WHO: #6 ODU (18-13, 9-9 SBC) vs #7 Southern Miss (15-15, 8-10 SBC) | or #8 ULM (15-15, 7-11 SBC)
WHEN: Friday, Mar. 6 - 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Pensacola, Fla. / Pensacola Bay Center
ALL-TIME: ODU leads USM, 8-5 | ODU leads ULM, 5-0
Live Stats: Click Here!
WATCH: ESPN+
LISTEN: ESPN Radio 94.1 FM
SOCIAL MEDIA: X, Facebook, Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion heads down to Pensacola, Fla. for its fourth-round game in the Sun Belt Tournament on Friday afternoon. The Monarchs play the winner of Southern Miss vs. ULM on Thursday. Opening tip at the Pensacola Bay Center is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and fans can listen to the action on ESPN Radio 94.1 FM with Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry having the call. Live stats will also be available.
ALL-TIME SERIES & LAST TIME OUT:
ODU holds a three-game advantage against Southern Miss in the all-time series, 8-5. The sides met at Chartway Arena on Jan. 30 in an overtime thriller. ODU gave up a 17-point lead and shot poorly from the field in the loss (29-of-76) as USM came out victorious, 86-83.
ODU leads the all-time series against ULM, 5-0. The sides last met on Jan. 28 this season and Riley Stack had a monster night with 22 points, seven blocks, and three steals en route to a 23-point victory, 85-62.
ABOUT ODU:
Old Dominion heads into the Sun Belt Championship as the sixth seed and went 9-9 in conference play this season. ODU’s En’Dya Buford was named to the All-Sun Belt Third Team. Old Dominion enters the tournament with a NET ranking of 149. Head Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones is gunning for her 150th all-time win.
The Monarchs are ranked the 12th-best shot blocking team in the nation and are number one in the Sun Belt averaging 5.6 blocks per game. Junior transfer forward Riley Stack has the third most blocks in Division I (81) and ranks first in the Sun Belt with 2.61 blocks per game. Simone Cunningham has 29 blocks to rank second on ODU and is 11th in the Sun Belt. She averages 2.63 offensive rebounds, which is good for 10th in the Sun Belt.
ODU ranks seventh in total rebounds in the nation averaging 43.06 per game. The Monarchs crash the offensive glass at a high level, grabbing an average of 15.4 offensive rebounds to rank 15th in the nation. The Monarchs have the second-best rebounding offense (43.06) in the Sun Belt and are shooting 70.7% from the free throw line this year to rank seventh in the SBC.
Old Dominion holds opposing teams to 37.3% shooting from the field, which is good for 46th in Division I and is the best in the conference. Buford has 69 steals this season, which is good for fourth in the SBC, and Simaru Fields ranks 10th in the conference with 58. Buford ranks fourth in the SBC in free throw percentage (83.3) and is 15th in made three-pointers (50). Fields ranks 17th in the SBC with 13.06 ppg and is first on the Monarchs. She has nailed 65 deep balls which is good for 10th in the Sun Belt.
ABOUT USM:
The Golden Eagles (15-15, 8-10 SBC) split their final two games of the regular season after dropping a 67-43 loss to South Alabama and defeated ULM on the final day, 68-61. Southern Miss is the seventh seed in the tournament and has a NET ranking of 187. Missy Bilderback was formerly the ULM head coach from 2023-25 and is in her first season in Hattiesburg.
USM has five players averaging double-digit scoring. Leading the way is Jakayla Johnson’s 15.3 ppg, followed by Hayleigh Breland’s 13.2 ppg and Meloney Thames’ 11.8 ppg. Sakiya White ranks fourth on the team with 11.3 ppg and Carly Keats rounds out the scorers with 10.2 ppg. White grabs a team high 7.9 rpg followed by Whitney Hart’s 5.7 rpg. Johnson was named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team.
Southern Miss scores 74.4 ppg and has a +0.9-scoring margin against opponents. The Golden Eagles shoot 40.7% from the field, 30.8% from deep, and 76.4% from the charity stripe. USM grabs 38.7 rpg and has a -3.0-rebounding margin this season.
ABOUT ULM:
The Warhawks (15-15, 7-11 SBC) went 1-1 in their final two games this season and are coming off a win against Louisiana (79-63) in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship. ULM finished in 8th in the SBC and has a NET ranking of 154. At the helm is Scott Fletcher in his first season in Monroe.
J’Mani Ingram has paced the offense for ULM with 11.5 ppg followed by Nakiyah Mays-Prince’s 11.0 ppg and Marcavia Shavers’ 10.4 ppg. Shavers leads the Warhawks on the boards with 9.5 rpg, Asia Barclay ranks second with 5.5 rpg. Mays-Prince is the leading provider with 139 assists this season (4.6 apg).
As a team, ULM scores 69.1 ppg and concedes 67.4 for a +1.7-scoring margin. The Warhawks shoot 39.5% from the field, 32.1% from behind the arc, and 67.1% from the free throw line. ULM outrebounds opponents with a +5.7-rebounding margin and grabs 40.7 boards per contest.
UP NEXT:
The winner of Friday’s match will take on Arkansas State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST.