The Old Dominion Monarchs (22-13) take on the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (19-11) in the first round of the CUSA tournament at Mandalay Bay Event Center. The game gets underway at 3:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 28 and can be seen on CCS.
The Monarchs lost a close one to Middle Tennessee 55-53 in the 5. Aaron Bacote had a good outing for Old Dominion, putting up 15 points, three rebounds, and two steals. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off a deflating 92-72 loss at the hands of Austin Peay in the 1. Ryan Martin had a good game for Tennessee Tech, accumulating 17 points, seven rebounds, and one steal.
Over the last five games, Trey Freeman has been playing at a high level for the Monarchs. During that stretch, he has averaged 28.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 3.2 three-pointers.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Old Dominion ranks seventh in the nation, allowing just 98.6 points per 100 possessions, while Tennessee Tech is 19th (107.9). Furthermore, the defense of the Golden Eagles should have an advantage in terms of eFG%. They’re 20th in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 50.3%), while the offense of the Monarchs ranks 279th in eFG% (47.7%).
The Monarchs have gone 22-13 Straight Up (SU) and 13-17-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The most recent ten-game stretch for the Monarchs has gone great. Over that span, Old Dominion is averaging 76.3 points per game, well over their season average of 68.5. The Monarchs, sporting the 25th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.43), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Old Dominion’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 79.2 during that span, compared to its 61.8 season average.
On the other side, Tennessee Tech has a SU record of 19-11 and an ATS record of 11-11-1. Tennessee Tech has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. During the last 10 games, they averaged 70.8 PPG, below their 78.6 PPG season average. Tennessee Tech is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the nation, converting .742 of their shots from the line. The Golden Eagles average 75.5 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 61.4 points per game during that span. The Tennessee Tech defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .440 shooting from the field to its opponents.
Old Dominion and Tennessee Tech have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – ODU, ATS Winner – ODU
Notes
“Old Dominion is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Old Dominion is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games “.
Tennessee Tech averages 78.6 points per game this season. Old Dominion is one of the best teams in points allowed, giving up just 61.8 points per game (ranked seventh).
Tennessee Tech lost its last game by a 20-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Old Dominion is 8-1. Tennessee Tech is 5-4 in blowouts this season.
Ranked seventh, the Old Dominion Monarchs have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 98.6 points per 100 possessions. The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles rank 49th in offense, scoring 112.2 points in the same number of possessions.
The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles average a field goal percentage of 45.9% this season. The Old Dominion Monarchs have an abysmal record of 2-9 when opponents have a FG% of 45.9% or greater.
The Old Dominion Monarchs rank higher based on their field goal percentage (175th) than their effective field goal percentage (279th). The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (43rd) than their field goal percentage (75th).
The Old Dominion Monarchs rank 25th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.43, while the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles rank outside the top 100 (114th) with an A/TO of 1.15.
Old Dominion, the 52nd-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 38.9 rebounds per game. Tennessee Tech does worse, ranked 187th with 35.9.
The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles make an average of 5.3 steals per game. When the Old Dominion Monarchs give up 5 or more steals, they are a solid 13-6.
