One intra-city battle and a visit from one of the nation’s top teams highlight Friday’s schedule, so without further blather let’s get right to the matchups:
Norfolk State (0-1) at Old Dominion (1-0), 6:30 p.m.
ODU coach Nikki McCray has already done her part to drum up “Battle of the 757” support:
Hey Monarch Nation we need a sellout this Friday at 630pm at the @ConstantCenter for our home opener vs Norfolk State. We need you to create a homecout advantage. @ODUWBB #RootedTogether
— Nikki Mccray (@NikkiMccray15) November 7, 2018
McCray’s players delivered an even better sales pitch on Tuesday by tearing through Campbell 83-59 in their season opener in Buies Creek, N.C. Freshman Ajah Wayne introduced herself to the collegiate game with 22 points (on 8-of-14 shooting) while sophomore Victoria Morris (13 points), freshman Aziah Hudson (12) and freshman Amari Young (11) all contributed double-figure scoring for the high-speed Lady Monarchs, who racked up 29 points off turnovers. But the stat that really caught our eye – ODU ran the Camels off their own floor while committing just nine turnovers. No one should expect such a young team to keep its mistake count in single digits every night. But if the Lady Monarchs can continue playing with pace while taking care of the ball anywhere close to this well, these guys will cause lots of problems.
Now, Norfolk State isn’t likely to be overly impressed by a big win at Campbell – a year ago, many of these same Spartans also trounced the Camels in that same building 51-27. Unlike ODU, though, the Spartans sabotaged themselves with turnovers and poor shooting in their opener, coughing the ball up 24 times and shooting 26.5 percent in Tuesday’s 60-42 loss at Ole Miss. Unfortunately for the Spartans, these are familiar issues. Last season, the Spartans ranked among Division I’s bottom 30 teams in turnovers per game. And Tuesday’s shooting percentage was eerily similar to the 27.6 percent figure they posted in their season-ending 51-48 loss to 13th-seeded Savannah State in the first round of the 2018 MEAC Tournament. Norfolk State’s defense – third nationally in field goal percentage allowed last season – will keep it in games against most teams, but if the errors and missed shots keep coming, the Spartans will struggle to seal deals. Edge: Old Dominion
No. 6 Mississippi State (1-0) at Virginia (0-0), 7 p.m.
Season openers don’t come much tougher than what the Cavaliers face here. The NCAA tournament runner-up Bulldogs have won 37 straight regular season non-conference games. Unlike Virginia, they already have a game under their belts, Tuesday’s 88-53 victory over Southeast Missouri. They are led by arguably the nation’s best center in 6-7 Teaira McCowan, the preseason SEC Player of the Year who went for 24 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocks in Tuesday’s opener. And on Wednesday, they learned that the NCAA has granted the waiver request of UConn transfer Andra Espinoza-Hunter, making the 5-11 guard eligible to play right away. For Virginia, it’ll be interesting to see if 6-9 center Felicia Aeyiotan can at least hold her own in the matchup with McCowan. By the way, Aeyiotan and Espinoza-Hunter were high school teammates for one season at Blair Academy (N.J.). Also, there’s been a lot of positive buzz this offseason about Cavaliers guard Amandine Toi, a native of France who appears poised to inject speed, athleticism and pizzazz to an attack that could really benefit from all of the above. Finally, with a big-time opponent on hand to face a Cavaliers team coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010 that’s being led by newly-minted Hall of Famer Tina Thompson, here’s hoping Cavaliers fans pack John Paul Jones Arena. Edge: Mississippi State
Longwood (0-0) at VCU (1-0), 11 a.m.
Led by Sydnei Archie’s 15 points (on 7-of-7 shooting), the Rams got the season off to a strong start with Tuesday’s 72-55 win at William and Mary. The Lancers will be trying to reverse years of road futility in their debut under new coach Rebecca Tillett. Longwood has won just five road games in the previous four seasons combined. Edge: VCU
Fairfield (0-0) at Richmond (0-1), 2 p.m.
Although the Spiders fell by 20 against Georgetown on Tuesday, they actually outscored the Hoyas 37-32 in the second half so maybe something clicked in. The Spiders prevailed 72-67 when these teams met in Bridgeport, Conn. last season, but with Richmond featuring six freshmen and nine newcomers, we’re not sure much of that game translates to today’s matchup. Edge: Richmond
George Mason (1-0) at Air Force (1-0), 2 p.m.
We figured it might take a while for the Patriots to adjust to life without all-everything center Natalie Butler. But with a trio of sophomores leading the way, Mason’s post-Butler era got off to a rip-roaring start as the Patriots rolled past Loyola (Md.) by 32 points Tuesday. Nicole Cardano-Hillary went for 26 points, Marika Korpinen added 13 and Camarie Gatling chipped in 11 as the Pats throttled a team they beat by just eight last season even with Butler going for 20 and 12. Edge: George Mason
Liberty (0-0) at Bethune-Cookman (1-0), 7 p.m.
Matchup of 2017-18 conference champions as Liberty swept the Big South regular season and tournament titles while Bethune-Cookman emerged as the MEAC regular-season co-champion along with North Carolina State. Game marks Liberty’s debut as a member of the Atlantic Sun. The Wildcats cruised to a 73-46 victory in their opener Wednesday against Edward Waters, an NAIA program. Edge: Liberty