PENSACOLA, Fla. – Never mind that the Old Dominion men's basketball team is the hottest squad in the Sun Belt.
The Monarchs knocked off Southern Miss and Marshall, the league's top two teams, in their final two games last week and enter this week's Sun Belt Tournament having won eight of their last 10 games.
Their three-game winning streak is the best in the league.
Yet www.teamrankings.com gives ODU just an 18.4 percent chance of making it to the semifinals, an 8.6 percent chance of making it to the championship game and a paltry 3.3 percent chance of winning the Sun Belt title.
The website gives Marshall a 32 percent chance of winning the title, with James Madison second at 25 percent.
ODU begins tournament play Thursday at 6 p.m. against Texas State, a team the Monarchs defeated, 70-68, on Imo Essien's buzzer beater. If the Monarchs win, they would face Marshall in the quarterfinals Saturday at 6 p.m.
ODU head coach Jeff Jones shrugged his shoulders when I asked him about the numbers from the website.
"We'll see," Jones said. "You know, when we were picked ninth in the league during the preseason, I said, maybe, but we'll see.
"That's why you play the games. As people who are in the arena, so to speak, thinking about that kind of stuff, it's wasted time. It's not productive. You know, can you use it for motivation or whatever? I guess.
"But the bottom line is to be able to compartmentalize and focus on what we can control, meaning our effort, our play, our outlook. If you do that at least you give yourself an opportunity."
Jones on Passing of Terry Holland
Jones was recruited to the University of Virginia by Terry Holland and was a four-year starter at point guard. He was an assistant coach under Holland and succeeded Holland as the head coach at UVA.
So, Jones was obviously saddened when Holland passed away earlier this week from complications related to dementia. Holland, who coached UVA to its first ACC title and recruited and coached Ralph Sampson, was also the athletic director at Davidson, Virginia and East Carolina.
While he was at ECU, Holland played a role in ODU's decision to move up to FBS and join Conference USA.
"I'm not sure if I would have gotten into coaching if it weren't for Terry Holland," Jones said.
Jones tried out with Golden State of the NBA and when he got cut, Holland held a coaching position on his staff for Jones.
"True to his word, he told me he was holding a spot for me," Jones said. "That was in November. Their season had basically started and he welcomed me back to join their staff that year.
"Forty years later, I'm still doing this thing. I'll always forever be indebted for him giving me that opportunity."
"He was just a good guy," Jones added. "For a coach in the ACC who enjoyed all of that success, he was just kind of genuine and down to earth. He projected the image of being a gentleman. I saw different sides of that behind the scenes, but you know he was a good guy.
"Everybody has got an ego. But he never let that get in the way of trying to do what the team needed."
Jones said given Holland's condition, he had not spoken to him in a while but had kept in touch with his family and Dave Odom, the former Wake Forest coach and long-time Holland assistant
"I know he's in a good place now," Jones said. "And I'm sure when March Madness starts, he'll have a front row seat."
Sun Belt vs. Atlantic 10
Atlantic 10 officials reportedly urged its member schools not to schedule teams from the Sun Belt because it would allegedly hurt their NET rankings and thus their chances to gain an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
If anyone thought that was a valid argument, well, the final regular-season NET rankings debunked it.
The Sun Belt had four teams among the top 93 --No. 77 Marshall, No. 82 Southern Miss, No. 91 James Madison and No. 93 Louisiana. An aside here: ODU defeated three of the four.
The A-10, which has 15 members, has just two teams in the NET Top 100 and 10 of the 15 schools rank below ODU, which is No. 144. The Monarchs also defeated No. 134 George Mason earlier this season.
Enough said.
Ben Stanley is in his Teammates' Hearts
For graduate transfer Ben Stanley, there was no more frustrating way to end his college career than when he tore his ACL at James Madison a few weeks ago. He was coming off an ACL he suffered in January of 2021 at Xavier that kept him out of much of last season.
Stanley attended ODU's practice on Monday and was at Chartway Arena to see the team off on Tuesday as the Monarchs departed for Norfolk International Airport.
"With God and my family, it's been a lot easier than people think," he said of dealing with the disappointment. "By the grace of God, I'll be back playing basketball somewhere.
"It's about working hard, working my butt off to get back in shape. I'm going to do that."
Dr. Bradley Butkovich, ODU's orthopedic surgeon, is scheduled to do surgery on Stanley in the next few weeks.
"He's such a great surgeon," Stanley said. "I'm confident I'm going to have a great recovery. Having ACL injury isn't what it once was.
"It was really tough when it first happened. The shock, the pain. I said to myself, 'Oh man, I can't believe it happened again.' But after I processed it and talked with my family, I was better."
Stanley had a lot more to deal with than basketball and classes this season. He was handling late-night feedings and changing diapers.
Stanely and his wife, Ahmeir Stanley, had a baby girl in November. She is named Bailey Wyn Stanley and attended her first ODU game on Senior Night, when Stanley walked on the court on crutches.
"It was awesome (when she was born) and it's still awesome," he said. "When I look at my wife and my daughter, I don't really think about what's going on. It's just a blessing to have them.
"So many people are out in the world alone. I thank God every day for them."
Guard Chaunce Jenkins said that regardless of Stanley's injury, he remains a major part of ODU's team.
"He's with us wherever we play," Jenkins said,
"They're my guys," Stanley added. "We're in constant communication. I'm going to be watching them in Pensacola for sure."
No Surprise: ODU First in Sun Belt Attendance
ODU led the Sun Belt in attendance in its first season and it wasn't close.
The Monarchs averaged 5,619 fans per home game, far ahead of No. 2 Marshall (4,656) and No. 3 James Madison (4,306).
In fact, the four newcomers to the Sun Belt this year comprised the top four in attendance as Southern Miss was fourth with an average attendance 3,768
Hampton Roads is a blue-collar area, and as the season progressed, and when the Monarchs persevered after losing players to illness and injuries, attendance picked up and the crowds grew louder. This was a team that ODU fans identified with.
The final game, a 71-67 victory over Marshall, drew nearly 6,500 to Chartway Arena, and the crowd stood and cheered the Monarchs long after they left the court.
That did not surprise Jones.
"We've got great fans," he said. "But why wouldn't you identify with and root for a group of young men who have given everything they have, even when it seemed like we were dropping like flies, and they just kept giving of themselves?
"This is an easy team to root for. This is an easy team to like.
"Winning helps, I know. I'm not naive. But seeing those guys, how hard they scrapped when we were undermanned and when so many things were going against us. When all that happened, these guys didn't blink."
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: ODU Men's Basketball Is Hottest Team in the Sun Belt, but is a Big Underdog in Conference Tourney
