Men's Basketball Hosts JMU and Georgia Southern To Start February

GAME 23: Old Dominion (13-9/5-5) vs. James Madison (15-8/6-4), 7 p.m., Thursday, Chartway Arena
GAME 24: Old Dominion vs. Georgia Southern (12-11/5-5), 7 p.m., Saturday, Chartway Arena

ESPN+ Stream – James Madison; Georgia Southern
Live Stats – James Madison; Georgia Southern
ODU Sports Radio Network – click here

NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion men's basketball team returns to the home hardwood this week with a pair of games. ODU (13-9/5-5) hosts James Madison (15-8/6-4) on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the first men's basketball matchup of the TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge. 
 
Georgia Southern (12-11/5-5) comes to Norfolk for a second matchup with the Monarchs on Saturday night at 7 p.m. These teams met in Statesboro, Georgia on January 7 with ODU winning 81-75 in overtime.

STREAM/RADIO
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ with Scott Jackson and Billy Mann on the call. The ODUSports Radio Network will have each games with Ted Alexander and Dave Twardzik on the call, starting with the Toyota PreGame Show at 6:30 p.m. both nights.
 
LAST TIME OUT         
Freshman Bryce Baker went two-for-three from the line with 1.3 seconds left and Old Dominion forced a last second Coastal Carolina shot wide as the Monarchs took a 60-59 victory over the Chanticleers on Saturday afternoon in Sun Belt Conference men's basketball action. Mekhi Long had 19 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in the win at Coastal Carolina.
 
Mezie Offrum had 15 points, while Takal Molson added a career high 14 rebounds and four steals as JMU rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat ULM 58-45 on Saturday.

Jordan Brown scored 20 points, and Louisiana held Georgia Southern to 37 percent shooting in the second half to post a 94-87 win over Georgia Southern Saturday night in the Cajundome.
 
SERIES HISTORY         
ODU leads the series 58-28, while JMU has won the last two meetings including the last one in Norfolk in the 2019-20 season by an 80-78 count.
 
Against Georgia Southern, the Monarchs lead the series 15-4 and have won the last five meetings. ODU won the last meeting in Norfolk 89-69 during the 2013-14 season.
 
ABOUT ODU  
The Monarchs have four players averaging at least 9.9 points per game. Scott-Grayson leads the team in scoring (14.4 ppg), while second in assists (57), steals (24), third in blocked shots (12) and in rebounds per game (5.0 rpg). Chaunce Jenkins follows at 13.5 ppg, while leading in assists (63) and third in steals (23). Ben Stanley rounds out the double figure scorers at 10.4 ppg, with Mekhi Long averaging 9.9 points and a team high 8.2 rebounds per game and leads in steals with 32.
 
ABOUT JAMES MADISON     
Vado Morse leads the Dukes in scoring (13.0 ppg) and assists (46), while third in steals (26). Terrence Edwards is also in double figures averaging 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, with Mezie Offrum (10.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Takai Molson (10.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg) rounding out the double figure scorers.
 
ABOUT GEORGIA SOUTHERN
The Eagles are at in-state rival Georgia State on Thursday before heading to Norfolk. Andrei Savrasov is leading them in scoring at 13.2 ppg and second in rebounding at 6.7 rpg. Jalen Finch is second in scoring at 10.8 ppg and leads in assists with 78, while Kaden Archie follows at 10 ppg.
 
ABOUT TOWNEBANK ROYAL RIVALRY CHALLENGE
The TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge is a unique rivalry series that amplifies school pride between Old Dominion University and James Madison University by rekindling a decades-old rivalry steeped in tradition and memorable moments across all shared sport programs as they transitioned together into the Sun Belt Conference. The TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge will elevate the excitement and visibility of approximately 20 annual head-to-head competitions between the athletic programs across all sports.

Points are awarded for head-to-head competition or for the best finish in mutual conference championship events in sports where head-to-head competition does not occur. Half points are granted in case of a tie. Both regular season and postseason matches are included in head-to-head calculations. Additional points for academic achievements and competitions will also be part of the TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge. At the end of each school year, the school that earns the most points will hoist the Royal Rivalry Trophy which is currently being designed by students in both schools' art departments.
 
To date JMU leads 6.5 – 2.5.
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING