THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 14, 1995 TAG: 9501140321
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
As the second half of Old Dominion's basketball season begins tonight, the Monarchs will attempt to do what they were unable to in the first half: win on the road.
ODU (6-8, 1-0 Colonial Athletic Association) will have to prove it can if it hopes to win the league. Tonight's 7:30 meeting with George Mason, televised on Home Team Sports, is the first of three consecutive CAA road games. The Monarchs are 0-7 on opponents' courts.
The eight teams ODU has lost to - including North Carolina at home - have a combined 73-28 record (.723 winning percentage). Of the eight, only Washington (4-7) is below .500.
To date, the Monarchs have played the 14th-toughest schedule in the country, according to this week's RPI Report. The RPI Report attempts to duplicate the Ratings Percentage Index formula that the Men's Basketball Committee uses to select and seed the NCAA tournament. William and Mary's schedule ranked as the second-most difficult among CAA schools, 149th nationally. East Carolina is 8-3 nonconference, but the Pirates' strength of schedule ranks last in the league and 298th out of 302 Division I teams.
In terms of overall team strength, ODU rated 91st nationally - primarily because of its strong schedule - while UNC Wilmington was next among league teams at No. 149. The rest of the league: George Mason (181); Richmond (189); East Carolina (200); James Madison (218); William and Mary (262); and American (295).
The Monarchs have a lowly record but lofty confidence they can live up to preseason forecasts that they're the team to beat.
``If we went 0-13 in the nonconference, we knew we've prepared ourselves very well for this stretch, and this is what we're shooting for,'' said ODU senior guard Mike Jones.
UNC Wilmington coach Jerry Wainwright said the Monarchs ``may have the best offensive firepower in the league.''
No Colonial team has been a powerhouse thus far. The league has a 35-51 record (.407) against nonconference teams and is rated 21st among the 33 conferences, according to the RPI Report. Only the CAA tournament winner will make the NCAA tournament, as has been the case for all but one of the league's previous nine seasons.
``We're certainly prepared for anything we will see in the conference,'' ODU coach Jeff Capel said. ``I would definitely do this again. Next year's schedule is basically the same schedule.''
RUNNING ON EMPTY: In the second season of Paul Ball, George Mason is almost in need of pall bearers with five consecutive losses. Coach Paul Westhead said he's groping to make his high-octane game click.
``We have not been able to sustain any fast-break basketball over any period of time,'' Westhead said. ``Few minutes here, few minutes there - but that's not the real deal. The why of that? I look at my players, and they look tired. Right now, the very thing we try to do is biting us back.
``I have not been able to get this team to play the speed game.''
Westhead, however, is married to what he calls ``the system'' and will not back off his quest for speed.
``I've had streaks of this,'' he said. ``Sometimes they're short streaks and sometimes they're long streaks. They can last the whole season, because they're not solvable. I can't tell you right now whether this is going to be corrected. It could go either way.''
ALL-DECADE: This is the CAA's 10th anniversary season, and the celebration will include an All-Decade team picked by fans. The ballot, being distributed at league games, includes 10 backcourt players and 22 frontcourt players. Each school received 20,000 ballots, which include a vote for player of the decade, coach of the decade and a women's team. Old Dominion passed out ballots Wednesday and will do so for the next couple home games. Ballots, which include write-in options, are due by Feb. 13. The team will be announced during the conference tournament March 4-6 in Richmond.
One man's picks for player and coach of the decade: Navy's David Robinson, the 1987 national player of the year and two-time CAA player of the year; Richmond's Dick Tarrant, three-time league coach of the year who guided the Spiders to five NCAA tournament appearances.
TIP-INS: George Mason forward Mike Sharp, a sophomore from Chesapeake's Western Branch High, has played in just two games this season and may not play again. He's had knee surgery twice since last season. . . . ODU point guard Brion Dunlap has a 2.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. . . . ODU won a game in which it was outrebounded for the first time this season Wednesday against UNC Wilmington. The Monarchs are 1-6 when losing the battle of the boards, 5-1 when they outrebound their foe and 0-1 when they tie. by CNB