■ Capsule previews of Old Dominion and Norfolk State, along with a look around Conference USA and the MEAC,
Old Dominion men’s basketball at a glance
Last year: 26-9, 13-5 C-USA (1st) Coach: Jeff Jones (140-67 in 6 seasons at ODU, 497-354 in 27 seasons overall)
Opener: Tuesday at Northern Iowa, 8 p.m.
Strengths
Year in and year out under Jones, the Monarchs build a wall defensively, crash the offensive boards and take care of the ball — factors that keep them in most games and give them a higher floor than most C-USA teams. Though leading scorers B.J. Stith and Ahmad Caver have moved on, ODU is deep and talented on the wings, with juniors Xavier Green and Marquise Godwin and sophomores A.J. Oliver and Jason Wade. ODU could also have more scoring options inside, assuming junior Dajour Dickens and sophomore Kalu Ezikpe make strides from last year.
Weaknesses
Can the Monarchs score enough? That seems to be the question every year and is again this season. The 6-foot-5 Green, the MVP of the C-USA tourney, will get as many shots as he can handle. Other players will need to emerge, and while point guards Malik Curry and Jaylin Hunter won’t be relied on to score as much as Caver was, they’ll have to be threats as well.
Prediction
With a league-best 65 wins and four top-four finishes, ODU has been C-USA’s most consistent team over the past five years. Even with a young team, look for the Monarchs to be in the mix again, if not for the conference crown then certainly for another top four finish and first-round tournament bye.
Schedule
NOVEMBER
5: at Northern Iowa, 8 p.m.; 10: Saint Joseph’s, 2 p.m.; 13: Loyola (Md.) 7 p.m.; 16: at Northeastern, 1 p.m.; 25: Cayman Island Classic vs. George Mason, 5 p.m.; 26: Cayman Islands Classic vs. Washington State/Nebraska TBA; 27: Cayman Islands Classic TBD
DECEMBER
3: at William & Mary, 7 p.m.; 7: at VCU, 8 p.m.; 14: at Illinois, 6 p.m.; 18: Richmond, 7 p.m.; 22: MarylandEastern Shore, 2 p.m.
JANUARY
2: Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m.; 4: UAB, 7 p.m.; 11: at Charlotte, 4 p.m.; 16: at Western Kentucky, 8 p.m.; 18: at Marshall, 7 p.m.; 20: Charlotte, 4 p.m.; 23: Florida International, 7 p.m.; 25: Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m.; 30: at Southern Miss, 8 p.m.
FEBRUARY
1: at Louisiana Tech, 5 p.m.; 6: Texas-San Antonio, 7 p.m.; 8: Texas-El Paso, 7 p.m.; 13: at Rice, 8 p.m.; 15: at North Texas, 8 p.m.; 22: C-USA pool play TBA; 27: TBA
MARCH
1: TBA; 4: TBA; 7: TBA; 11-14: C-USA Tournament, Frisco, Tex.