NORFOLK, Va. -- In the days leading up to the game, Georgetown players and coaches wouldn't say that tonight's bout with Old Dominion was a chance to exact some revenge for the Monarchs' upset win on the Georgetown campus last November. Even after his Hoyas had come away with a 66-48 victory in front of a sellout crowd at the Ted Constant Center, Head Coach John Thompson III refused to look the team's win as anything but much-needed preparation for the grueling Big East slate ahead. But that doesn't mean his players weren't thinking about it.

Continue reading "Hoyas Get Revenge" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- With Georgetown ahead by 16 with 1:12 to go, it looks like the Hoyas will move to 4-0 while the Monarchs will fall to their third straight ranked opponent and lose their fourth overall.

Continue reading "This One Belongs To Georgetown" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- Roy Hibbert just picked up his fourth foul with 5:32 to go, but Georgetown still leads by 16.

The foul call was probably questionable at best -- it looks as though the ODU defender flopped, but it still counts, so Hibbert went to the bench.

DaJuan summers just missed the front end of a one-and-one, so still a 16 point game.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- When Austin Freeman came to Georgetown, the scouting report was that, like former Hoya standout Jeff Green, he was a model of efficiency. Looks like they were spot on.

Freeman has 11 points tonight on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor, hitting his lone three point attempt. He moves impeccably without the ball and does not seem to take bad shots. Looks like the Hoyas scored a good one with him.

Georgetown leads 52-37, and while ODU had kept the Hoyas from totally running away, with under eight minutes left, the Monarchs just can't get close enough. Lee, already with 22 and 12, is having a standout night, but it may not matter. ODU is pressing and after almost forcing a turnover, made Jessie Sapp carry the ball. We'll see what happens down the stretch.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- As Georgetown tries to pull away, Gerald Lee is keeping Old Dominion in the game.

Continue reading "Lee Keeps ODU In The Game...Barely" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- Georgetown has opened the half on an 11-1 run and leads, 41-24.

Continue reading "Georgetown Looks Sharper" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- First half stats that standout:

Gerald Lee leads all scorers with 16 points. He also leads the way with eight rebounds. Hibbert is second in both with 11 and 6.

ODU outrebounded Georgetown 24-17 and committed just six turnovers to Georgetown's 11. The difference though, was that the Hoyas shot 50 percent while ODU was under 30.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- What is a Hoya? It's a common question when Georgetown takes to the road. I used halftime to see if the ODU student section had any ideas.

Continue reading "What IS A Hoya?" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- Georgetown ran perhaps its finest offensive set of the half just now, making several backdoor cuts before freeing Hibbert off of a screen-and-roll for a layup. Hibbert has 11 as Georgetown leads, 30-23.

Continue reading "Halftime Impressions From ODU" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- Jonathan Wallace is one of the best pure shooters in the country. He shots 49 percent from deep last year and hit the big bucket against UNC in the Elite Eight. But almost three and a half games into the season, his shot doesn't seem to be there.

Wallace is one-for-three from deep tonight, making him 7-of-19 on the year. That clip, 37 percent, isn't terrible, but it is not what Wallace is used to.

In general, Georgetown is just not taking great shots. Hibbert scores almost every time he gets the ball and has nine early, but when they don't dump it into him, it has been an ill-advised runner by Sapp or a questionable mid-range J by Summers.

The Hoyas, after ODU tied the game at 21, just ran out to a 26-21 lead on a lay-in by Hibbert and a three by Pat Ewing Jr. Ewing is an extremely solid three-point shooter and really should take that shot a bit more often.

Hibbert has nine and six with 2:16 left in the half.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- Georgetown has taken a five point lead, but what stands out early is how hard Old Dominion is working on the offensive end.

Against a bigger and probably faster team, the Monarchs are making the most of the shot clock, swinging the ball around the perimeter and often waiting till there are 12 seconds or fewer to shoot. Two possessions ago, Georgetown played superb defense for 33 seconds, forcing a three-point prayer, but ODU hustled for the rebound and the putback. The Hoyas are bigger, but the Monarchs continue to be as good or better on the glass.

Freshman Chris Wright knocked down his first shot, a trey, but then missed a bunny in transition.

Score is now 18-15 after a Frank Hassell threw down an alley-oop slam.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- Georgetown leads 13-9 at the second TV timeout, but early on, the Old Dominion is playing like the bigger team.

