NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- There have been 22 previous match-ups between Old Dominion and Norfolk State in men's basketball.
13 have come since the last time the two programs have met on the Spartans' campus with no limits placed on capacity. The date was December 18, 1972, an 88-74 Norfolk State victory at Gill Gymnasium.
Since then, with the exception of a meeting at Echols Hall in December of 2020, during the COVID season when only about 200 fans were permitted in the stands, all showdowns have come on the Monarchs' home floor or a neutral site.
That all changes Wednesday when the two clash at Echols Hall in what promises to be an energetic atmosphere in the Spartans' favor.
"For a team to come here after 53 years, it's going to be probably the biggest Division I game that's been held at Echols Hall," Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones said. "We're excited about it, the guys are excited about it, I'm sure all of you are excited about it, so we'll be ready to play."
"It was a great environment here a year ago," added Old Dominion head coach Mike Jones. "I can only imagine what that environment is going to be like tomorrow. Two programs that are trying to find their footing in this current season. It's a wonderful opportunity for both programs to play in that kind of environment. I think our student-athletes deserve that, but the city deserves it too."
The two programs, whose basketball arenas are separated by about 4.5 miles, will both look for a key early season victory. Echols Hall will present a challenge for the Monarchs, but it's one Mike Jones hopes his team will embrace.
"They've got control of 95 percent of the tickets and I'm assuming it's going to be 95 percent of their people in there," the ODU head coach said. "It's not like we get to practice or play in their gym ever so this is a true road game for us and we're embracing that."
"[Wednesday] is cool because of what it is, the cross-town rivalry, but let's have that atmosphere every game," Robert Jones said. "I think the atmosphere [Wednesday] will be electric because it should be at capacity."
This will mark the second leg of a home-and-home series between the two squads. Old Dominion held off the Spartans a year ago, winning 60-57 at Chartway Arena. Robert Jones, who has said on multiple occasions throughout the last several years that he would like to see a tournament-style annual showcase of the 757's four Division I programs, gave credit to his ODU counterpart for agreeing to bring his team to Echols Hall.
"It's excited to play ODU," the green and gold head coach exclaimed. "I will credit Mike Jones for taking the game. I don't really know him that well, but I do credit him for taking the home-and-home series because his predecessors didn't take that series and we tried for many years."
"It's a home-and-home," Mike Jones said. "They play us here, we play them there. They're a successful Division I program. They've earned that. We're not doing them a favor. We're going over there because they played here against us last year."
Old Dominion, which leads the overall series with the Spartans, 16-6, enters this meeting 3-0, opening the campaign with a win over Western Michigan, rolling past Division III Regent and grabbing a 20-point victory at Bucknell this past Saturday. Norfolk State is 2-1, beating a pair of Division III foes in Regent and Randolph before falling at William & Mary on Sunday, 104-73.
"There is so much we have to get better at, so much we will need to get better at," the head Monarch pointed out. "We will need to be better [Wednesday]. This is a long season, so many layers to it. I'm pleased with where we are right now, but please rest assured, and our guys know it, we're nowhere near where we hope to be."
"You kind of throw those records out the window," Robert Jones noted. "It's like everybody's 0-0 again because I'm sure they're going to be starving to beat us and we'll ahve the same hunger to beat them so it should be a good war of the wills."
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Echols Hall.
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