ODU has much at stake against Georgia State

NORFOLK

It was time for Old Dominion's coaches to dig deep - into their closets.

The dress code for Tuesday's flight to Atlanta was coat and tie. Finding himself with more players than sports coats, Blaine Taylor called on his staff to search their wardrobes for jackets players could borrow.

Everyone got outfitted for a trip that might be the Monarchs' most important of the year.

Through 29 games - five of which headed to overtime - 11 different starting lineups, and a stretch in which they dropped 7 of 11 contests, it's come to this: Win tonight against Georgia State and ODU locks up fourth place in the CAA and a first-round tournament bye.

Lose, and the Monarchs must beat Drexel, owner of a 15-game winning streak, Saturday at the Constant Center to avoid playing in the tournament's opening round.

ODU (18-11, 12-4 CAA) is coming off a 73-67 win at Missouri State that is arguably its most impressive of the season, coming on the road in relatively convincing fashion over an opponent with an RPI in the top 100.

Whether it was another blip in an up-and-down season or a sign that ODU has pulled together for a late-season run remains to be determined.

Not surprisingly, players fall into the latter camp.

"We've got our pieces all in place now," forward Chris Cooper said. "We've got the right guys on the court."

Indeed, having to play haberdasher to a full traveling party is a nice problem for Taylor to have. The Monarchs are as settled and deep as they've been all year, bearing little resemblance to the team that opened the season minus three players, and with a fourth, CAA pre-season Player of the Year Kent Bazemore, recovering from offseason foot surgery.

Taylor has preached patience all season, saying his team would be better coming around the "clubhouse turn" than it was out of the gate.

The turn is here. The next two games will determine whether the Monarchs fade, or surge.

ODU has flashed potential all year, pushing Kentucky in November and beating South Florida, and winning 11 of 14 after a 7-8 start. The Monarchs haven't had a breakthrough win in CAA play, though, going 0-4 against George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth.

Georgia State (19-9, 10-6) owns wins over both VCU and Drexel, and has lost five conference games by three points or less, including two in overtime.

"They could easily have a much better record," Taylor said. "I think they've got to be proud of what they've done."

First-year coach Ron Hunter has transformed a team that won six conference games a year ago, with basically the same roster. The Panthers lead the CAA and are 13th in the nation in field goal percentage defense, and are 18th in the nation in scoring defense.

ODU leads the CAA in field goal percentage defense in conference games. For the Monarchs, defense and rebounding have been constants. Success has usually come down to making shots.

Offensive consistency has been elusive.

Bazemore has scored 51 points over the past two games, though, and said he's getting his legs back at just the right time.

He's not the only one.

"The start of the year was a grind," guard Trian Iliadis said. "With so many guys out and so many of us having to play a lot of minutes. I think having more players has helped us freshen up for the second half of the season."

With 18 wins, Taylor said he's confident his team has positioned itself for some type of postseason play. How ODU fares this week will go a long way toward determining what type that will be.

"Above all else, we want to get some momentum and some confidence going into the CAA tournament," Iliadis said.

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