THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 1996 TAG: 9603060677
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
Old Dominion students are on spring break this week, but the basketball players would have preferred to remain on campus.
The Monarchs scattered after losing to UNC-Wilmington in the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament Sunday. The loss nixed all possibility of an NCAA tournament bid. The Monarchs are not expecting to be on the National Invitation Tournament's invitation list when it comes out Sunday, after the NCAA field is announced.
``If it comes, that'd be great,'' coach Jeff Capel said. ``But we're not sitting around waiting for it. We couldn't ask the players to stay around and practice just waiting for the possibility we might be invited.''
It would not appear likely. In the latest ratings that simulate the Ratings Percentage Index used by the NCAA to seed and select teams, ODU ranks 136th out of 305 Division I teams. That's through Saturday's games, so ODU could drop after Sunday's loss to UNCW.
Ninety-six teams will be included in the fields of the two tournaments. Only two teams that made last year's NIT were ranked in the 100s at the end of the regular season - No. 110 Miami and No. 134 Coppin State.
``I'd take it, I wanna keep playing,'' Duffy Samuels said of the NIT after the UNC-Wilmington loss. ``I'm a senior, it's all over for me. Do a good job selling us, write that we're deserving and send it to 'em.''
NIT executive director Jack Powers knows all about Old Dominion. He looked over ODU's results, clicking off a couple of good wins and a few bad losses.
``We'll keep them up on the board Sunday night,'' Powers said. ``We've had success with Old Dominion in tournaments before.''
The Monarchs have played in the NIT eight times since moving to Division I in the 1976-77 season. During that span the Monarchs have been in the NCAA tournament six times, shut out of the postseason five times.
Powers acknowledged ODU's RPI ranking falls short of what the NIT is after.
``We like to look at something in the 100-and-under range, if possible,'' Powers said. ``Crazy things have happened in the past.'' by CNB