THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 28, 1996 TAG: 9609280524
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 44 lines
Old Dominion's 1996-97 basketball schedule includes possible matchups with two of last year's Final Four teams and home games against teams from the Pac-10 and Conference USA.
The schedule, released on Friday, starts with a road game Friday Nov. 22 at Towson State and then the home opener Monday Nov. 25 against Toledo. Non-conference home games include old Sun Belt rival UNC-Charlotte, Washington and Tennessee State, coached by former Virginia Tech coach Frankie Allen.
ODU opens with Eastern Michigan in Syracuse's Carrier Classic tournament, then could meet the 1996 national runner-up Orangemen. The Monarchs' next game is at Mississippi State, another 1996 Final Four participant.
Mississippi State will return to Norfolk, probably next year. So will road opponents George Washington and Hampton, which will play at Scope twice in coming seasons.
ODU is also part of an eight-team field at a New Year's week tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico that includes Cincinnati, Jerry Tarkanian's Fresno State and Mississippi State. The Monarchs open with Nebraska.
ODU athletic director Jim Jarrett called it a good, balanced schedule.
``It doesn't have a North Carolina or an ACC team on it at home as we would like, but you just can't get that every year,'' Jarrett said. ``We feel good about it.''
ODU coach Jeff Capel could not be reached Friday, but in a recent interview he talked about the schedule as it was being finalized.
``It's another great schedule,'' Capel said. ``We traveled for two years to get a home schedule like this. Now we have to take advantage of it. It's the best home schedule we've had certainly in my three years here.''
It was expected to be better. Tulane, a solid team from Conference USA, was supposed to come to Scope. But Tulane pulled out of the game, which delayed the release of ODU's schedule. The schools reached a financial settlement on the broken contract, the terms of which Jarrett would not discuss.
``It certainly is disappointing because we went out there two years ago expecting them to return the game last year,'' Capel said.
There are two other opponents Capel would like to have on the schedule that are not: Duke and Virginia. Capel said the Monarchs could not reach an agreement with Duke. It would have been Capel's last chance to coach against his son, Jeff. by CNB