The Monarchs have a 10-7 advantage on the glass, and by my count, have blocked at least three shots. Hibbert has six for the Hoyas, but has gone to the bench for now. Vernon Macklin, his replacement, got stuffed trying for a layup the first time he touched the ball. Neither team has looked especially solid from downtown, with ODU 1-for-4 and GU 1-for-5.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- After Old Dominion scored the game's first bucket, Georgetown answered with a 9-0 run. But after a Brandon Johnson three and a Gerald Lee mid-range jumper, we've got a one-bucket game with 15:06 left in the half.

Early on, Hibbert leads the Hoyas with four, a layup and a dunk, while Wallace added a three and Jessie Sapp scored on a layup in transition. The Monarchs have two from Harris and Lee, and three from Johnson. Harris looks much better than he did a year ago at McDonough.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- Roy Hibbert is a preseason All-American, but Sam Harris recorded the game's first highlight, blocking a Hibbert layup.

Harris went down the other end and nailed a free-throw-line jumper, before Hibbert kissed in a layup of his own. Jonathan Wallace added a three as the Hoyas went up, 5-2, but just 2:20 in, Hibbert was called for his first foul of the game. Wallace picked one up 14 seconds later.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- We're about to get underway in Norfolk. Before we do...

-If last year's game was any indication, look for the Monarchs to play a packed in zone to neutralize Georgetown's back door cuts. It worked well for them last season. The Hoyas' other three opponents this season have employed similar strategies, to varying degrees of success. For ODU, the keys will be to contain Hibbert and possibly get him in foul trouble. Georgetown needs to pound the ball into Big Roy early and often. Beyond that, the Hoyas will need to knock down their threes, which they did against Michigan but did not do against Ball State.

-The ODU student section is impressive. It is packed and the students are all wearing white shirts, with many of them sporting blue and white striped hats. Their favorite cheer seems to be "overrated," which may be a bit presumptuous before the game, but after what happened last season, I suppose its warranted. In any event, they are loud and pumped. Georgetown's only road game this season came at Ball State the day before Thanksgiving, so this promises much more of a non-conference test. ODU Coach Blaine Taylor said this week that this is not a game the Hoyas should be blasted for if they lose, and I think he is right.

-The read of the Constant Center has filled up nicely and looks to be a little over three-quarters full.

Final warmups are taking place now. Back with another update once we play has begun.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Norfolk, Va. -- Here are some interesting statistics for you as we await tip-off.

Continue reading "Some Pre-game Stats and Facts" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 06:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NORFOLK, Va. -- Welcome to the Ted Constant Convocation Center where the winningest college basketball team in Virginia over the past three seasons, the Old Dominion Monarchs, is set to play host to Georgetown University.

Old Dominion enters tonight's contest 3-3, having lost their last two contests but both to ranked opponents. The Monarchs fell last Friday to No. 1 North Carolina and then lost the next day to No. 6 Louisville. The Hoyas meanwhile enter the evening 3-0, with their most impressive victory to date a 74-52 win over an unranked Michigan team.

The real story, however, is not what has happened so far this season but what went down last November. Old Dominion stormed into Georgetown's on-campus McDonough Gymnasium, where the Hoyas had not lost in 24 years (though they only play their at most a handful of times a season), and upset the No. 8 squad in the nation, 75-62. The Hoyas immediately dropped to No. 14 in the polls, and after two easy wins, lost two more early-season matchups against Oregon and Duke. Needless to say, they recovered just fine and went to their first final four since 1985.

Continue reading "ODU Set To Welcome Hoyas" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 06:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Derrick Caracter converted a breakaway layup with about a minute to go giving the Cardinals a nine-point lead and it was pretty much over from there. Old Dominion didn't score again and Louisville avoided complete disaster to take home a split at the Las Vegas Invitational with a 64-53 win.

Terrance Williams was the spark for the Cardinals, hitting 8-of-11 shots for 20 points while Earl Clark was a beast down low once again, logging 11 points and 15 rebounds.

It's clear the Cardinals have the talent to justify their No. 6 ranking coming into the week. Clark, Williams and Caracter are big-time players. Whether they'll have enough gas to be a contender down the stretch is another question. Coach Rick Pitino doesn't sound confident about the health of injured starters David Padgett and Juan Palacios, a notoriously slow healer.

