Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell, Old Dominion Meet Saturday in BracketBusters
2/22/2008 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2008
WHAT: Bucknell (11-15, 6-6 PL) vs. Old Dominion (15-13, 10-6 CAA)
WHERE: Constant Convocation Center, Norfolk, Va.
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008, 7 p.m.
TV: None
RADIO: Eagle 107 and SportsJuice.com
LIVE VIDEO: Patriot League All-Access
COMPLETE PRESS NOTES
Probable Starters
Bucknell:
G, 11 John Griffin, Sr., 13.5 ppg
G, 10, Justin Castleberry, Jr., 11.7 ppg
G, 13 Darryl Shazier, Fr., 3.0 ppg
F, 15 Stephen Tyree, So., 7.3 ppg
C, 1 Darren Mastropaolo, Sr., 7.2 ppg
Old Dominion:
G, 3 Darius James, Fr., 7.1 ppg
G, 20 Brian Henderson, Sr., 9.0 ppg
F, 2 Ben Finney, Fr., 6.8 ppg
F, 21 Frank Hassell, Fr., 4.8 ppg
C, 12 Gerald Lee, So., 13.0 ppg
With a Victory over Old Dominion, Bucknell Would ...
-- ... win its second game in a row and improve to 12-15 overall.
-- ... improve to 2-1 all-time in BracketBusters games.
-- ... improve to 2-1 this season against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association.
-- ... improve to 4-8 on the road this season.
About the Game
Bucknell finishes the 2007-08 regular season with three straight road games, beginning Saturday night against Old Dominion in an O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters matchup. These two teams have met only once before, in 1979, so it will be two unfamiliar foes doing battle at the Constant Convocation Center. The Bison picked up a much-needed victory on Wednesday, when they snapped a three-game losing streak by rallying for a 77-75 overtime decision over Lafayette. It was also a critical win in terms of postseason positioning, as Bucknell moved from a tie for fifth place up to sole possession of third in the Patriot League standings. Senior John Griffin continues to pace the Bison in the scoring department at 13.5 ppg, while sophomore Stephen Tyree continues to do a little bit of everything. With 12 points against Lafayette, including the game-winning shot with 2.9 seconds left, he has now reached double figures in five straight games. Tyree also had a career-high seven assists against the Leopards, and he is Bucknell's top rebounder at 5.0 per game. Meanwhile, Old Dominion has gotten red hot in recent weeks. The Monarchs have won four in a row and six of their last eight to improve to 15-13 overall and 10-6 in the CAA. Old Dominion has an impressive non-league win over Virginia Tech to its credit, and most recently the Monarchs pasted James Madison 72-52 on the road on Wednesday night. Gerald Lee, a 6'10" sophomore forward, leads ODU in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (5.8).
How to Get the Game
The Bucknell-Old Dominion game will not be televised, however live video can be purchased through the Patriot League All-Access package. The game can be heard locally on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM), with Doug Birdsong and Doug Byerly on the call. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tip-off. The audio feed is available free of charge via BucknellBison.com and SportsJuice.com.
Similar Stories
Old Dominion's last four seasons closely resemble Bucknell's. Just like the Bison, the Monarchs eclipsed the 20-win mark in each of the last three campaigns and made two NCAA Tournament trips, but now they are trying to rebound from a significant graduation hit. In 2004-05, Old Dominion went 28-6, won the CAA and lost to Michigan State 89-81 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2005-06 the Monarchs finished 24-10 after losing to Michigan at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals of the NIT. Last season, Old Dominion posted a 24-9 record and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament based in large part on impressive non-league wins over Georgetown and Alabama-Birmingham. The Monarchs lost to Butler, 57-46, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Buffalo, N.Y. After graduating its top three scorers from last year's team, Old Dominion now starts three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior.
The Woollum Connection
Legendary Bucknell basketball coach Charlie Woollum was an assistant coach under Sonny Allen at Old Dominion from 1972-75. In Woollum's three years there, ODU advanced to the NCAA regional finals twice and won the NCAA Division II championship in 1975. Following that season, he was hired as head coach at Bucknell, where he went on to win 318 games in 19 seasons, making him the program's all-time winningest coach. After Woollum left Old Dominion for Bucknell, the very first recruit he signed was a point guard from Pottsville, Pa., named Pat Flannery.
Bucknell in BracketBusters
This will be Bucknell's third appearance in the BracketBusters showcase, and the second in a row against a CAA program. Last season, the Bison defeated Towson 73-63 at Sojka Pavilion. In their BracketBusters debut in 2006, the Bison fell in a 65-61 double-overtime thriller at Northern Iowa on ESPN2.
The Only Other Bucknell-Old Dominion Meeting
Bucknell and Old Dominion have met just once previously, that coming on Jan. 5, 1979 in the first round of the Kiwanis-Old Dominion Classic at The Scope in Norfolk. The Monarchs prevailed in that one 88-76 behind 25 points from Ronnie McAdoo and 24 from Ronnie Valentine. The Bison were led by Steve Sigl's 20 points. Current head coach Pat Flannery was a junior on that team, and he finished with nine points and six assists in 38 minutes.
