Scope Arena in Norfolk
NORFOLK, Va. - To the fans fans excited about Old Dominion hosting a crosstown showdown at the program's former home arena: enjoy it while you can.
The Old Dominion men's basketball team will take on crosstown rival Norfolk State Friday at Norfolk's Scope Arena. The Monarchs, 8-and-3 so far this season with an RPI ranking of 53, host the Spartans for the 19th time in program history.
However, this date is not expected to be a fair fight. NSU enters the game with a record of 1-and-11 on the season and an RPI of 330.
ODU head men's basketball coach Jeff Jones
"There are a lot of politics that go into it and there are a number of people that wanted to have this game happen," ODU head men's basketball coach Jeff Jones said Tuesday. "I think it's a good thing, but I don't see this being something we'll continue in the future. In looking at our scheduling needs, this is a game that's great to play - but I'm not sure it fits exactly what we're trying to do - especially playing at a neutral site rather than having a home game."
ODU leads the all-time series, 12-to-6. These two schools last met on Dec. 29, 2015, as 8,472 fans at the Ted Constant Convocation Center saw Old Dominion prevail, 68-57. The Monarchs have claimed victory in six of the last seven meetings.
Norfolk State men's basketball
“We look forward to our game against Norfolk State as we wind up our non-conference portion of our 2017-18 schedule,” said ODU Director of Athletics Dr. Wood Selig when the game was announced this summer.
The Monarchs will theme this game as a 'Throwback Night'. For most of the 1980's and 90's, ODU played the majority of its home games at Norfolk Scope. The Monarchs plan to do throwback uniforms for the game, reflective of some of the University's jerseys from that era.
ODU and the Spartans tip-off at 7pm Friday night. News 3 will have live pregame and postgame coverage of the crosstown showdown.
