#21 Frank "The Tank" Hassell
For the early games, Jimmy the Greek likes Old Dominion -2.5.
For one reason or another, I've watched more Old Dominion basketball this year than I would like to admit. Every time I watched them, I fully expected them to crack the Top 25 the following week but never did and to pour salt on the wounds, the Monarchs ended up with a #9 seed next to their name come tournament time. To make my case for this game and for their run through the tournament, look no farther than the center piece of this team, Frank "The Tank" Hassell. The Tank helps the Monarchs dominate the boards, who lead all of the NCAA in rebounding margin with a +12.2 advantage. Leading Old Dominion from the outside is Kent Bazemore, a 6'5 swing man that can get to the hoop along with letting it fly from the outside. Their opponent, the Butler Bulldogs, have had a decent season coming off of their run through the tournament last season but they couldn't of asked for a tougher draw in the first round. The problem with the Bulldogs is they are undersized, specially beyond Matt Howard, who has been known to get in foul trouble through out his career. As a team, Butler is only #70 in the NCAA when it comes to rebounding with only a +3.4 rebounding margin. In the end I expect the Monarchs to have to much size inside and dominate the boards which is how they wore on their opponents through out the season.
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