Old Dominion (6-1) is 4-0 against top-50 RPI teams, and is the only team in the country with five top-100 RPI wins. Are the Monarchs worthy of a top-25 ranking?
Before the season started, conference coaches selected Old Dominion to finish fourth in Conference USA. We’re now a month into the college hoops season, and it appears the Monarchs were terribly underestimated.
Old Dominion is off to a hot 6-1 start, collecting wins against three Atlantic-10 teams — Richmond, VCU and George Mason — as well as LSU. The Monarchs are the only team in the nation with five top-100 RPI wins, and are a perfect 4-0 against top-50 RPI teams.
They’ve built an impressive tournament resume, and conference play hasn’t even started yet.
Old Dominion received votes in this week’s coaches’ and AP polls, and are quickly moving up the HoopsHabit Mid-Major Power Rankings. If the Monarchs continue winning, they will likely crack the top 25 in the near future. But do they deserve to be recognized among college basketball’s best teams?
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The answer is yes.
Why? Because as good as the Monarchs have been so far this season, they haven’t peaked. The team has two key players — Aaron Bacote and Trey Freeman — who can still take their games to another level. If they do so, Old Dominion will establish itself as one of the nation’s premier mid-majors.
Junior guard Aaron Bacote was a preseason all-conference selection, and led the Monarchs in scoring last year. He has struggled for the most part this season, but it’s only a matter of time before he fully turns it around and puts his early-season offensive struggles behind him.
So far this season, his scoring average has dipped to 9.1 points per contest (down from 15.5 a season ago), while attempting almost six fewer shots per game. In one four-game stretch, Bacote shot 1 of 16 from the floor, and scored a combined 10 points.
But in Old Dominion’s victory against VCU, Bacote showed signs of turning the corner and finding his shooting stroke that has been missing. He showed tremendous offensive efficiency, scoring 31 points while taking only eight shots. He made every shot, including four three-pointers, and hit 11-of-13 free throws.
Now, imagine if he attempted 12-15 shots per game with 50 percent of that efficiency, and it’s easy to see how the Monarchs can improve.
If Bacote can break out of his shooting slump and return to his old self, the Monarchs will become even more dangerous. For the rest of C-USA, that must be a scary thought.
During Bacote’s offensive struggles this season, the Monarchs were led by Campbell transfer Trey Freeman. Freeman came to Old Dominion after averaging 14.3 ppg and 5.8 assists per game two seasons ago as a sophomore at Campbell.
This season, he’s gave the Monarchs another primary scoring option and added a different dynamic to the offense.
Freeman is leading the team in scoring (18.4 ppg), while also contributing 3.1 apg. He’s not scored less than 15 points in a game. He’s supplied the Monarch offense with the boost it’s needed.
But as good as Freeman has been, it is likely he will get even better as the season progresses. That’s because Freeman is only seven games removed from sitting out a year due to transfer rules. Even though he practiced with the squad last season, he is still getting used to playing in real-game situations.
Freeman’s impact as a facilitator on offense should grow as he becomes more comfortable playing with his new teammates. Looking at his numbers at Campbell will back up this theory. His assists are down so far this season, but that is because he is still learning how to play with a new team.
Once he becomes better acclimated with his teammates, his assists should increase. This will help the Monarch offense be more efficient, and should open up Bacote for easier shots.
The offensive onslaught put on by the Monarchs in their win against VCU displayed the potential this team has. The team won’t be that efficient every night, but it has the ability to have one of the best offenses in C-USA.
On Dec. 17, the Monarchs have another resume-building game against Georgia State. The Panthers, led by Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year R.J. Hunter, are one of the best mid-major teams this season and are an offensive juggernaut. The game will be a good measuring stick to see how good Old Dominion’s offense truly is.
If Bacote and Freeman continue to improve over the course of the next few games, the Monarchs should pick up another good win against the Panthers and be in a good position headed into conference play. Perhaps more importantly, they will have established themselves as top-25 team.
I believe Old Dominion should be ranked. So far this season, their body of work compares favorable with other ranked teams such as Miami and Illinois. However, the remaining nonconference slate will be crucial for the Monarchs.
The team can’t afford any slip-ups, because one loss can completely wipe away everything it has worked so hard to achieve. How the team responds to the pressure of winning will show how good the Monarchs really are.
And so is the life of the mid-major, trying to earn respect. Nobody notices your wins, and everyone sees your losses. Each game is a matter of life or death and can decide whether or not you make the field of 68 when Selection Sunday rolls around. It’s a lot of pressure for teams not used to the limelight.
Luckily, I think the Monarchs are up for the challenge.