NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion men’s basketball team will open the 2016-17 regular season at home on Friday, Nov. 11 against in-state and former CAA rival James Madison. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
MEDIA
This game can be viewed live in HD via C-USA TV. Also, the game will air on the ODU Sports Radio Network, which includes ESPN Radio 94.1 FM (Norfolk), Sports FM 100.5 (Richmond), 94.1 FM WLVA and Fox Sports 580 (Lynchburg). Old Dominion Senior Associate Athletic Director Ted Alexander will take care of the play-by-play duties, while ODU Hall of Famer and former NBA champion Dave Twardzik will handle color commentary.
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
ALL-TIME SERIES: ODU leads 55-26
Last Meeting: Jan. 26, 2013 - JMU won in Harrisonburg, 56-46
OLD DOMINION
In his first three seasons at the helm, head coach Jeff Jones has guided the Monarchs to consecutive postseason appearances, including trips to the NIT semifinals in 2015 and the Conference USA title game and Inaugural Vegas 16 Championship crown in 2016. Last season, Old Dominion compiled a 25-13 overall record, as the Monarchs posted a 12-6 mark in C-USA play. Proving their dominance on the home court, ODU notched a 12-4 record at the Ted Constant Center and maintained the fourth longest home win streak in the nation until it was snapped at 32.
Jones’ Monarchs especially impressed in the second half of the season, as ODU amassed 15 wins over the course of its last 18 games, which included a seven-game winning streak from Feb. 25 until the heartbreaking Conference USA Championship finals loss to Middle Tennessee.
Now in his fourth season at the helm, Jones’ 2016-17 squad will boast four returning starters and four of its seven leading scorers from last season including Brandan Stith, Zoran Talley, Denzell Taylor and Jordan Baker. Stith, a redshirt junior from Lawrenceville, Virginia, averaged 10.4 ppg and led the squad in rebounds with 9.7 per game last year. Talley, a redshirt sophomore from Merrillville, Indiana, scored 8.1 ppg and hauled down 4.5 rpg while Taylor, a senior from Ontario, Canada, managed 4.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg in 2015-16. Finally, Baker, a senior from nearby Hampton, Virginia, averaged 3.7 ppg and 2.4 rpg last season.
Additional key returning letterwinners for the Monarchs will be Ahmad Caver, a sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia, and Stephen Vassor, a redshirt junior from Lawrenceville, Virginia. Caver saw action in 38 games, averaging 2.7 ppg and adding 23 steals. Vassor played in 31 games and made four starts.
Old Dominion’s 2016-17 roster will feature a handful of talented players who redshirted last season, as B.J. Stith, a redshirt sophomore from Lawrenceville, Virginia, Trey Porter, a redshirt sophomore from Woodbridge, Virginia, and Aaron Carver, a redshirt freshman from Elizabeth City, N.C., will be eligible to play.
JAMES MADISON
JMU was tabbed to finish fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association in 2016-17, while senior guard Shakir Brown and senior forward Yohanny Dalembert were each named Preseason All-CAA.
The Dukes return four starters from last year’s team, which went 21-11 with an 11-7 mark in CAA play, tying them for third in the league. Seven seniors will lead the way for one of the nation’s most experienced squads in JMU’s first season under Head Coach Louis Rowe.
TICKETS
For just $30 you can get a ticket to both the ODU men’s basketball home opener vs. James Madison on Friday (7:00 p.m.) AND ODU Football’s game vs. Southern Miss on Saturday (3:30 p.m.). That is $18 of savings to watch the Monarchs this weekend! For more information, please CLICK HERE.
Single-game and season tickets for Old Dominion University men’s basketball are on sale now at www.ynottix.com or by calling 757-683-4444. For group pricing (10+), please call Todd McKeating at 757-683-7087. All ODU students get in free all year long.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For a more in-depth look into the men’s basketball program, be sure to follow @ODUMBB on Twitter, ‘ODU Basketball’ on Facebook and odu_mbb on Instagram.