Old Dominion (5-13, 2-4 Sun Belt) at Georgia Southern (12-6, 4-1 Sun Belt) | App State (10-8, 3-3 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Thursday, Jan. 15 – 7 p.m. | Saturday, Jan. 17 – 1 p.m.
Location – Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center (Statesboro, Ga.) | Holmes Convocation Center (Boone, N.C.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2)
Listen – ESPN Sports Radio 94.1 FM
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion men’s basketball continues its four-game road stretch this week with games at Georgia Southern on Thursday and at App State on Saturday. Opening tip against the Eagles is scheduled for 7 p.m., and Saturday’s meeting with the Mountaineers will start at 1 p.m.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ with Ted Alexander also covering the action on ESPN Sports Radio 94.1 FM. Live stats will also be available.
Series History
Thursday will be the 26th meeting between ODU and GS, with the Monarch leading the all-time series, 16-9. The Eagles have now won five in a row though after taking a Jan. 3 game in Norfolk, 93-86. Old Dominion fell behind 20-2 to start the game and got as close as five points, 85-80, with just over a minute left, but could not catch the visitors. KC Shaw led ODU in the loss with 23 points while adding three rebounds, one assist, and one steal to his totals.
App State extended its lead in the all-time series, 5-3, with an 81-73 final on Dec. 31 at Chartway Arena. The Mountaineers put together an early 7-0 run to go up 9-2, and the Monarchs found themselves trailing 37-19 at halftime. Down 66-44 with under five minutes to go, Caelum Swanton-Rodger scored five points to highlight a 7-0 run by ODU. Jared Turner and Robert Davis Jr. made a couple of late threes to cut the deficit to single digits, but it wasn’t enough. Jordan Battle led the Monarchs with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
About ODU
The Monarchs (5-13, 2-4 Sun Belt) made eight three-pointers in the first half and led by 17 at halftime, but couldn’t hold off James Madison in the second half as they fell 70-69 last Saturday in Harrisonburg. Shaw tallied 18 points with seven rebounds, Davis Jr. made four threes and finished with 13 points, and Battle turned in an 11-point effort.
ODU has four players averaging double figures: Shaw leads the way with 16.1 ppg, Battle is next with 12.7 ppg, LJ Thomas is third at 10.9 ppg, and Davis Jr. is fourth at 10.5 ppg. Davis Jr. currently ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with 122 three-point attempts and is fifth in the league in both three-pointers made (40) and threes per game (2.35). He has made 156 in his two seasons at ODU and needs 13 more to surpass head coach Mike Jones for sixth place on the program’s all-time three-point leaders list.
Battle enters the week ranked third in the conference in free throw shooting (85.9%) and is also fifth in free throws made (79), steals (30), and steals per game (1.67). The Norfolk native is ODU’s leading rebounder with 91 boards (5.1 rpg) and owns a team-high 50 assists. Thomas follows him with 43 assists and 18 steals, and Swanton-Rodger (7.2 ppg) has pulled down 78 rebounds (4.6 rpg) and made 22 blocks.
The Monarchs are scoring 73.4 ppg, but are allowing opponents to net 77.0 ppg. ODU is shooting 42.4% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc, and 72.4% at the free-throw line. The team ranks fourth in the SBC in three-point percentage defense (31.6%) and is fifth in turnovers per game (11.1). Old Dominion is 255th in the latest NET rankings.
About Georgia Southern
The Eagles (12-6, 4-1 Sun Belt) saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end with an 87-71 loss at South Alabama last Saturday in Mobile. Spudd Webb led GS with 15 points before fouling out of the game with two minutes left Nakavieon White followed with 13 points, and Tyren Moore and Khayri Dunn contributed 11 points each.
