Monarchs plan to stay on the ball in face of 'Havoc'

NORFOLK

Turnover, Old Dominion.

Practice stopped. Blaine Taylor took high-volume aim at a player who had failed to come down court to receive an inbounds pass quickly enough.

The Monarchs ran the play again and got it right, finishing on an upbeat note Friday afternoon.

Getting it right, when it comes to taking care of the ball, is more important than usual. Virginia Commonwealth is coming to town.

ODU committed 25 turnovers in its 61-48 loss to the Rams last month. If the Monarchs are all thumbs again today, they can forget about avenging a loss to their archrival and gaining ground in the crowded race for the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title.

"Twenty-five turnovers, that was basically it," guard Kent Bazemore said. "Nothing else, you know?"

Against VCU, success is all about handling the relentless pressure D that coach Shaka Smart has dubbed "Havoc."

Some turnovers are inevitable. Forgivable, even. Had ODU committed 15 turnovers last month, the outcome might have been different.

But 25? That was a season high. The Monarchs say many of the turnovers were unforced, a result of mental errors and sloppy execution. Several came after ODU had beaten the press and was facing VCU's half-court defense.

Sharper execution should result in fewer of those mistakes, the Monarchs believe. So should facing the Rams a second time.

"Their press is up there with some of the best in the nation," guard Trian Iliadis said.

"Since I've been here, the second time we've played them has always felt more comfortable."

Iliadis had four turnovers in last month's loss, a relatively high number but nevertheless the fewest of any of ODU's senior guards. Bazemore had seven and Marquel De Lancey five.

Still, they weren't the only players to mishandle the ball.

"A lot of kids had a few plays here and there they'd like back," Taylor said. "But it's not like anybody played poorly. That wasn't the case. It's not like we didn't play hard."

A frantic pace and a frenzied environment are givens when the Monarchs and Rams meet. VCU (21-5, 12-2 CAA) is one of three teams a game up on ODU (16-10, 11-3) in the conference standings. Drexel and George Mason are the others.

The Monarchs have built their CAA record largely on the backs of the conference have-nots, winning eight games against the bottom five teams in the standings. They've yet to beat a team in the top five. In fairness, they haven't played everyone yet.

"We have found a way to win a lot of games and we have improved," Taylor said. "Now the next step for us is to take our shots at the upper tier."

Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com