ODU Monarchs fall short vs. Kentucky, but serve notice

By Kyle Tucker

Special to The Virginian-Pilot

UNCASVILLE, Conn.

Old Dominion made a pretty emphatic statement Sunday against the University of Kentucky, a team loaded with McDonald's All-Americans and ranked second in the country.

The Monarchs led by as many as seven points in the first half - tying the Wildcats' largest deficit of the season - and were down by just a point with 7:10 remaining in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Eventually, the talent gap proved too much and Kentucky escaped with a 62-52 victory, but afterward Wildcats coach John Calipari called the Monarchs' scrappy effort "the blueprint" for beating his young but talented team.

"Old Dominion did a great job," he said. "We know this is how people are going to play us: Hold the ball and then be physical with us."

Coach Blaine Taylor's squad employed a sagging, 3-2 zone on defense, played a slow-down offense and bullied the Wildcats in the paint. Freshman forward Anthony Davis, who most believe will be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA draft, fouled out with just 11 points. Sophomore forward Terrence Jones, a preseason All-American, was limited to six points.

Meanwhile, ODU senior forward Chris Cooper banged his way to a game-high 17 points and 11 rebounds against the Wildcats' future pro frontcourt.

"One thing I think we got out of this is that we know that we belong," Cooper said. "We belong here playing with these big teams. We've been like this for the past four years, so we know we can play with these teams."

But three starters and the sixth man are gone from last year's team, which was a buzzer-beater last March from stopping Butler's second straight run to the national championship game.

This year's ODU squad, though, figured to take at least a little step back. Or not.

"It's not going to be a drop-off," Cooper said. "We plan on keeping this program strong and keeping on it."

The Monarchs (3-2) forced 21 turnovers against Kentucky (4-0) and led 18-11 with 11:21 to go before the break after a pair of Kent Bazemore free throws. ODU got another full day's work from its senior star, who's working his way back from foot surgery. He played 38 minutes and had 10 points, four rebounds, four steals, two assists and a blocked shot.

After a Bazemore steal and a layup by Trian Iliadis, ODU led 25-20 with 4:26 remaining in the first half. The Wildcats didn't surge ahead for good until the final minute of the half.

"Kentucky has just absolutely run away from everybody this year," said Taylor, whose squad was a 19-1/2-point underdog. "I was working the game the best I could - we could - to have a chance down the stretch. We got to that spot and just couldn't quite close. I'm not really into moral victories, but I think we made a nice account of ourselves and our program."

Iliadis splashed consecutive 3-pointers to slash the Wildcats' lead to 50-49 with 7:10 left, but Kentucky scored 10 unanswered points to avoid an enormous upset.

"I was yearning for a last minute where you look and say, 'We're a play away. They're a play away. What a fun day,' " Taylor said. "The encouraging thing for me is I don't think any of our players played as good as they can."

The Monarchs hit just 18 of 56 from the field, yet still had a chance against what will likely be a legitimate national title contender.

"That's a far different Kentucky team than you'll see a month or two from now. And we'll be a far different team a month or two from now," Taylor said. "But we were able to stand toe-to-toe with an elite level of talent ... and more than held our own."