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Play Old Dominion LINE ???
Guys jump on this one quick when this line comes out. This line will move fast today.
Old Dominion isnt going to take anything for granted with their record and the at-large bid for the Big-Dance. They know the only sure way to get in is to win their tournament.
William and Mary had a game against JMU yesterday and won 68-54 in a play-in game. That also adds to the great opporitunity for Old Dominion "Fresh legs"
1*(4-2)
2*(2-1)
3*(2-0) Play Old Dominion line ???
Strange to have back to back 3* plays but the tournaments are offering us some good opps right now.
Play Old Dominion all the way to -22
GLTA
--ASI
ODU aiming to erase any doubt about bid to NCAAs
By RICH RADFORD, The Virginian-Pilot
© March 5, 2005
RICHMOND — The climb to the top has been fun.
The view from the top is great.
The struggle to stay there will be tough.
But it’s better than the alternative.
The Old Dominion Monarchs, two years removed from a fourth straight losing season, are having a storybook campaign that includes a school record-tying 25 victories. Today they begin a three-day quest in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament to add yet another chapter to this yearbook and grab a berth in the NCAA tournament.
The only way to assure that NCAA bid is to win three consecutive games at the Richmond Coliseum and take the “at-large” guesswork out of the equation.
The CAA tournament kicked off Friday evening with two play-in games. It continues today with four quarterfinal match-ups, starting with ODU (25-5) meeting William and Mary (8-20) at noon.
Should the Monarchs stumble in the CAAs, they will have to put their trust in the NCAA tournament selection committee and hope their season as a whole speaks loudly enough for them to earn an at-large bid to the 65-team event.
CAA tournament
ODU vs. William and Mary
Noon today Radio: 1310AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Entering the CAA tournament, ODU is No. 35 nationally in the Ratings Percentage Index, a mathematical computation ranking all 330 Division I schools. It is one of several key indicators used by the selection committee to pick which teams get the 34 at-large bids.
The CAA hasn’t received an at-large bid in nearly 20 years .
Bottom line: Anything short of a CAA tournament title will also cause a week of uncertainty, worry and stress for the Monarchs .
“A lot of college basketball is worry and wait,” ODU coach Blaine Taylor said. “Even if we win the CAA tournament, we’ll be sitting around for a week thinking, 'Where are we going and who are we playing?’”
What the Monarchs aren’t worrying about right now is the health and direction of their program. New heights were reached this season. And with only one senior on the roster — Kiah Thomas — this might not be the plateau.
Attendance is up, recruiting has become easier, they have the league’s Player of the Year in junior forward Alex Loughton, and there’s a significant buzz about them.
ODU’s average attendance of 6,022 per game was the program’s highest in 10 years. The Monarchs sold out home games against UNC Wilmington and Virginia Commonwealth, and drew more than 8,000 for their final home game against Hofstra on a weeknight.
“There’s a passion we see now,” said Taylor, who is in his fourth year as head coach. “Fan is short for fanatic. This is what people hoped could happen.”
ODU had one available scholarship this season and used it to sign small forward Jonathan Adams, a candidate for Mr. Basketball honors in Tennessee. But more importantly, the Monarchs’ coaching staff was positioned to focus all of its efforts throughout the winter on the class of high school juniors. ODU will have two available scholarships for the 2006-07 season.
Taylor hopes he can convince top-level recruits to play for an ODU team that’s making some noise nationally rather than go to a bottom-tier team in a major conference like the ACC, SEC or Big East.
“I hope recruits have the courage to choose their own path and live their own life,” Taylor said . “We’re on TV a lot now. I hope a kid can look at us and say, 'Wow, this is a great atmosphere to play in at ODU. This is as good as it gets.’”
Obviously, the best way for that to happen would be having the opportunity to walk into a recruit’s living room next fall and say, “We went to the NCAAs and fully intend to do that repeatedly.”
So what kind of mentality do the Monarchs have heading into this weekend’s CAA tournament? Loughton said they are approaching the tournament as if “every game is the start of the second half and we have a 0-0 score.”
A year ago at this time, Loughton’s back was aching and he was receiving daily treatment just to make it onto the court. This year, the Monarchs come in healthy. And Loughton likes the role of favorite.
“It’s nice to be in that kind of position,” he said . “ODU had been off the map a bit. Where we are now is something we need to embrace and use to our advantage.”
Drew Williamson, ODU’s sophomore point guard, said he believes the number of important games and television games the Monarchs have played will work to their advantage.
“Everybody should realize what we’re getting into,” Williamson said. “It’s not a new thing for us, and there’s no reason to be glary-eyed.”
For the Monarchs, it’s “game on” at high noon.
“We are a mere eight days from Selection Sunday,” Taylor said, “and the only sure thing is that the CAA tournament champion knows they are in.”
Guys jump on this one quick when this line comes out. This line will move fast today.