Webb is the team’s leading scorer at 16.4 ppg, ranks second in the Sun Belt with 33 steals and 1.83 steals per game, and is third with a 2.16 assist-to-turnover ratio. The guard from Hartwell, Georgia also owns a team-high 54 assists. Moore averages 13.0 ppg and is the league leader in three-point attempts with 133. He ranks second in threes made with 46 and is third with 2.56 threes per game. Also scoring in double digits are Alden Applewhite (12.4 ppg) and White (10.8 ppg). Applewhite leads the Eagles on the glass with 103 rebounds (6.1 rpg). Shainen Carter (5.5 ppg) is second in the SBC with 31 blocks and is third with 1.72 blocks per game.
Through games played on Jan. 10, Georgia Southern ranks 22nd nationally in three-point attempts per game (29.8), 25th in turnover margin (3.9), 28th in free-throw attempts per game (25.8), and 33rd in free throws made per game (18.8). The Eagles are second in the Sun Belt in both scoring offense (83.7 ppg) and bench points per game (31.22) and are third in threes per game (9.7) and steals per game (8.5). The team is shooting 43.7% from the floor, 32.5% from long range, and 72.8% at the line. GS is outscoring opponents by an average of 3.9 points and is 226th in the latest NET rankings.
About App State
The Mountaineers (10-8, 3-3 Sun Belt) are coming off a 67-62 loss at Coastal Carolina on Saturday. App State led for 31 minutes and by as many as 13 points, but the Chanticleers took over with a late three-pointer from Joshua Beadle. Alonzo Dodd led App State in the loss with 21 points and six rebounds, Jalen Tot had 12 points, and Kasen Jennings scored 11.
Jennings is the team’s leading scorer with 14.2 ppg, followed by Dodd at 12.3 ppg and Luke Wilson with 10.7 ppg. Tot (7.3 ppg) and Jennings are the top threats from the perimeter with 35 and 32 made threes, respectively. Wilson has grabbed 127 rebounds (7.1 rpg) and Michael Marcus Jr. (7.8 ppg) is second on the team with 103 boards (5.7 rpg). Marcus Jr. leads the conference with 2.94 offensive rebounds per game, while Wilson is second in the league with five double-doubles and third with 116 free-throw attempts. Dodd owns a team-high 63 assists, Jennings has 18 steals, and Wilson has made 27 blocks.
App State scores 72.4 ppg, is first in the conference in scoring defense (66.7 ppg), and is third in scoring margin (+5.7). The Mountaineers are also second in three-point percentage defense (30.8%) and third in field-goal percentage defense (39.7%), offensive rebounds per game (12.5), fouls per game (16.3), turnovers per game (10.2), and assist-to-turnover margin (1.25). The team is shooting 44.7% from the field, including 30.8% from distance, and 61.1% at the charity stripe. App State is 225th in the NET rankings.
Up Next
The Monarchs will be back at Chartway Arena next week for home games against Troy on Wednesday, Jan. 21 and Louisiana on Saturday, Jan. 24. Both games will tip off at 7 p.m., and ODU will retire Ronnie Valentine’s jersey during the second game.
Season Sponsor
Bon Secours is the Presenting Sponsor of Old Dominion University’s 2025-26 Men’s Basketball Season. Bon Secours is proud to operate its four hospitals and medical centers in Hampton Roads and is even more proud to serve the surrounding community with exceptional care. It’s our mission at Bon Secours Hampton Roads to treat the whole person — mind, body and spirit, to bring compassion to health care, and to be good help to those in need. Bon Secours – the health care you deserve from a team you can trust.
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
Men's Basketball Season Tickets: Secure your spot for all 14 of ODU’s home games this season for just $215.
Women's Basketball Season Tickets: Enjoy every moment of Monarchs basketball with season tickets for $120 (adults), which includes access to all 15 home games.
Discounted season ticket rates are available for ODU Faculty & Staff, ODU Letterwinners, Young Alumni, Band & Spirit Parents and Military. Call for more information.
Mini-Plans: Want flexibility? Choose a mini-plan! Get tickets to six men's games starting at $120 or six women's games for $60 ($10 per game!).
Single-Game Tickets: Mark your calendar—single-game tickets will be available starting October 14.
Call the ODU Ticket Office at 757-683-3375 or online at odusports.com/tickets to secure your seats today!