Classic, at Georgia Tech (2004: 64-71),and #1 Duke (2005: 56-93).
HOME OPENERS:In home openers, the Lady Monarchs are 28-11 including a 3-3 mark at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Old Dominion defeated Middle Tennessee on Nov. 10 to open up the home slate with a 76-68 victory.
PRESEASON AWARDS:Senior guard T.J. Jordan was a Preseason First Team All-CAA selection for the second consecutive year. Jordan, a two-time CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, averaged a team-leading 14.5 points per game and nearly rewrote every three-point record in the ODU history books. Junior Tiffany Green was named to the Preseason Second Team All-CAA list. Green will be the Lady Monarchs returning leading rebounder as she hauled in 6.0 a year ago along with 8.4 points per game.
CAA PRESEASON POLL - WE'RE #1:Old Dominion, which has captured the past 16 Colonial Athletic Association women's basketball titles, was picked to repeat as conference champion in 2007-08 according to a vote of the league's coaches, sports information directors and media. The Lady Monarchs, who posted their 16th consecutive 20-win season last year, were followed in the voting by James Madison, William & Mary, VCU and Delaware. Picked sixth was Towson, followed by Hofstra, Drexel, Georgia State, Northeastern, UNC Wilmington, and George Mason.
HI MOM - I'M ON TV!:Nine Lady Monarch games will be aired, beginning on Nov. 23 with a Comcast Sportsnet broadcast with nationally ranked Connecticut from the Virgin Islands on tape delay at 11 p.m.. Old Dominion's conference games at Georgia State on Jan. 6, at Delaware on Jan. 27, and at James Madison on Mar. 2 will also be aired on Comcast Sportsnet, available on channel 35 in the Hampton Roads area. Lady Monarch games with Penn State on Nov. 29, James Madison on Jan. 13, and William and Mary on Feb. 10 will be available on WSKY-4. John Castleberry will provide the play by play along with former Lady Monarch and ODU Hall of Famer Jan Trombly on color for all the WSKY games. Fox Sports South will air both ODU's Tennessee (Dec. 5) and Kentucky (Dec. 28) games. The game against the Wildcats will also be picked up by WSKY-4.
SO WE MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME:The only team on the 2007-08 schedule the Lady Monarchs have never faced is Michigan State. The Spartans came to Norfolk on Dec. 2. with Old Dominion earning a 79-73 win.
SO WE MEET AGAIN:The Lady Monarchs continue annual rivalries with Tennessee and Penn State while taking on Middle Tennessee, East Carolina, Delaware State, and Kentucky for the second straight season. It marks the third straight season ODU and Charlotte will meet on the hardwood while the Lady Monarchs return a game to Vanderbilt from the 2005-06 season.
THINK PINK:The annual HOOPS FOR A CURE game is slated for Feb. 10 against CAA rival William & Mary.
UP NEXT: The No. 18/22 Old Dominion Lady Monarchs host Virginia Commonwealth on Thursday, January 17th.