MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[Seatfiller]

According to the RMC faithful they aren't going to do as well as 4th so I'd be inclined to flip #7 W&L into 4th and flip #5 and #6, EMU moving into the #5 spot. Now, I think we've got something

What's happened to Roanoke the past few years?  They used to be in the upper half of the ODAC all the time, but lately they're not in contention.  To paraphrase Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy being Maroon."   

Well the 2009-10 season was terrible it honestly looked like they had given up halfway through the season but last year was a lot better but they could never get that signature win that they needed to propel them, they gave RMC a run for the money in the ODAC tourny last year though

[tigerfanalso]

It is ashame HSC plays VWC at home while the student body is away. Kind of takes the home court advantage away. This game deserves a sellout but that probably will not happen.
I'm sure there are other ODAC games facing the same dilema but given the length of Christmas break, I'm sure this stuff cannot be avoided. 

[DeWayneCarter]

I have no complaints about this 

[tigerfanalso]

I'm confident you will not lose any sleep over the matter.

Just is not good for ODAC basketball. Kinda of like Duke playing Carolina in front of a half empty arena. Would not be good for the ACC.

At the end of the day, the winning team is going to have to execute, but the emotion will not be there to the fullest and emotion is what makes college athletics so special.

I'm sure the home court will be rocking when HSC travels to VWC, as well it should !!!! Maybe that game can be scheduled during Spring Break !!!

[DeWayneCarter]

If VWC and HSC played during spring break then that would mean it would be during the final four!

But even though VWC and HSC may play during the break I'm sure a good crowd will still be on hand for this game. Im sure some students won't mind making a quick trip back to campus for a game that could potentially decide the ODAC's top seed.

[tigerfanalso]

I hope you're right. I know of one HSC freshman that will be in the car with me on 1/4. Hopefully many of his friends will follow.

Look forward to the season. Has potential to really be something special ... would be great if HSC and VWC did play during Spring Break in the final four. Stranger things have happened.

[jdubyadubya]

The Batten Center will more than likely be full to overflowing for all games this year.

[hasanova]

I saw Guilford's intrasquad scrimmage yesterday at "Meet the Quakers Night".  The roster had 29 players with 23 suited up and six sitting out due to (hopefully) minor injuries.  I'm just making a guess, but I think the starters will include Senior Justin Stafford at center, Junior Josh Pittman at guard and Senior Gabriel Lowder at guard.  There are 26 other players to choose from, and this is purely speculation on my part, but the 6'3" transfer from Penn, Carson Sullivan, may start at point and a 6'6" freshman, Will Koppenhaver, from Watauga County (Boone area) just might crack the starting five at a #4 spot.

I would expect Brad Monroe to be one of the first guys off the bench and Gene Efird continues to improve.  A 6'7" transfer from DII St. Augustine's in Raleigh, Kevin Gibbs, and 6'6" freshman Will Freeman from Richmond County will also add some depth.  Finally, there are lots of guards.

Guilford has a 23-game JV schedule on tap and that'll be needed to give all 29 guys a place to play.  Go Quakers!

[78rmc]

RMC loses by 1 to American U, 62-61.  Scrappy performance but no inside presence, lots of unforced TOs.  More later.....

[y_jack_lok]

RMC loses by 1 to American U, 62-61.  Scrappy performance but no inside presence, lots of unforced TOs.  More later.....

Still, not a bad result against against a D1 team with three consecutive 20 win seasons. Perhaps prospects in Ashland are better than perceived.

[tigerfanalso]

I told you guys not to fall for that stuff the RMC was not going to be very good. They always well coached and always have talent. Not very experienced but lets face it not many teams in the ODAC could play American to a one point game; and RMC will do nothing but get better from here.

[78rmc]

I hope this RMC team does prove me wrong.  RMC also played without two veterans, Croskey (unknown reason) and Dylan Cole (ankle injury), so maybe not a bad showing considering.  I also don't think this AU team will win 20 this year, as they're very young too.

Several of the freshmen have not adjusted to the speed of the college game (lazy passes, etc), but they'll come around in time.

Perimeter defense was solid, post defense was weak, poor shooting (3-14 on 3s).  Desgain hit a three at the buzzer to make it a one-point game.  Scrappy, solid effort, but a lot of work to do.

Andre Simon was the pleasant surprise of the game with 15 pts.  RMC has 23 charity opportunities to AU's 7, the difference in the game to keeping it close.

Not your typical RMC team, no inside force, maybe Dylan's return will help there, will be an interesting season.

[rmc1982]

I told you guys not to fall for that stuff the RMC was not going to be very good. They always well coached and always have talent. Not very experienced but lets face it not many teams in the ODAC could play American to a one point game; and RMC will do nothing but get better from here.

You guys all think we're sandbagging but we're NOT!! I said earlier that this would be "R-MC LITE" and I truly beleive it will be.There are just too many holes to fill to be consistently great and win like we have been fortunately accustomed to.You guys also sometimes forget that this is one of the toughest, if not THE TOUGHEST DIII basketball conference in the country!! To go into some of the gyms like The Fishtank, Ragen-Brown at Guilford, and Fleet at HSC, not to mention the others, and win consistently is no small task!! That being said-Will we be competitive-Absolutely! Will we be in every game and play VERY HARD? Absolutely! Will we be tough in Crenshaw gym and have those rabid fans we're known for? Absolutely!! Will we upset a team or two? Probably.......But on the other hand......will we choke some free thows at the end of games and turn the ball over at inopportune times and lose some we shouldn't? Probably......Will we make freshman mistakes like 78RMC said we did against AU and look like the young team we are?? Absolutely!! Will this team get better as the season goes on-Absolutely......just not good enough to be competitive on a national level like VWC, HSC, and Guilford.Like 78RMC I absolutely hope I'm wrong and we're much better than we think, but I truly believe this is at best a 17-10 team.Not bad, but not what we're used to seeing in The Center Of The Universe. GO JACKETS!!

[algernon]

The Tigers are deep this year! In addition to returning 8 of their top 9 players (10 of their top 12) from last year, they have 4 extremely solid freshmen who will get a lot of playing time. 

First game is 2 weeks from today!

[jdubyadubya]

OK, Nova, we need to fire you up for the upcoming roundball season. Entertain us please with a little ditty that will get us off on the right foot....after all, the season is right around the corner, thank goodness!