And now for a step up in weight class.
No, Old Dominion isn't the powerhouse it used to be in the late 90's (or even the constant CAA champion that they were throughout the 90's and 2000's) but they're still a decent team that knocked off Virginia and pushed Tennessee and the Terps to the limit last season. They won 17 games last year and went 11-7 in a CAA that was pretty good for a mid major league. If nothing else, they're not N.C. Central and New Hampshire. They know what they're doing and if Maryland plays poorly, they could actually get burned and upset tonight.
With that said, however, this is another game the Terps should win. Not only did ODU lose its first game, it lost it at home and it lost it spectacularly. Okay, let's be fair, they lost to Stanford, who's # 2 in the country and probably the best team in the country not named "Connecticut" by a fair margin...but still, the Lady Monarchs got ROCKED. 89-56 and it was 53-23 at the half after a 29-4 run to start the game for the Cardinal. And this was in ODU's house, where they've only lost 16 times in 108 games since their building opened in 2002.
Furthermore, the Lady Monarchs will likely be without star senior forward Jessica Canaday tonight. She re-aggravated a right knee injury and left the Stanford game with 7 minutes to go, limping off the court. If she does play tonight, it will likely be in a very limited role. That's definitely advantage Maryland, especially considering that's 12.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, both team highs, that need to be replaced if she can't go. She was second team all CAA last season and was tipped to be preseason first team All CAA this season so she's a big loss for the Lady Monarchs. She was second in the conference in rebounding last season as well, despite missing 6 games, so for an ODU team that got outrebounded 52-38 against Stanford, she's a loss they cannot afford, especially on the boards against a Maryland team that brings a ton of height to the table.
ODU has three players to watch. They have a nice backcourt tandem in Jasmine Parker and Shadasia Green who combined to average almost 20 points per game last season. Parker was the leading scorer against Stanford with 16 points. Green had 11 points and grabbed 7 rebounds after averaging 6 rebounds per game last season so she's a rebounding threat but may not be as much of one tonight against Maryland's size. The third player to watch is center Tia Lewis, a transfer from Central Florida, who was the Conference USA freshman of the year a couple of years ago. She had 15 points and 9 rebounds, 8 of them offensive, against Stanford.
Maryland should handle their business tonight but it could be a real struggle if they play like they did in the first half against New Hampshire. I think there will be rough patches but in the end, Lewis will be handled by Kizer and while the ODU backcourt might be the better backcourt in this game, Taylor and Bjork should at least hold their own and the difference makers could be Tchatchouang and Hawkins at the 3. I'm not sure who the Monarchs have to counter them.
This should be a good game that is a decent "measuring stick" for the Terps. If they really roll, that's a great sign. If they struggle and get the win fairly comfortably, that could be good as well. But if they lose or cut it too close, it could be a sign that there's a long way to go to get where they want to be.
PREDICTION - Maryland 74, Old Dominion 62
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