Hesitate to say this is a must-win game when our fortunes will ultimately come down to Cleveland, but with our schedule so weak it’ll go a long way to setting up 2025-26 with some legitimacy.
They also added Ketron Shaw from MD-Eastern Shore who we played last year. He averaged 18 ppg last year. They have a really nice portal class. Given the overall weakness of our schedule this will be one of our tougher non conference games. ODU has some dudes.
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I just hope we aren’t looking ahead to the match with the titans from Trinity Christian! 
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Good that we are playing ODU early before the Monarchs can put all their pieces together from the portal. They lured some talented dudes to Norfolk and will ultimately contend in Sun Belt play. Very athletic bunch. Coach is in his second year, and I’m still not totally sold on him. ODU is no longer the defensive force they once were under former coach Jeff Jones.
ODU got a head start on the season in August playing and winning 3 games in Costa Rica, but lost an exhibition at home a week ago today to Hampton 82-79. Davis and their Georgetown transfer McKenna both sat out with injuries, but will likely play tomorrow. The Monarchs were led in scoring by LJ Thomas with 22 and Shaw with 17.
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Elmer is going to shut Davis down!
Flag from the alumni association came in the nick of time for tomorrow’s basketball and Tuesday’s football:
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That’s a sweet flag
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It was one of the gift options for giving above a certain level for this year’s Move In Miami, along with the usual puzzle. East Quad also got a t-shirt from leading the donation totals.
We got the same one. Already have one Miami flag in the backyard
The entire nonconference schedule is easy this year, but the early schedule outside of the ODU game is super easy even by the standards of that schedule. If we can get through ODU, we should be massive favorites in every game up until the pre-Thanksgiving UNCG game. That would put us into at least the last 20 or so undefeated teams in the country, which would be huge for generating buzz.
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This is Christmas eve, and not just normal every year Christmas eve, but that box looks like an N64 Christmas eve.
Have not been this excited for a Miami season to kick off ever. Still have the bad taste of Cleveland in my mouth from last year that post title game Marble Room didn’t even help with.
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Don’t forget women’s game starts an hour before the men so you can at least watch the women for an hour. That’s what I’m going to do so see both. Then Tuesday night we destroy OU in the battle of the bricks beating up hicks!
You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning and you can’t win ‘em all if you don’t win the first one.
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Apparently ODU doesn’t believe in game notes. So here is their preview of the game:
And here is ODU’s roster:
ODU has some dudes. The transfer from MD-Eastern Shore scored 27 against us last year. I’d think we’re in for a battle tonight. Good litmus test to start things off!
Strong defense and rebounding are going to be key.
Trolling around on ODU message boards. Here is one fan’s take on their exhibition game loss to Hampton. Bear in mind, two of their players, including their best, didn’t play:
“This is my take. Offensively, this team should be a lot better than last year, and, I think, are a lot better than they were yesterday. Adding Davis, getting comfortable, having Battle not be in foul trouble and on the bench for most of the game will obviously make a big difference, but I don’t see how any of those things make this team rebound and defend better.
Here is my full takeaway from the game.
- If we are at full strength, we likely win by about 10 points.
- Turner is a tough hard nose player that adds some attitude and energy when he is on the floor. He needs to play a lot, but also needs to be smarter at times.
- LJ Thomas can get to the rim like nobody that we had on last year’s team. When this team gels, I hope it will enable him to create more opportunities for others.
- Hubbard needs more minutes. Dude can shoot and is sneaky good defending and rebounding around the basket.
- We were at our best when Hubbard and Turner were on the court together.
- Shaw can create shots, but takes some bad ones too. He does a great job of getting to the line, but he was 5-12. If he makes 60%, we win.
- Wiggins is a super solid freshman.
- Don’t have any comment on Battle because he didn’t play a ton and was never on the floor long enough to get into a rhythm due to foul trouble.
- CSR still can’t catch the ball in traffic, can’t score unless he is all alone, can’t rebound and doesn’t effectively protect the rim
- Walker was in the game a lot, but didn’t do a lot. He doesn’t do anything bad, but he doesn’t do anything good either. He is just kind of there.
- Raymond can add a little spark offensively when the team is able to get the tempo up, but can’t rebound, can’t protect the rim and only played one rotation.
- CSR sat for about the last 10? minutes of the game and the team played with Thomas, Wiggins, Hubbard, Turner and Shaw for most of that stretch. It was the best stretch of the game for ODU.
- The team was not good offensively in the half court. They need to run to be really good… that is a problem when you can’t get stops and can’t get rebounds.
- Defensively they were pretty bad all around
- Rebounding was bad except in the final few minutes and that took extraordinary effort from smaller players attacking the boards.
Overall, I think this team should be better than last year’s team, but the failure to address the frontcourt will keep them from competing for a SBC championship.”
=>We’re gonna win!!!