Continue reading "Louisville Pulls Away, Face Questions For Future" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- When seven-foot three falls, it falls hard. Behemoth Old Dominion center Sam Harris just tried to dunk on Earl Clark. It didn't work. Clark hit him hard and he fell to the floor with a loud crash. He went on to miss his free throws as well, allowing Terrence Williams to convert with a 3-pointer on the other end to secure a 55-48 Louisville lead with 3:32 remaining.

Posted by Jason Owens at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Derrick Caracter just got tabbed for his fourth foul with about nine minutes left in regulation. This could spell trouble for Louisville. On Friday, the BYU game started slipping away from the Cardinals around the same time he picked up his fourth foul. ODU has cut the Cardinals lead to 45-44 with 7:25 remaining.

Posted by Jason Owens at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Derrick Caracter is trying to spark a run for Louisville, which now holds a 45-38 lead with 11:26 remaining in regulation. After picking up a big block on defense, he ran the length of the court for a transition layup attempt that put him on the line and got the Cardinals faithful on their feet.

The momentum has decidedly shifted. Old Dominion needs to respond soon.

Posted by Jason Owens at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Louisville's early 10-0 lead over ODU is already a distant memory. It's been all Old Dominion all the time since then as the Monarchs take a 28-27 lead into the half.

Last night the Cardinals shot 70 percent from the field in the first half and still trailed. Turnovers killed them. Now, they're turning the ball over and they can't find the bucket, shooting just 11-of-28 from the field.

ODU's not shooting any better with a 10-for-27 clip, but Brian Henderson's 3-point shooting has been the difference. He's hit 3-of-4 from behind the arc to lead ODU with nine halftime points. Earl Clark is a beast again for Louisville, hitting 4-of-5 shots for nine points of his own. But the Cardinals need someone else to step up on offense to avoid a second straight upset.

Posted by Jason Owens at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Sophomore stud Derrick Caracter had a great game against BYU on Friday outside of what Rick Pitino categorized as bad fouls. He's right back at it tonight against Old Dominion.

In the span of about a minute, Caracter attacked two loose balls he didn't have a chance at, hitting ODU players in the process. Pitino just shook his head both times. The Cardinals can't afford to lose Caracter to foul trouble in a close game with David Padgett and Juan Palacios already out of the lineup. With about three minutes left in the first half, Louisville holds a 24-21 lead.

Posted by Jason Owens at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Louisville looked ready to run away with this game early. Old Dominion had other ideas. After digging a 10-0 hole, Old Dominion has made it a 17-13 game with 7:41 remaining in the first half. Brian Henderson has found his stroke; it looks like the Cardinals are in for another tough game.

Posted by Jason Owens at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- We're definitely seeing a different Louisville team than the one that lost on Friday. The Cardinals are playing shutdown defense, aren't turning the ball over and scored the first 10 points of the game. Old Dominion didn't even score until the 13:20 mark.

The Monarchs did eventually get on the board as the Cardinals hold a 12-5 lead at the 11:50 mark. After shooting 50 percent in the first half against Carolina, ODU can't find the basket now. It goes to show what a difference a day makes in college hoops.

Posted by Jason Owens at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- When the schedule was announced, college basketball fans circled today on the calendar as a clash of top 10 teams North Carolina and Louisville at the Las Vegas Invitational. It's not going to happen.

Injuries to David Padgett and Juan Palacios took their toll on Friday as BYU upset the No. 6 Cardinals setting up a Louisville-Old Dominion matchup in tonight's undercard. And this game isn't going to be an easy one for the Cardinals either.

Old Dominion's offense gave North Carolina fits for much of Friday's 99-82 UNC win. They shot well from the field, outrebounded North Carolina 30-24 and made the game a lot closer than most people expected.

If Louisville doesn't adjust to eliminate the turnovers and foul trouble that plagued it during Friday's loss, it could turn out to be a very disappointing trip to Vegas for the Cardinals.

Posted by Jason Owens at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- In the end, it was a convincing win for UNC as it dropped Old Dominion, 99-82, to advance to face BYU in the Las Vegas Invitational final on Saturday. But Head Coach Roy Williams found some points for his Tar Heels to work on as they struggled to defend the Monarchs and came out with a 30-24 rebounding deficit.

"I think we had the effort," Williams said. "We have to be smarter and we have to anticipate more...We have to play defense early."

