PREVIEW: Cougs take on ODU (plus stream info and game thread)

The Washington State Cougars and Old Dominion Monarchs are both seeking their first win at the Cayman Islands Classic when they meet on Tuesday (2 pm PT). The Cougs are trying to snap a two-game losing skid, while ODU hopes to do the same.

WSU fell 82-71 to Nebraska in its Cayman Islands Classic opener. while George Mason defeated ODU by a score of 60-53.

The official WSU basketball twitter account has your streaming, radio, and stats information all put together in one tidy tweet:

The No. 139 Monarchs come in as slight favorite on KenPom.com over the No. 161 Washington State. The Cougars have struggled mightily in the second half, particularly defensively, over the last games.

If that happens against ODU, it might be time to sound a few alarms. The Monarchs are 275th in adjusted offensive efficiency, 289th in effective field goal percentage, 240th in free throw rate, and 290th in 2-point percentage. They do take care of the basketball reasonably well and are decent offensive rebounders, so WSU will need to be sure to squeeze those inevitable misses.

Old Dominion will provide a stiff challenge for WSU on the offensive end. The Monarchs rank 60th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They’ve been very good at forcing turnovers, particularly steals, and locking down the defensive glass. ODU’s one major weakness on defense is the 3-point line—they give up a lot of 3-point shots and they allow teams to hit at a high percentage.

Today might be a good day for CJ Elleby and Isaac Bonton and maybe a wildcard to go crazy from downtown. Otherwise, scoring is going to be difficult. This should be an ugly game, one that might not be worth the $30 price tag to stream it. Of course, if you’ve already paid that then you are good to go.