Monarchs Open CAA Tournament Play in Richmond Saturday, March 7
The Old Dominion University men's basketball team, which earned a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament, will face the winner of Friday's Hofstra vs. UNC Wilmington contest in a quarterfinal game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the Richmond Coliseum.
First-round tournament action tips off on Friday, March 6, as No. 8 Georgia State (11-19, 8-10 in CAA) meets No. 9 Delaware (13-18, 6-12 in CAA) at noon, followed by No. 5 Hofstra (20-10, 11-7 in CAA) against No. 12 UNC Wilmington (7-24, 3-15 in CAA) at 2:30 p.m. In the night session, No. 7 James Madison (18-13, 9-9 in CAA) takes on No. 10 William and Mary (10-19, 5-13 in CAA) at 6 p.m., followed by No. 6 Drexel (15-13, 10-8 in CAA) vs. No. 11 Towson (10-21, 5-13 in CAA) at 8:30 p.m.
In the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 7, No. 1 VCU (21-9, 14-4 in CAA) faces the Georgia State/Delaware winner at noon, followed by No. 4 ODU (20-9, 12-6 in CAA) against the Hofstra/UNCW winner at 2:30 p.m. In the night session, No. 2 George Mason (20-9, 13-5 in CAA) meets the JMU/W&M winner at 6 p.m., followed by No. 3 Northeastern (18-11, 12-6 in CAA) against the Drexel/Towson winner at 8:30 p.m.
The semifinal contests will take place at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 8, and the CAA men's basketball championship game is set for 7 p.m. Monday, March 9.
Tickets are $21 per session and $70 for a tournament book that includes all 11 games. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
Sonny Allen, who coached ODU from 1965-75 and led the Monarchs to two NCAA Division II National Championship games, winning it all 1975, will be the school's legend at this year's CAA Championships. He will be honored at the awards banquet Thursday night, March 5, along with the other legends from each CAA school. He will also be honored at halftime of the Monarchs' CAA Tournament game on Saturday, March 7.
CAA Tournament games on Friday can be viewed on the Internet (www.caasports.com). WSKY-TV (channel 4) will carry Saturday's and Sunday's games. Monday's title game will be televised by ESPN2.
The athletic department will offer bus transportation to the CAA Women's Basketball Tournament in Harrisonburg, Va., for the semifinal and championship rounds on Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15, should the Lady Monarchs advance in the tournament. The bus will depart each day from the Ted Constant Convocation Center, returning after the ODU game. The cost of the bus each day is $50 and includes roundtrip transportation and game ticket. A minimum of 40 fans must register for the bus each day to guarantee the transportation package.
To register, e-mail Julie Hyslop at jhyslop@odu.edu and provide your name, phone number and e-mail address. The deadline to register is 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 11.