Continue reading "Williams: Heels Need To Play Smarter Defense" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 02:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas Invitational final has been set as UNC advances to Saturday's championship round against BYU with a 99-82 win over Old Dominion. I'll check in on the press conference and be back to wrap things up.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- OK, this one's officially over. Roy Williams just cleared his bench with UNC holding a 99-82 lead with 34.2 seconds left. The arena D.J. proceeded to blare 'Who Let the Dogs Out' over the loudspeakers. That doesn't seem appropriate.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- UNC looks comfortably in the lead, but every time it looks like its going to pull away, Old Dominion hits another big shot to stay within striking distance. With 2:36 remaining, Carolina holds a 92-79 lead.

Don't get me wrong; I'd be stunned if the Monarchs made up that much ground in so little time, but I'm sure Roy Williams would rather his team be up by 23 than 13 at this point in the game. And he'd certainly rather his team play better defense.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- North Carolina is slowly pulling away from ODU, but the Monarchs are still within striking distance facing a 65-54 deficit at the 11:53 mark of the second half. UNC looks great on defense but still can't slow down the Monarch offense as ODU has hit 6-of-8 second-half field goals.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Deon Thompson hit a pair of strong buckets to kick off the second half as UNC has opened up its four-point halftime lead to 55-48 at the 15:56 mark. Carolina is still hot on offense and has managed to make a few stops on defense. First-half Monarchs star Brandon Johnson is also on the bench with his third foul. ODU needs to respond to keep the Tar Heels from pulling away.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- A Danny Green three-pointer as time ran out in the first half gives UNC a 43-39 halftime edge over Old Dominion, but the Tar Heels can't be happy with how they've played so far. Old Dominion was strong from the field and on the offensive glass to keep pace with top-ranked UNC.

The fact that North Carolina is shooting 68 percent from the field and only has a four-point lead is the most telling stat. Tyler Hansbrough has been a force down low with 12 points and four rebounds, but Brandon Johnson has been equally effective on the other side, logging 14 points and a pair of assists. ODU is shooting 50 percent from the field and hit four 3-pointers in the first half. And when they miss, they've gotten second chances with 11 offensive rebounds. Carolina just has 10 rebounds total. Roy Williams has some adjustments to make at halftime.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- With the heavy pro-Carolina crowd behind them, the Tar Heels just came up with a much-needed defensive stop. UNC forced Old Dominion into a bad shot with the shot clock winding down that led to a Marcus Ginyard rebound and outlet pass to Wayne Ellington for a breakaway dunk.

On the next possession, UNC forced a quick turnover and holds a 36-34 lead at the 3:36 mark for the final media timeout of the first half. This looks like it could be the beginning of a run to build some separation before the half.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- It's now the third media timeout and North Carolina hasn't figured out how to slow down the ODU offense as the Monarchs hold a 30-26 lead at the 6:44 mark of the first half. They're shooting a blistering 60 percent from the field and floor leader Brandon Johnson hasn't missed a shot on the way to a 14-point start.

Carolina looks great on offense, shooting 11-of-19 behind nine points from Ty Lawson and eight from Tyler Hansbrough. But the Heels have to make some adjustments on the defensive side of the ball.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- We just saw some vintage Tyler Hansbrough. With the ball on the baseline under the basket, he took a shot in traffic and missed. He got his own rebound and took another challenged shot. He missed again. But he got the rebound again and didn't miss on the third shot.

But the Monarchs still hold the lead with a 21-20 edge thanks to 3-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Another media timeout and Old Dominion has taken the lead over Carolina. Behind strong shooting and a 12-point effort from point guard Brandon Johnson, the Monarchs hold an 18-16 lead at the 11:38 mark of the first half. Both teams are red hot on offense and shooting better than 50 percent from the field, which was expected of UNC.

If ODU can keep up the pace, this could be an interesting game.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Ty Lawson has North Carolina out to an early lead over Old Dominion, but it's not by much. The Tar Heel point guard hit his first three shots to tally seven points and open up an 11-10 UNC lead at the first media timeout. ODU guard Brandon Johnson has one-upped Lawson with eight points of his own as the Monarchs look strong early on offense.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- No. 1 North Carolina takes the court hoping for a different outcome than sixth-ranked Louisville faced in the early game upset at the hands of BYU. The Tar Heels are starting a stretch of six straight games away from Chapel Hill that will surely test their mettle as the nation's top-ranked team.

One thing is for sure. They won't be looking bast the Monarchs tonight toward Louisville with BYU advancing to the championship round of the Las Vegas Invitational.

A "Let's Go Tar Heels" chant has filled the Orleans arena as Carolina and ODU are set to square off. I'll check back in with some game updates.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)