By Brian Hamilton
NEW ORLEANS -- Before beginning his NCAA tournament press conference, Old Dominion coach Blaine Taylor asked for an extra 30 seconds to get settled in after rushing back from a quick errand.
"I just got done dropping the Notre Dame players off on Bourbon St. for St. Patrick's Day," Taylor deadpanned. "I told them don't miss the game tomorrow. It starts at 2:30."
It is, of course, a first-round matchup beginning at 11:25 a.m. Thursday that the Monarchs fully expect to win. Many others do, too, selecting the Colonial Athletic Conference champions as a trendy pick to upend the Irish.
NEW ORLEANS -- Before beginning his NCAA tournament press conference, Old Dominion coach Blaine Taylor asked for an extra 30 seconds to get settled in after rushing back from a quick errand.
"I just got done dropping the Notre Dame players off on Bourbon St. for St. Patrick's Day," Taylor deadpanned. "I told them don't miss the game tomorrow. It starts at 2:30."
It is, of course, a first-round matchup beginning at 11:25 a.m. Thursday that the Monarchs fully expect to win. Many others do, too, selecting the Colonial Athletic Conference champions as a trendy pick to upend the Irish.
"We don't feel like we're underdogs," Old Dominion guard Marsharee Taylor said. "But underdogs are the teams you have to look out for."
It is essentially a battle of who can keep the chip on their shoulder the longest, apparently. Irish coach Mike Brey immediately predicted that his team would be on nationwide upset alert, clearly an effort to get his club riled up for the first-round matchup.
And Old Dominion is, well, Old Dominion, a participant in the CIT last year and not exactly a name that rolls off the tongue as a college basketball blueblood.
"We're not just happy to be here," Taylor said. "We would like to just sneak up on the whole deal, but in this day and age, there's so much more exposure. People get a glimpse of you and they respect the schedule you play.
"I'd like to think this is a good matchup. I'd like to think this is one that will pique a lot of interest around the country."
It is essentially a battle of who can keep the chip on their shoulder the longest, apparently. Irish coach Mike Brey immediately predicted that his team would be on nationwide upset alert, clearly an effort to get his club riled up for the first-round matchup.
And Old Dominion is, well, Old Dominion, a participant in the CIT last year and not exactly a name that rolls off the tongue as a college basketball blueblood.
"We're not just happy to be here," Taylor said. "We would like to just sneak up on the whole deal, but in this day and age, there's so much more exposure. People get a glimpse of you and they respect the schedule you play.
"I'd like to think this is a good matchup. I'd like to think this is one that will pique a lot of interest around the country."
There is no one on ODU named Marsharee Taylor.
His name is Marsharee Neely.