It’s fair to say that the 2004-05 basketball campaigns for the men’s and women’s teams ended on a bittersweet note. While ODU was one of only 13 Division I schools to place each of its teams in their respective NCAA tournaments, neither squad was able to advance past the first round. The Lady Monarchs lost to Virginia, 79-57, finishing the year with a 22-9 record, and the Monarchs dropped a close contest to Michigan State, 89-81.

Still, their overall season and conference tournament heroics have left fans hungry for more exciting hoops action next year. The Monarchs return seniors Alex Loughton and Isaiah Hunter, along with a seasoned supporting cast, and the women will be looking forward to the infusion of new talent to bolster their returning players.

The Monarchs finished the season at 28-6, the most wins ever by an ODU men’s team, and capped their league play with a thrilling 73-66 overtime tournament victory over archrival VCU.

The Lady Monarchs, led by senior Shareese Grant who scored 15 of her team’s final 18 points to net a career-high of 35, also needed an overtime for their 78-74 come-from-behind title win over Delaware. With the victory, they claimed an NCAA-record 14th consecutive conference crown.