THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 6, 1996 TAG: 9602060441
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
At least half of those who had tickets to Virginia's game against Old Dominion Monday night stayed away. Clearly, they were the smarter half.
When two teams with combined records of 20-20 get together for a non-conference game, you don't expect a healthy crowd at a place that doesn't even fill an 8,457-seat arena for Duke or Maryland. You don't anticipate great theater, either.
But could anyone have anticipated U.Va.'s 38-point blowout?
``Everything that could go wrong did,'' ODU coach Jeff Capel said. ``We've got to get this out of our system. We've got to forget about it.''
Consider it forgotten. Almost.
For ODU, Virginia is a good opponent to have on its schedule. To build a rivalry, even a fledgling one, with an ACC team and the state's premier program is a plus for the Monarchs.
The timing this year was not good, however.
Neither ODU nor U.Va. needed this game now, especially not the Monarchs. Better to showcase the series in December than shoe-horn it in during the dog days of conference play.
No question, ODU looked as if it was feeling the squeeze at University Hall. The young Monarchs were never in this one - mentally, or on the scoreboard.
``We didn't show up,'' freshman Reggie Bassette said.
Added Odell Hodge, ``We didn't meet the challenge.''
There is no excuse for a performance as poverty stricken as ODU's, but the Monarchs weren't helped by the schedule.
Losing a tough, overtime game to Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond on Saturday, then climbing on a bus for a trip up I-64 to Charlottesville is not the best way to prepare for a stronger opponent.
To his credit, Capel had no interest in rationalizing his team's circumstances.
``Turnovers against the zone,'' he said. ``That's inexcusable.''
There is no handy explanation, either, for ODU's shooting. The Monarchs missed 21 of 23 3-point attempts, as U.Va. muzzled Mark Poag with a gimmick defense.
``When they take Poag out of the game, somebody's got to step up and take some shots,'' Capel said. ``Our people hesitated on the perimeter.''
Asked if there was anything about this game he could use to build on, Capel said, ``Not a thing. This game is gone.''
Virginia played most of the game without Harold Deane, who hobbled off in the first half with a painful big toe. But by then, almost everybody in a U.Va. uniform was having their way with ODU, even 7-foot-4 mega-project Chase Metheney
``He was a pretty big obstacle,'' U.Va. coach Jeff Jones said of Metheney.
Not that ODU wasn't its own pretty big obstacle. Considering how easily the Monarchs submitted to U.Va. pressure, it's fair to wonder what the Cavaliers gained from this game.
U.Va.'s four victories over opponents from the Colonial Athletic Association represent almost half the Cavaliers' victories this season.
But unless Jeff Jones' team is angling for the No. 1 seed at the CAA tournament, an undefeated record against William and Mary, VCU, Richmond and ODU does little to boost its NCAA tournament hopes.
With games yet to come at North Carolina State, North Carolina and Duke, U.Va. gears up for a desperation run to respectability.
Meanwhile, as ODU's bus headed back down I-64, Capel made sure his Monarchs weren't wasting time looking in the rear-view mirror. by CNB