Arizona and Old Dominion will play for the second time on Saturday in a McKale Center matinee. The Wildcats beat the Monarchs 88-74 in their only meeting in 1975 in a game that was also played at the McKale Center. Old Dominion lost 83-82 in its season opener to Buffalo.
Arizona won its season opener 93-64 over Canisius which is in Buffalo. Caleb Love scored 17, Jaden Bradley had 15 and K.J. Lewis 14 as the guards did most of the scoring for Arizona versus Canisius. Old Dominion lost a heartbreaker as Buffalo hit a three-point shot with 1.3 seconds remaining for the game-winning points.
Old Dominion had four players in double figures in their season opener. The players to watch for the Monarchs are Robert Davis Jr. who scored 25 points versus Buffalo and Stephaun Walker who had 14 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. Old Dominion has a relatively short bench with seven players primarily playing versus Buffalo.
Arizona is expected to have a deeper bench in 2024-25. All 15 players played for Arizona versus Canisius. Expect Tommy Lloyd to play eight to 10 players throughout the season. Lloyd should be able to go deep into his bench versus Old Dominion. Expect Trey Townsend to have a redemptive game after scoring two points versus Canisius.
Saturday Matinee 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/0RUT1h8Llw
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) November 8, 2024
How to watch Old Dominion at Arizona
Old Dominion at Arizona will air at 2 PM Mountain Standard Time on ESPN Plus.
Old Dominion at Arizona odds
FanDuel lists Arizona as a 28.5-point favorite versus Old Dominion. Laying the points with Arizona is minus 118 and taking the points and Old Dominion is minus 104. Old Dominion is plus 4000 on the Moneyline and Arizona is minus 30,000. The over/under is 159.5.
Old Dominion at Arizona predictions
As the odds indicate this is a game Arizona should win easily. Old Dominion was 7-25 overall and 3-15 in the Sun Belt Conference in 2023-24. Monarch alum Mike Jones replaced former head coach Jeff Jones who officially retired after the season. A lot of the ODU roster is new in 2024-25
Arizona should be able to win easily. Arizona is sixth and Old Dominion is 240th in the ESPN Basketball Power Index. The BPI projects Arizona with a 98.6 percent chance to win. Arizona should win close to the score. Whether or not Arizona covers will likely depend on how early Lloyd empties his bench.
The Moneyline is worthless on Saturday. Both teams exceeded the over and could be the best bet on Saturday. Arizona is off until Friday when they play at Wisconsin. Wisconsin won its home opener versus Holy Cross 85-61 on Monday and hosts Appalachian State on Monday.