WBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[RVAHokie]

Bammer-
I think it's hard to not name Coach King, COY for the ODAC this year.  Roanoke did exactly as expected, W&L performed well above what was expected of them.  The Roanoke Coach does a great job, but she has far more talent to work with than any other ODAC program right now.  Coach King has raised the program at one of the most selective Universities in the Country to compete successfully in a very strong conference.

The Maroon outplayed the Generals in the second half on Friday night, but the Generals were ready to play on Saturday on short rest.  Excellent coaching job!

[RVAHokie]

Duke,
Thanks for the link.  Hope to make the trip down to Salem for the Semis on Saturday...

Thanks.

[RVAHokie]

I'll be the first to throw some guesses, oops I mean predictions up-


Thursday
Roanoke
VWC
RMC
W&L

Saturday
Roanoke
RMC

Sunday
Roanoke

I think the only chance for an "upset" (other than 4v5) is Guilford over W&L but with the Gennies rested and ready I don't think that happens.

IMO only the top 3 have a real chance of winning this tourney and W&L's shot is very long.  RMC's chances are seriously tied to officiating and J O'Briant's shoulder situation.  If Jennier isn't close to 100%, their chances become slim as well.

I'm ready to hear how wrong I am....

[BH2OFan]

I see "chalk" on Thursday but don't care to venture any guesses beyond that. RVAHokie, BC rolled VWC by 33 at home and outscored them in the extra session by 14 down there-tough to beat a team 3 times in a season but I feel we (I'm paying the tuition so I can say "we") match up quite well with them.

[RVAHokie]

tough to beat any team 3x in a season, I really thought the game in Norfolk was odd.  I was "watching" on livestats and the VWC athletes could not stop fouling in the final minutes of regulation.  They had BC beaten that particular evening and "let them off the hook".  That is the best match-up of Thursday's games.  Wish I could get down to Salem to watch day one.

[BH2OFan]

I "watched" that one too, hard to get a true sense of the circumstances that led to the result via livestats (i.e. did BC make some great plays or did VWC get sloppy). Not hard to see BC needs to shoot better than recent efforts vs. LC and W&L.

[dukeofargyle]

I think the only chance for an "upset" (other than 4v5) is Guilford over W&L but with the Gennies rested and ready I don't think that happens.

IMO only the top 3 have a real chance of winning this tourney and W&L's shot is very long.  RMC's chances are seriously tied to officiating and J O'Briant's shoulder situation.  If Jennier isn't close to 100%, their chances become slim as well.

I'm ready to hear how wrong I am....

RMC does have soon-to-be All American Molly in her final tourney and many ODAC defenders are intimidated by her. This honor is well deserved; Molly has often changed the play the moment she steps on the court, and her numbers are impressive by any standards.

I'm sorry to hear that Jen O'Briant is still hurting, but why do you feel that RMC's chances are tied to officiating? It's true that only 2 teams in the ODAC are the long time and consistent beneficiaries of some truly outrageous calls (and non-calls) from the ODAC refs, and RMC is not one of them, but the 6 other ODAC teams share that same disadvantage. 

[RVAHokie]

Duke-

I am new to the ODAC so my opinion is not based on a huge amount of data, however, watching RMC play in 6 or 7 games this year including the one in Lexington, it appeared that if the athletes are allowed to play, it is a distinct benefit for RMC, as opposed to refs that call it a bit tighter can take some of the game away from Molly.

Most teams benefit from a particular style of officiating.  The teams with taller, stronger athletes usually benefit from a looser style, while the smaller (and often quicker) teams benefit from a tighter called game. 

[Brookland]

I agree that BC-VWC is the most interesting game. I think the keys to that game will be turnovers and defense on BC's 3-pt shooters. In both previous games, VWC out-rebounded BC but turned the ball over too much (VWC had 16 more TOs and 15 fewer steals in those 2 games). On offense, BC lives and dies by the 3. If VWC can protect the ball and limit BC's success from beyond the arc, they have a chance.
I'll go out on a limb and pick VWC.

[Bammer]

BC will go as Burkholder goes.  She is a good and competitive player.  You cannot let her get those open court steals.  You have to make her work for every basket while not putting her on the line.  This should be an even game but I am picking BC just because of Burkholder.  She is a dynamic player that can really take over a game.  I do not see that in Tonia Jones. 

[Brookland]

BC will go as Burkholder goes.  She is a good and competitive player.  You cannot let her get those open court steals.  You have to make her work for every basket while not putting her on the line.  This should be an even game but I am picking BC just because of Burkholder.  She is a dynamic player that can really take over a game.  I do not see that in Tonia Jones. 

I agree. I think VWC's best bet would be to deny her the ball. Make her work not only to score, but to get into position to score. Most people notice on-ball defense and steals (when they notice defense at all) but sometimes the best defense doesn't show up in the stats or where the ball is. Deny defense is loved only by purists and practiced well only by the most dedicated defenders. We'll see whether VWC can rise to the task.

[2RMCFans]

CONGRATS to all who won conference honors last night, but especially to Molly Ariail, the POY again this year.  Also, glad to see Maggie Roy get some recognition - she's one of the hardest working players we've ever seen at R-MC.

Hopefully, Hollins can build something now that they have a ROY player! 

We're off to Salem asap this afternoon.  Best wishes to ALL for your teams' success and for safe travels to & from.

GO JACKETS!!!  Let's go all the way again!

[hasanova]

It's not a big surprise, but #1 Roanoke's through to the semis, topping #8 LC 88-64.  Congratulations to the Maroons.

[Brookland]

I agree that BC-VWC is the most interesting game. I think the keys to that game will be turnovers and defense on BC's 3-pt shooters. ...
I'll go out on a limb and pick VWC.

Looks like it worked out just that way! VWC forced 8 TOs and held BC to 3-17 shooting on the way to an opening scoring advantage of 26-7. BC eventually evened up the TOs over the rest of the game (25 for VWC and 24 for BC), but never did get untracked from beyond the arc, finishing just 1-11 from 3-pt range and just 27% shooting overall. As to Bammer's point that "BC will go as Burkholder goes" that worked out as well - 5 pts, 1 reb, 3 assists, 2 steals, 6 TOs and a foul-out (although that fifth one looked questionable to me). A tough way for a great player to end the season.
Congratulations on a great effort by the Marlins!

[emufan]

Looks like EMU knocks off #2 seed RMC by a score of 69- 64.

Way to go EMU!