Old Dominion (7-16, 4-7 Sun Belt) vs. ULM (3-20, 0-11 Sun Belt) | vs. Ohio (12-11, 6-5 MAC)
Game Info – Wednesday, Feb. 4 – 7 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 7 – 7 p.m.
Location – Chartway Arena (Norfolk, Va.)
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 returns to Norfolk to open up a five-game homestand, starting with a 7 p.m. meeting with ULM this Wednesday. The Monarchs then host Ohio on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the second round of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
Scott Jackson and Billy Mann will cover the action on ESPN+, and fans can also hear Ted Alexander and Dennis Wolff on ESPN Sports Radio 94.1 FM. Live stats will also be available.
Series History
Wednesday will mark just the third-ever meeting between ODU and ULM. The Warhawks won the first game, 80-73 on Jan. 20, 2024 in Norfolk. Chaunce Jenkins led the Monarchs in the loss with 20 points. Old Dominion then opened conference play at ULM last season, defeating the Warhawks 80-75 in overtime on Dec. 21, 2024. Robert Davis Jr. hit a late three-pointer and scored a career-high 32 points, and Sean Durugordon made a pair of free throws with three seconds left to help clinch the win.
ODU and Ohio have only met once before in the Carr’s Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 24, 1995 in Anchorage. That game went to the Bobcats, 90-89 in double overtime.
About ODU
The Monarchs (7-16, 4-7 Sun Belt) split their two Sun Belt road games last week, winning 75-71 at Arkansas State on Wednesday before falling to Texas State, 81-64 on Saturday. Jordan Battle led ODU against the Red Wolves, scoring 20 points with six assists while knocking down five three-pointers. KC Shaw recorded a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double in the loss to the Bobcats.
Shaw is fifth in the Sun Belt in scoring and leads ODU with 16.6 ppg. Also averaging double figures are Battle with 13.8 ppg and LJ Thomas with 10.8 ppg. Davis Jr. (9.8 ppg) and Battle have made 50 and 49 threes, respectively, with Davis Jr. needing three more deep balls to move past head coach Mike Jones into sixth place on the program’s all-time three-point leaders list. Jared Turner (5.7 ppg) has also proven to be a threat from distance with 35 made threes. Battle is the fourth-best free-throw shooter in the league with an 85.7% clip at the line, and Thomas is fifth in the SBC with a 1.69 assist-to-turnover ratio.
On the glass, Battle has pulled down a team-high 114 boards (5.0 rpg), though Caelum Swanton-Rodger (7.1 ppg) is right behind him with 109 rebounds (5.0 rpg). Battle and Thomas have combined for 123 assists, Battle enters the week with a team-best 34 steals, and Swanton-Rodger is up to 28 blocks.
ODU is scoring 73.7 ppg, but allows 77.4 ppg for a -3.7-scoring margin. The Monarchs are shooting a combined 42.7% from the floor, rank fifth in the SBC in three-point shooting (33.3%), and make 72.2% of their shots at the charity stripe. Old Dominion is also fifth in the conference in three-point percentage defense (32.0%), turnovers per game (11.1), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.12).
The Monarchs are 251st in the latest NET rankings. The first round of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge saw ODU fall 87-72 at Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 3. The RedHawks, along with Arizona, are the only two undefeated teams remaining in Division I.
About ULM
The Warhawks (3-20, 0-11 Sun Belt) have dropped 13 games in a row. They fell 79-76 to Georgia Southern last Friday in a game played at Grambling State, then came up short 83-79 to Coastal on Saturday in Monroe. In the first game, a Renars Sondors three-pointer put ULM ahead 72-71 with 2:20 to play, but GS’s Tyren Moore put the Eagles back in front with an old-fashioned three-point play at the 1:26 mark and they held on from there. In the second game, a Krystian Lewis three tied the game at 65-65 with 7:12 remaining, but the Chanticleers put together a 5-0 run and never looked back.
ULM has four players averaging double figures: Lewis is the team’s top scorer at 16.6 ppg, MJ Russell is second with 15.9 ppg, Lavell Brodnex is next with 13.2 ppg, and Sondors is netting 11.3 ppg. Lewis, Russell, and Sondors are the top shooters from the perimeter with 120 combined threes. Russell leads the conference with 35:47 minutes per game while Brodnex is second in the league with six double-doubles and is the top rebounder on the team with 143 boards (8.4 rpg). Lewis, a sophomore guard from Monroe, ranks second in the SBC in field goal attempts (314) and minutes per game (35:33), is third in free throws made (119), fourth in free throw attempts (147) and steals (38), and fifth in points (381) and steals per game (1.65).
The Warhawks have been outscored by an average of 11.2 points, scoring 71.4 ppg while allowing 82.6 ppg. The team is shooting 41.2% from the field, 33.2% from long range, and 72.3% at the line. They also rank second in the Sun Belt and seventh nationally with 13.7 fouls per game. ULM was picked to finish 14th in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches’ Poll and is led by first year head coach Phil Cunningham.
ULM is currently 359th in the NET rankings.
About Ohio
After falling 72-57 at Kent State last Tuesday, the Bobcats (12-11, 6-5 MAC) bounced back with a 95-83 victory at Buffalo on Saturday. Aidan Hadaway scored 13 points and JJ Kelly finished with 10 to lead Ohio against the Golden Flashes. Javan Simmons then scored a career-high 24 points in the win over the Bulls.
Jackson Paveletzke is Ohio’s leading scorer with 17.0 ppg. The senior guard from Kimberly, Wisconsin leads the Mid-American Conference with 36:03 minutes per game, is fourth in the conference in made free throws (103), and fifth in free-throw attempts (132), assists (108), and assists per game (4.9). Aidan Hadaway averages 14.2 ppg and is fifth in the MAC with 166 rebounds (7.2 rpg). Javan Simmons is the other Bobcat scoring in double figures with 13.9 ppg. He’s currently fourth in the conference with 136 free-throw attempts. Ajay Sheldon (6.7 ppg) is the go-to option on the perimeter with 40 threes and ranks fourth in the league with 39 steals and is fifth with 1.70 steals per game.
The Bobcats score 77.4 ppg while giving up 77.6 ppg for a -0.2-scoring margin. They shoot 46.5% from the field, including 30.1% from deep, and 69.5% at the line. Ohio ranks fifth in the MAC with 13.22 turnovers forced per game. The team is led by head coach Jeff Noals, who is in his seventh season in Athens, and was picked to finish fourth in the MAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Paveletzke was voted to the Preseason All-MAC First Team and Simmons was named to the Second Team.
Ohio is 214th in the NET rankings and opens the week with a 7 p.m. home game against Western Michigan on Tuesday. The Bobcats hosted Arkansas State in the opening round of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, falling to the Red Wolves 89-85 on Nov. 3.
Up Next
Old Dominion resumes conference play next week when they host Marshall on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Georgia State on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 3:30 p.m. The game against the Panthers will mark Senior Day for the Monarchs, and the team will also retire Ronnie Valentine’s No. 42 jersey.
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!