Old Dominion: What Might Have Been... and What Could Be
Imagine for one second if Old Dominion's tournament appearance last year had gone in a different direction. The Monarchs nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent NCAA tournament history when they took Butler to the end before losing a first-round thriller, 60-58. What if?
What if Old Dominion had drained a three at the buzzer? It wouldn't have had the same potency of, say, Butler's last shot against Duke banking off the glass and falling in to give the Bulldogs the 2010 NCAA Division I championship. But the shot might have put the Monarchs into contention as an up-and-coming team. Heck, it still could be. Old Dominion reached the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2010 when it lost to Baylor, 76-68. Before that, the Monarchs' previous round-two appearances came in 1986 (an 89-61 loss to Duke) and 1995 (a 65-52 loss to Tulsa).
Which team finished ahead of Old Dominion and won the Colonial Athletic Association's regular season? None other than George Mason, a team that knows a thing or two about shocking the daylights out of the basketball elite (remember the 2006 Final Four?) What team finished in fourth? Shaka Smart's Virginia Commonwealth squad. Remember the Commonwealth in last year's Final Four? Now, no one is saying Old Dominion is this year's George Mason or Virginia Commonwealth. It just illustrates the power of mid-major conferences like the CAA. Give the Monarchs time and they could be a shocking team just like VCU or George Mason.
This year's schedule does feature potential interesting tests early on. At the Naismith Hall of Fame Classic, Old Dominion could face back-to-back games with South Florida and Kentucky, and the schedule also includes seven schools that played in the NCAA tournament a year ago. Throw in five redshirt players, including two freshmen, a sophomore, a junior and a senior, and this could be an interesting squad. The team needs to overcome the loss of CAA Tournament MVP Frank Hassell (15.1 points per game), a 6-9 senior center, but 6-5 senior guard Kent Bazemore (12.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, CAA Defensive Player of the Year) could help make up some difference.
If Old Dominion gets rolling, watch out for this team.
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