Division I basketball in tempo (64.1 possessions vs. Louisvi

Arriving on Paradise Island in the Bahamas as the favorite to win the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis, No. 10 Louisville got instructions from its coach. Dont take Old Dominion lightly.The Cardinals will face Old Dominion in the first game of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. ET.The Monarchs (2-0) have drawn Louisville coach Rick Pitinos praise for their ability to play slow, methodical offense, rebound effectively and play stiff defense. For a 3-0 Louisville team wanting to run and press, Old Dominion could be a significant test.This is, for us, an opportunity to see what we are, Pitino said. Its been very difficult to tell because we have played three good games. Im anxious to see how we play in this tournament.The Cardinals started the season with a 78-47 win over a short-handed Evansville team before beating William & Mary 91-58. An 88-56 win over Long Beach State last Thursday was supposed to provide more of a test, but an early Louisville run put the game out of reach with less than 10 minutes off the clock.As for Old Dominion, coach Jeff Jones team beat James Madison 62-55 and Richmond 64-61 to start the season. They Monarchs are currently ranked 350th in Division I basketball in tempo (64.1 possessions vs. Louisvilles 71.0).ODU was 25-13 last season and reached the Conference USA Championship game. It returned three starters and four of the top seven scorers from last season.It has been a positive for us in terms of preparation when you consider all the different problems Louisville presents, Jones said. Our guys know it is a big challenge, but they also recognize it is a big opportunity for our team.For Old Dominion, Wednesdays game represents its only scheduled shot at a Power 5 opponent this season. The Monarchs could play two or three Power 5 teams during their trip to the Bahamas.For a mid-major program, this is about the only opportunity we get to play against a team like Louisville and teams like (Baylor and Michigan State) that is not on their home floor, Jones said. We want to test ourselves.Louisville last visited the Battle 4 Atlantis during the 2012 season. The Cardinals won the 2013 NCAA title. Cheap Old Skool Ireland Fast Shipping . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Cheap Vans Shoes Ireland . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. http://www.oldskooloutletireland.com/ . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Cheap Old Skool Ireland . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Wholesale Shoes Ireland . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. BAYAMON, Puerto Rico. - Alabama volleyball opened its weekend at the Puerto Rico Clasico with a tough five-set win over Virginia Tech Thursday night.Alabama (4-1) and Virginia Tech (3-1) traded set victories throughout the match, sending both teams to a fifth set. The Tide led by as much as four points late in the fifth before the Hokies fought back within one late. Back-to-back kills by Kat Hutson and Krystal Rivers ended the set, 15-12, and gave Alabama the close win. Rivers accounted for 22 of the teams 56 kills, hitting .326 along with 14 digs, good for her second double-double of the season. Brittany Thomas and Natalie Murison tallied 13 digs each, with Thomas hitting .333 with nine kills.Virginia Tech took an early two-run lead in the first set and eventually pulled ahead by five points at the halfway mark, leading 12-7 as Alabama took a timeout. A 7-2 run out of the break allowed the Tide to tie the score at 14-14 and a kill by Hutson gave Alabama its first lead of the frame, 15-14, with the Hokies taking a timeout. The two teams traded back and forth until, tied at 22-22, a block by Thomas and back-to-back kills by Rivers and Thomas gave Alabama the 25-22 win.The Hokies charged out to an early 8-3 lead in set two, forcing an early Tide timeout. Virginia Tech maintained its five-point lead at the next Alabama timeout, up 13-8, and eventually hit the 20-point mark with a 10-point lead. The Hokies reached set point with a double-digit lead, 24-13, and eventually won, 25-14, to even the match at 1-1.Tied at 2-2 early in set three, Alabama built a large lead with a 9-3 run as Virginia Tech took a timeout trailing 11-5. The Hokies burned its second timeout soon after, trailing 15-8, but eventually cut the deficit to five points as Alabama took its own timeout leading 18-13.ddddddddddddThe Tide continued to surge ahead, closing out the set with a service ace by Murison to win 25-16 and take a 2-1 match lead.The two teams traded points back and forth through the first half of set four, with neither team taking a lead larger than two points. The Hokies took its largest lead at 14-11 but the Tide swung back in front, 17-16, with Virginia Tech taking a timeout. Looking to close out the match, the Tide pulled ahead 21-17 but the Hokies rallied and scored seven-straight points and hit set point, 24-21. A kill by Hutson briefly gave Alabama possession but Virginia Tech knocked in a kill to win the set, 25-22, and force a fifth set.A service ace by Rivers gave Alabama an early 6-3 lead in set five at Virginia Techs first timeout and two more points made it an 8-3 lead at the midway point of the set. The Hokies fought back to draw within one point, 9-8, but the Tide pulled back ahead 13-9 before Virginia Tech managed to make it a 13-12 game as Alabama took its last timeout. A kill by Hutson made it match point and Rivers capped the win with a kill for a final score of 15-12.Next up, the Tide continues play at the Puerto Rico Clasico against Florida State on Friday, Sept. 2 at 4:30 p.m. CT.For the latest information on Alabama volleyball, follow the team on Twitter (@AlabamaVball), Instagram (AlabamaVball) and Facebook. ' ' '