UCF at Old Dominion
Tip off: 7 PM EST, Friday, Dec 14
Spread: UCF -6
Betting Odds from Bovada
The UCF Knights have jumped out to a 5-2 start this season due to some impressive shooting. UCF is shooting 52 percent from the floor as a team so far this season and they have five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Keith Clanton’s 17.4 per game.
Clanton, a 6’9″ senior big man, also leads the team in rebounding with 10-plus rebounds per game. Clanton has increased his scoring average each season at UCF, and is seeing 36 minutes a game this season.
Clanton’s big body makes the Knights a formidable team on both ends of the court, and Clanton also blocks 1.7 shots per game and averages almost a steal per night, too, while staying out of foul trouble (2.1 fouls per game).
Point guard Isaiah Sykes has been impressive, too. Sykes, a 6’5″ combo guard from Detroit, is posting a well-rounded line of 15.7 points per game, six rebounds, and 4.7 assists per night. He’s playing passing lanes well, too, coming up with 1.3 steals per night. He had a good 2011-12, but has seen a slight up-tick in minutes a big up-tick in efficiency.
Sykes is hitting 58.7 percent from the floor and staying away from threes this season after hitting just 28.6 percent from behind the arc his sophomore season. His attempts from three have been cut in half, while he’s hitting the ones he does take at a 50 percent clip.
Old Dominion has been a disaster this season and they’ve won just one of their nine games. They rank near the bottom of all major statistical categories (except rebounding, 36th in the nation with 40.1 per game).
Their lone win of the season came against Morgan State, which isn’t saying much, since they’ve lost to mostly mediocre opponents, too. As losers of their last seven games, it’s unlikely they get it going against a much better UCF squad tonight.
The Monarchs have only one player averaging double figures. NC State transfer Deshawn Painter is that man, with 10.2 points per game. Painter is also grabbing 7.7 rebounds per game, but he’s shooting just 40.2 percent from the floor. It’s a very dim silver lining in a very black cloud for the Monarchs, who aren’t expected to do much this season, anyway.
Old Dominion lost their top three scorers from last season and they are going to end their seven season consecutive streak of 20-plus wins. The only thing that has remained from last season’s dominance is the rebounding, as they averaged 40-plus rebounds last year in their 22-14 season.
Perhaps the worst part of all is that even if they were any good this year, they still wouldn’t be able to qualify for the Colonial League title because of their move to Conference USA which will happen next season. Conference USA is losing UCF, who just happens to be their (superior) opponent tonight.
