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ODU Announces 2012-13 Men's Basketball Schedule
Aug. 30, 2012
NORFOLK, VA--The 2012-13 Old Dominion University men's basketball schedule will feature seven teams that competed in national post season play last year, including three who advanced to the second round in the NCAA tournament field. The Monarchs will also host a four-team," Liberty Tax Classic," at the Constant Center. The NCAA teams include Virginia, VCU and Murray State. ODU will meet the Cavaliers for the first time since the 2008 College Basketball Invitation quarterfinals when they play on Dec. 22nd in the Governor's Basketball Classic in the Richmond Coliseum. Former CAA rival VCU returns to the Constant Center for a Dec. 7th contest, while ODU will travel to Kentucky to play the Racers of Murray State, a number six seed in last year's NCAA tournament, in their CFSB Center. The only time the two schools have played was in the 1990-91 Puerto Rico Shootout. Other post-season opponents include Drexel, Central Florida, and Cleveland State from last year's NIT and Fairfield from last year's CIT Tournament. "As I look at this schedule and our situation, this is a season ticket holder's paradise. It's an historic CAA Schedule which for whatever reason is weighted towards us playing the teams who are thought to be the best in the league twice. Our farewell tour through the CAA is not going to be a dozen roses and a rocking chair. The CAA will be a tremendous challenge for us." - Blaine Taylor "Looking at the Commonwealth of Virginia, we will have VMI, Richmond, VCU, Virginia in the non-conference schedule and our first two home league games with William and Mary and James Madison, our season Ticket holders are getting a great view of us competing in our home state, and will Have the opportunity to see us play a lot of games. " - Head Coach Blaine Taylor The upcoming season will be a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the campus' crown Jewel, the Ted Constant Convocation Center where the Monarch program again led the CAA in regular season attendance averaging over 7,600 fans per game, including five sellouts. ODU has led the league in regular season attendance in each of the last five seasons, and seven of the last eight. "Very pleased with the 2012-13 men's basketball schedule and a chance to host the season opening, three double header Liberty Tax Classic tournament on our home floor. It's also an outstanding non-conference schedule including four high profile in-state schools and a chance to compete against UVA on a neutral floor in Richmond to help a most worthy charity in the Virginia Food Bank. We know we must earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament this year, and I believe Blaine and his staff have assembled a schedule that will put us in a position to do just that." - Athletic Director Wood Selig ODU will open the regular season at home hosting the Liberty Tax Classic, Nov. 9-11. Joining the Monarchs in this exempt event will be Holy Cross, Morgan State and future Conference USA rival Texas-San Antonio. There will be two games each day with each team playing each another. ODU last played Morgan State in 2003-04, but will be playing Holy Cross, who is coached by former ODU assistant Milan Brown, and UTSA for the first time. "Very few programs have a chance to start the season off with an exempt event at home. I think you combine the Liberty Tax Classic with the things I mentioned before and you end up with 17 home games, plus the Virginia game in Richmond. With no CAA tournament, the regular season is where our Emphasis must be. Effectively, it's our post season." - Blaine Taylor The Monarchs will also host non-conference opponents VCU, Richmond, VMI, Central Florida, and Fairfield. ODU played Central Florida last year in Orlando and Fairfield in Springfield, MA as part of The Hall of Fame Classic tripleheader. On the road, ODU will play Cleveland State on Nov. 17, The College of Charleston on Dec. 18, and Murray State on Nov. 24th. The Cleveland State match-up is a rematch from the 2011 Bracketbuster's game, while this is the first time ODU and the College of Charleston have ever met in basketball. The contest will be played in their TD Arena in Charleston, SC. In its final year in the Colonial Athletic Association, ODU will play 18 games. The first league game will be on Dec. 1 at William and Mary. The first home CAA game will be on Jan. 2 against James Madison. ODU will play home and home contests against George Mason, JMU, Delaware, UNCW, William and Mary, Drexel, Northeastern, and Georgia State while Towson and Hofstra will be just single games. "We have been very historically competitive where we fit in the league race. We are going to need to be a very feisty, and resilient team. I look at this team and the word new comes to mind. This is a new team, new faces and new roles. You should look at it like a new car. You break it in, you get it running, get the cob webs out, you enjoy the ride and see how far it takes you. " - Blaine Taylor The Monarchs will play exhibition games against Mount Olive on Nov. 1 and Virginia State on Nov. 5th. The Monarchs, winners of a school record 195 games the last eight seasons, averaging 24.3 wins per year during that stretch and return six lettermen which include two starters from last year's squad that advanced to the Collegeinsider.com National post season tournament. Under the direction of head coach Blaine Taylor, ODU has appeared in national post season play eight straight years, including four NCAA tournaments, that's more national post season appearances than any other team in the CAA or the Commonwealth of Virginia during that stretch. During that eight year period, ODU also reached the semifinals of the 2006 NIT and won the 2009 Collegeinsider.com postseason championship. Blaine Taylor is the school's winningest men's basketball coach. Taylor is 237-124 as he enters his 12th season at ODU. In all, Taylor is 378-190 career coaching record in 18 seasons. As was the case in 2010 and 2011, ODU again ranked among the nation's best in three team and three individual categories. The Monarchs ranked 10th nationally in steals at 8.8, 20th in rebound Margin at +6.1 and 30th in field goal percentage defense at .402. "A schedule is always a team effort and we have produced many good ones. Associate coach Jim Corrigan did a great job with the day-to-day diligence that is involved. Senior Assoc. AD Ken Brown chases a lot of the paper work and contractual logistics. I think Dr. Selig has been a great ally philosophically with what we want to do with this schedule which gives me the ability to make sure the scheduling overview has all of the pieces that we want to have." - Blaine Taylor For season ticket information, please log on to www.odusports.com or call the athletic ticket office at
757-683-4444.
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