DATE: Friday, March 14, 1997                TAG: 9703140837

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: PITTSBURGH                        LENGTH:   60 lines

MEN: INEXPERIENCED MONARCHS HOPE FOR A REPEAT OF 1995

Senior Odell Hodge has been waiting five years for this. Forgive him if he's a bit excited.

``I've been looking forward to this since I got to ODU, playing in the NCAA tournament,'' Hodge said Thursday at Pittsburgh Civic Arena, where Old Dominion meets New Mexico tonight in the opening round of the East Regional.

Sophomore Mike Byers hasn't been waiting as long, but he knows one thing: he doesn't know what to expect.

``All I can do is ask the guys who've been there,'' Byers said. ``They tell me it's like something you've never experienced in your life until you've been there.''

Two guys at ODU have been there, done that when it comes to NCAA tournament experience - junior point guard Brion Dunlap and reserve guard E.J. Sherod.

Dunlap started two years ago when 14th-seeded ODU upset third-seeded Villanova in triple overtime. Sherod played sparingly in that game.

Hodge, out with a knee injury, watched from the bench in a suit. The remaining seven ODU scholarship players, all freshmen or sophomores, were in high school at the time.

New Mexico, by comparison, returns its entire starting lineup from last year's tournament team - although freshman Lamont Long is now a starter and greenhorn like most of the Monarchs. The Lobos have been to the tournament four of the past five years.

``We're more relaxed as a team,'' Lobos guard Charles Smith said. ``Me, I'm more relaxed because this is my third time. Last year we won a game and gave Georgetown a good run. As a team, we know we can do some things.''

ODU (22-10) is hoping to do the upset thing again as a No. 14 seed against a No. 3. Coach Jeff Capel said he wants his team to have fun, enjoy the experience of playing in the tournament, because you never know if you will get back to it again.

Witness Hodge, who almost went down as the best player in ODU history to never play in the NCAA tournament.

``He's a very emotional kid and he's going to be pumped up,'' Capel said. ``Sometimes in basketball that's not the best thing.

``I think we're going to be a little nervous. But once the basketball is in the air, everything will settle down and we'll come out and put our best foot forward.''

Sherod and Dunlap said there's not much they can tell the neophytes to help them avoid tripping over those feet.

``Of course you're going to be very excited, the adrenalin will be pumping because you're going to be playing in an arena before 16,000-17,000 people,'' Sherod said. ``You don't play in that environment every day.''

Not at ODU, but New Mexico (24-7) does. The Lobos averaged 17,173 fans at The Pit this season. That, with their tournament experience and No. 11 national ranking, should make them awe-proof.

On the surface, ODU would seem to be prone to being awed by the experience. But Capel is banking on a tough non-conference schedule having prepared the Monarchs for this. And Sherod said the program's triple-overtime upset of Villanova two years ago serves as a valuable reminder.

``A lot of times when you play a nationally ranked team you say, you know you gave it your all. That's all coach Capel is going to ask of us, that we give our all for 40 minutes.

``Or however long it takes to get the job done.''

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