The schedule report: Old Dominion

We chill out from women's basketball for a few days to lock in on the U.S. Open (Way to go, Sam! Holla, Novak! Ouch, Fed!) and bam! - 2011-12 schedules all over the place. So now, slowly but surely, we're taking a look at them one-by-one. Our series continues with....

OLD DOMINION 

(click on the link for the school's release)

On the marquee

Old Dominion at Tennessee, Dec. 28

  - The Lady Monarchs' annual showdown with the sport's signature program and coach continues. The Lady Monarchs have dropped 15 straight in the series and haven't won in Knoxville since a 78-72 overtime victory in 1982. But in this post-Wendy Larry world, at least the series lives on.

Get your tickets early for....

Virginia Tech at Old Dominion, Nov. 11

   - New coach, new style vs. new coach, new style in this eagerly anticipated (by us) season opener for both. Lady Monarchs fans better come out strong, too, because there are a ton of Hokies fans in the Hampton Roads area. Tech also likes to stick its flag in the ground in the 757 for recruiting purposes (in all sports save men's basketball, evidently), which surely was part of Tech's thinking in agreeing to a four-year series with ODU.

Food for thought

- Tennessee isn't the only powerhouse ODU will visit. On Nov. 17 the Lady Monarchs will travel to Stanford, another team with legitimate national title aspirations. It occurs to us that since Stanford's next game after ODU is at UConn, it's possible the Lady Monarchs might catch the Cardinal with Huskies on the brain. But wth Hall of Fame coach Tara Vanderveer running the Stanford show, we wouldn't bet on that...and neither should ODU fans.

- The Lady Monarchs have yet another tough road game on Nov. 13 at Georgia Tech. The Lady Monarchs upended the Yellow Jackets 65-63 in Norfolk last season. It was one of three victories ODU posted a year ago against NCAA Tournament-bound teams, as the Lady Monarchs also knocked off Louisville and James Madison.

- ODU's three-game schedule in the Virgin Islands Nov. 25-27 features matchups with Alabama, Louisiana Tech and Seton Hall, which is led by Lady Monarchs great Anne Donovan. 

- In addition to the Virginia Tech game and contests against CAA rivals William and Mary, George Mason, VCU and James Madison, the Lady Monarchs also have an in-state showdown with Richmond on Nov. 20 at the Constant Center. A year ago, the Spiders mauled the Lady Monarchs 65-41 in Richmond.

- ODU's release touts the Lady Monarchs as one of the youngest teams in America, and with nine underclassmen, we can see why they say that. On the other hand, suppose ODU trots out a lineup of Tia Lewis, Mairi Buchan, Jo Guilford, Jackie Cook and Michelle Brandao. That's a fifth-year senior, two redshirt juniors, a true junior and a 20-year-old sophomore from Portugal with loads of international experience. 

- The CAA Tournament will run March 8-11 at the neutral-site Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md. for the second straight year.