NSU Men's Basketball
NORFOLK, Va. - After two long trips and the holiday break, the Norfolk State men's basketball team will get back on the court in Norfolk, with a crosstown trek to Old Dominion on tap. The matchup on Tuesday evening between the only two Division I programs on the southside of Hampton Roads will begin at 7 p.m. at the Ted Constant Center.
Media Coverage
The game will be broadcast live on Star 1310 AM as well as Hot 91.1 FM with Ross Gordon and Aaron Clark on the call. Live audio is available through
www.star1310.com as well as
hot91.nsu.edu:8000/128. Both feeds are available on smartphones through the Star 1310 website or through
www.TuneIn.com or the TuneIn Radio App (search for "WNSB") for Hot 91.1.
Fans will also be able to follow the action with the
live stats and
live video available through the ODU website.
Series History
NSU and ODU have not met since the 2000-01 season, when the Monarchs won 69-62 on Jan. 25, 2001 at Scope Arena. The year before at Scope, the Spartans earned a 67-64 victory on Dec. 29, 1999. The Monarchs own an 11-6 all-time record against NSU in a series that began in 1965-66 and saw 15 of the 17 meetings take place between then and the 1981-82 campaign.
About Old Dominion
The Monarchs own a 6-6 record on the year but have won 30 straight at home, the fifth longest streak in the nation. All six wins have come at home, and all six losses have come away from the Ted Constant Center. On the year, Trey Freeman and Aaron Bacote lead the way in scoring with 16.2 and 14.8 points per game, respectively. Zoran Talley (8.9 points) and Brandan Stith (8.8 points, 7.0 rebounds) also contribute while shooting better than 52 percent from the floor each. The Monarchs only score 66 points per contest but also hold teams to less than 60. The opposition also shoots less than 38 percent overall and 29 percent from 3-point range, while ODU sinks just 29 percent from long range. The Monarchs do, however, turn the ball over just 10 times per game.
Last Time Out
UC Irvine used its size advantage to outscore NSU 28-16 in points in the paint and outrebound the Spartans 47-33 in an 80-62 victory over NSU last Tuesday in the championship game of the Sun Bowl Invitational. The Anteaters got 21 points, nine rebounds and five blocks from 7-foot-6 center Mamadou Ndiaye and 17 points from Luke Nelson. The Spartans countered with 24 points and six boards from
Jeff Short and 18 points from
Charles Oliver, the only two players to score more than six in the game. The Spartans connected on 16-of-58 (27.6 percent) for the game, the lowest shooting percentage since hitting 23.5 percent on Nov. 16, 2014 at Virginia. The Spartans connected on 22-of-28 from the free throw line.
Player Tidbits
Jeff Short
 • Reached the 1,000-point plateau (combined NSU and Fordham) with his 22-point outing at Evansville
 • Needs 128 points to reach 1,000 for his NSU career; Attempting to become 35th all-time 1,000-point scorer at NSU and the seventh to do so in two years (Ralph Tally, David Pope, James Grant, Damian Woolfolk, Corey Williams, Marcus Whitfield)
 • Averaging 21.3 points on 18-of-41 field goals and 8-of-20 3-pointers with 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists last 3 games
 • 31-of-36 from the free throw line the last 6 games
 • 20th career 20-point game and 50th 10-point game with 24 against UC Irvine
 • Ranks 2nd in the MEAC in scoring (17.2), 6th in free throw % (84.4), 9th in 3-point field goal % (40.4) and 13th in 3-point field goals (1.8); Sits 90th in the nation in free throw % (84.4) and 113th in points per game (17.2)
 • Stands 71st in NCAA D-I in career scoring average (12.9) and 131st in points (1,054)
 • Ranks 7th in NSU career records in 3-point field goal percentage (.397) and 15th in 3-point field goals (92) and 3-point field goal attempts (232)
D'Shon Taylor
 • 11-of-12 from the free throw line last 5 games played
 • Ranks 4th in the MEAC in 3-point field goal % (42.1), 7th in free throw % (83.0), 9th in field goal % (46.6) and 15th in rebounding (5.2); Also sits 119th in the nation in free throw % (83.0)
 • Ranks 10th in NSU career records in 3-point field goal % (.369), 19th in 3-point field goals (66) and 20th in 3-point field goal attempts (179)
Charles Oliver
 • Averaging 20.0 points and 3.0 rebounds last 2 games
 • 35-of-38 in free throws over last 8 games
 • 6th NSU player in D-I history to go perfect from the free throw line (minimum of 10) with 10-of-10 effort vs. UC Irvine
 • Named to all-tournament team at Sun Bowl Invitational
 • Ranks 5th in the MEAC in free throw % (84.5), 6th in 3-point field goal % (40.9) and 9th in 3-point field goals (2.1); Sits 86th in the nation in free throw % (84.5)
 • 3rd career 20-point game (all at NSU) with career high 22 at UTEP
Zaynah Robinson
 • 27-4 assist-turnover ratio last 10 games
 • Averaging 6.3 points on 6-of-13 field goals last 3 games
 • Ranks 7th in the MEAC in steals (1.4) and 3-point field goal % (40.6) and 11th in assists (2.9)
Jordan Butler
 • 4th 10+ rebound game of season, and 2nd straight, with 11 vs. UC Irvine
 • Ranks 3rd in the MEAC in blocks (2.2), 7th in defensive rebounds (4.5) and rebounds (6.8) and 11th in offensive rebounds (2.2); Also stands 40th in the nation in blocks (2.15)
 • Ranks 17th in NSU career records in blocks (64)
Preston Bungei
 • Ranks 15th in the MEAC in blocks (0.8)
 • 17-of-20 from the free throw line last 6 games
Good from the Line
NSU, which ranked 282nd in the nation last year in free throw percentage, has improved its mark from 65.9 to 78.4 percent this season, the latter of which stands sixth in the nation. The Spartans are attempting to hit better than 70 percent this year for the first time since the 2003-04 season. The school record stands at 72.3 set in 1968-69. NSU has now hit 111-of-130 (85.4 percent) over the last six games.
Magic Numbers
NSU has lost all seven games it has been outrebounded but is 5-1 in games in which it held the edge on the glass. And predictably, the Spartans have been outshot in all eight losses, and they have also been outshot from 3-point range in seven of their eight setbacks as well.
Good Shootin'
So far this year, Norfolk State is hitting 39.3 percent from beyond the arc with 94 total treys, a year after making 190 for the second-most ever in a season in program history. The Spartans are also shooting close to the same from 3-point range compared to inside the arc (41.6 percent, 202-of-485). NSU's current 39.3 clip from long range ranks 31st in the nation. The Spartans also have four players ranked in the top 9 in the MEAC in 3-point field goal percentage and all are shooting better than 40 percent.
Better in the 2nd
NSU has scored more points in the second half than the first in 11 of 13 games this season. On the year, the Spartans are are shooting 42.5 percent overall in the second half and 39.3 percent in the first half, including 43.7 from 3-point range in the second but 34.5 in the first. The Spartans are thus averaging 39.2 points after halftime but just 31.7 before the intermission. The Spartans also have a -1.6 rebound margin in the first half and a +1.8 margin in the second half.
Limit Those Giveaways
The Spartans on the season are averaging 13.4 turnovers per contest. The school record for fewest giveaways per game is 13.1 set in 1987-88.
Winning the State
Since the start of the 2011-12 season, NSU has the third-most wins (91) among the 14 Division I schools in the state of Virginia. The Spartans trail Virginia (115) and VCU (115).
