THE (NEWPORT NEWS) DAILY PRESS

NORFOLK--Right around dinnertime on Feb. 12, Old Dominion University students rushed the court after the Monarchs defeated VCU, turning the floor of the sold-out Constant Center into a jubilant sea of blue for the ESPN cameras televising the game.

Fans of the league's first-place team storming the floor after beating the third-place team, at home, probably qualifies as a bit extreme. But it also serves as a kind of touchstone for the resurrection of ODU men's basketball.

"It's a buzz going around the city, not just on the ODU campus but around the city, about the Old Dominion basketball team," senior guard Kiah Thomas said.

The Monarchs (28-5) set a school record for victories, won the Colonial Athletic Association regular season and tournament championships and earned the program's first NCAA tournament berth since 1997. ODU faces Big Ten power Michigan State (22-6) Friday at 9:45 p.m. in Worcester, Mass.

Jim Jarrett, who has served as athletic director for 34 of his 37 years at Old Dominion, said the current level of enthusiasm in the program reminds him of the early days of Paul Webb's tenure, when the program moved from Division II to Division I in the mid-1970s.

Jarrett identified two primary factors in ODU's current renaissance: hiring Blaine Taylor as head coach four years ago; opening the Constant Center three years ago.

Taylor, 47, a Montana native, came east after successful stints as a head coach at Montana (142-65 in seven years) and three years as an assistant at Stanford under friend and mentor Mike Montgomery.

"You're always looking for challenges," said Taylor, a gregarious sort who is visible all over Hampton Roads stumping for the program. "With the new arena coming and the state of affairs surrounding the school, I thought it could be an invigorating situation."

The Monarchs have improved each year under Taylor, going from seven conference victories his first season to a 15-3 CAA record this season.