Homecoming for Shazier
The trip to Old Dominion will be a homecoming for Bucknell freshman point guard Darryl Shazier, who hails from nearby Newport News, Va., and starred at Menchville High School. Shazier was a three-year captain at Menchville and was named Peninsula District Player of the Year. A second-team all-state pick, he helped the team reach the regional semifinals in 2007. As a junior he led the district in scoring at 22 points per game.
Bucknell vs. The CAA
Bucknell is 104-74 against current members of the Colonial Athletic Association, with most of those games coming against former East Coast Conference rivals Delaware (51-33), Hofstra (19-10), Towson (17-8) and Drexel (14-15). The Bison are also 3-6 against George Mason, 0-1 against Old Dominion and 0-1 vs. James Madison. Bucknell is 1-1 against the CAA this season, with a 71-57 win at Towson on Nov. 14 and a 65-53 loss at Drexel on Dec. 22.
Last Time Out
Bucknell won a wild one on Wednesday night in the final regular-season home game at Sojka Pavilion, 77-75 in overtime over Lafayette. Darryl Shazier hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in regulation, and Stephen Tyree won it with a driving layup with 2.9 seconds left in overtime. The Bison played a terrific first half and led 33-21 at the break, but Lafayette stormed back to take a six-point lead in the second half. Bucknell still trailed by five in the final minute before staging a late rally of its own. For a complete recap and boxscore, please see Page 38.
Inside the Lafayette Boxscore
-- Bucknell had five double-digit scorers for the first time since Nov. 14, 2006, when it placed six players in double figures in an overtime loss to Wake Forest.
-- Patrick Behan enjoyed his most productive game in several weeks, finishing with 16 points, including five big ones in overtime. Behan started the team's first 11 games of the season, but his minutes had been on the decline recently. The 16 points were his most since scoring 18 against La Salle on Dec. 3, and it was more points than he had in his previous eight games combined.
-- Stephen Tyree had another strong all-around game. In addition to his 12 points and the winning layup, which came after he was isolated with the ball at the top of the key, Tyree also passed out a career-high seven assists, six coming in the first half alone. Tyree now has 19 assists in his last three games, and he ranks second in the Patriot League in assists in league play.
-- For the second time in two weeks, Darryl Shazier sent a game to overtime with a tying 3-pointer late in regulation. The first one came on Feb. 6 at Colgate, when he hit a buzzer-beater from the left corner in game the Bison eventually won 91-85 in OT. On Wednesday, he tied the game at 67 with a trey from the left wing with 0:13 left. Those were his only points of the game. Shazier also had two halftime buzzer-beaters early in the season.
-- The center trio of senior Darren Mastropaolo, junior Josh Linthicum and freshman Todd O'Brien combined to score 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the floor and 6-for-6 shooting from the line. Bucknell outscored Lafayette 28-14 in the paint. Mastropaolo led the team with five rebounds, including a huge offensive rebound on a missed free throw that led to a basket in the last minute of regulation.
-- John Griffin had a solid game on Senior Night, finishing with 13 points, four assists and four steals. He also had only one turnover in 38 minutes and hit two clutch, tying free throws with 52 seconds left in overtime.
-- Justin Castleberry had a career-high five steals, the most by a Bucknell player since Abe Badmus had five against Army on March 3, 2006. Castleberry also hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 10 points.
-- Senior Rob Thomas, who had started the previous seven games, missed the Lafayette game with a foot injury. He injured his arch in the previous game against Holy Cross.
-- Bucknell held Lafayette to only six first-half field goals in 19 attempts (1-8 3FG), but the Leopards went 8-for-18 from the 3-point arc in a 46-point second half.
-- The Bison improved to 7-0 all-time against Lafayette at Sojka Pavilion.
Numbers to Watch
Some relevent stats involving Bucknell and Old Dominion:
-- Bucknell will need a strong performance from its frontcourt, as ODU is a good rebounding and shot-blocking team. The Monarchs average 37.4 rebounds per game (+2.8), with five players averaging better than four rebounds per night. ODU averages 5.2 blocked shots per night. Sam Harris has 35 blocks, and four others have 13 or more. Bucknell has outrebounded six of its last nine opponents despite starting a small lineup.
-- The Bison will have to take good care of the basketball on the road on Saturday against an Old Dominion team that averages 7.6 steals per game and has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Bucknell has been inconsistent in the turnover column since starting league play. The Bison have had three games with 10 or fewer turnovers, but also three with 19 or more.
-- These two teams have faced two common opponents this season. Both teams won at Towson by almost identical scores (Bucknell 71- 57 on Nov. 14; ODU 71-59 on Jan. 9). Bucknell lost at Drexel 65-53 on Dec. 22, while ODU defeated Drexel at home 75-71 in double overtime on Feb. 14.
Who's Got Next?
Bucknell dives back into Patriot League play with just one week remaining in the regular season. The Bison travel to Lehigh on Wednesday, then to Army on Saturday. Bucknell will be looking to avenge home losses to both teams.