Old Dominion isnt going to take anything for granted with their record and the at-large bid for the Big-Dance. They know the only sure way to get in is to win their tournament.
William and Mary had a game against JMU yesterday and won 68-54 in a play-in game. That also adds to the great opporitunity for Old Dominion "Fresh legs"
1*(4-2)
2*(2-1)
3*(2-0) Play Old Dominion line ???
Strange to have back to back 3* plays but the tournaments are offering us some good opps right now.
Play Old Dominion all the way to -22
GLTA
--ASI
ODU aiming to erase any doubt about bid to NCAAs
By RICH RADFORD, The Virginian-Pilot
© March 5, 2005
RICHMOND — The climb to the top has been fun.
The view from the top is great.
The struggle to stay there will be tough.
But it’s better than the alternative.
The Old Dominion Monarchs, two years removed from a fourth straight losing season, are having a storybook campaign that includes a school record-tying 25 victories. Today they begin a three-day quest in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament to add yet another chapter to this yearbook and grab a berth in the NCAA tournament.
The only way to assure that NCAA bid is to win three consecutive games at the Richmond Coliseum and take the “at-large” guesswork out of the equation.
The CAA tournament kicked off Friday evening with two play-in games. It continues today with four quarterfinal match-ups, starting with ODU (25-5) meeting William and Mary (8-20) at noon.
Should the Monarchs stumble in the CAAs, they will have to put their trust in the NCAA tournament selection committee and hope their season as a whole speaks loudly enough for them to earn an at-large bid to the 65-team event.
CAA tournament
ODU vs. William and Mary
Noon today Radio: 1310AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See the complete Pilot, exactly as in print
- View stories, photos and ads
- E-mail clippings
- Print copies
Log in or learn more
Email this Page
Print this Page
Get Email Newsletters
Entering the CAA tournament, ODU is No. 35 nationally in the Ratings Percentage Index, a mathematical computation ranking all 330 Division I schools. It is one of several key indicators used by the selection committee to pick which teams get the 34 at-large bids.
The CAA hasn’t received an at-large bid in nearly 20 years .
Bottom line: Anything short of a CAA tournament title will also cause a week of uncertainty, worry and stress for the Monarchs .
“A lot of college basketball is worry and wait,” ODU coach Blaine Taylor said. “Even if we win the CAA tournament, we’ll be sitting around for a week thinking, 'Where are we going and who are we playing?’”
What the Monarchs aren’t worrying about right now is the health and direction of their program. New heights were reached this season. And with only one senior on the roster — Kiah Thomas — this might not be the plateau.
Attendance is up, recruiting has become easier, they have the league’s Player of the Year in junior forward Alex Loughton, and there’s a significant buzz about them.
ODU’s average attendance of 6,022 per game was the program’s highest in 10 years. The Monarchs sold out home games against UNC Wilmington and Virginia Commonwealth, and drew more than 8,000 for their final home game against Hofstra on a weeknight.
“There’s a passion we see now,” said Taylor, who is in his fourth year as head coach. “Fan is short for fanatic. This is what people hoped could happen.”
ODU had one available scholarship this season and used it to sign small forward Jonathan Adams, a candidate for Mr. Basketball honors in Tennessee. But more importantly, the Monarchs’ coaching staff was positioned to focus all of its efforts throughout the winter on the class of high school juniors. ODU will have two available scholarships for the 2006-07 season.
Taylor hopes he can convince top-level recruits to play for an ODU team that’s making some noise nationally rather than go to a bottom-tier team in a major conference like the ACC, SEC or Big East.
“I hope recruits have the courage to choose their own path and live their own life,” Taylor said . “We’re on TV a lot now. I hope a kid can look at us and say, 'Wow, this is a great atmosphere to play in at ODU. This is as good as it gets.’”
Obviously, the best way for that to happen would be having the opportunity to walk into a recruit’s living room next fall and say, “We went to the NCAAs and fully intend to do that repeatedly.”
So what kind of mentality do the Monarchs have heading into this weekend’s CAA tournament? Loughton said they are approaching the tournament as if “every game is the start of the second half and we have a 0-0 score.”
A year ago at this time, Loughton’s back was aching and he was receiving daily treatment just to make it onto the court. This year, the Monarchs come in healthy. And Loughton likes the role of favorite.
“It’s nice to be in that kind of position,” he said . “ODU had been off the map a bit. Where we are now is something we need to embrace and use to our advantage.”
Drew Williamson, ODU’s sophomore point guard, said he believes the number of important games and television games the Monarchs have played will work to their advantage.
“Everybody should realize what we’re getting into,” Williamson said. “It’s not a new thing for us, and there’s no reason to be glary-eyed.”
For the Monarchs, it’s “game on” at high noon.
“We are a mere eight days from Selection Sunday,” Taylor said, “and the only sure thing is that the CAA tournament champion knows they are in.”
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