So what's the deal with Old Dominion, anyway?
Old Dominion is a university located in Norfolk, Va., and is home to 20,802 students with 16 intercollegiate athletics teams.
This is the No. 12 Monarchs' first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1997 and they face No. 5 MSU at 9:40 p.m. Friday from the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.
The Monarchs finished the regular season with a 28-5 record, winning the Colonial Athletic Conference. MSU finished with a 22-6 record, the best since ending the 2000-01 season with a 28-5 record after a Final Four run.
Old Dominion features six players on its roster that are 6-foot-5 or taller, while MSU has 11. But of those 11, only five receive significant minutes.
Old Dominion features some solid players. Here's a breakdown:
Guards
For the Monarchs, Drew Williamson and Isaiah Hunter man the backcourt.
"They are very athletic at the guards," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said of the duo. "They're small and athletic. They're quick."
Williamson's body type is much like that of MSU freshman Drew Neitzel's, as Williamson stands in at 6-feet tall and 180 pounds.
Izzo said the Monarchs, like MSU, are a running team, averaging 71.2 points per game.
"They will run the ball," Izzo said. "They will push the ball up the court."
The Spartans guards are instrumental in running the team's fast break, an aspect that was taken away from them against Iowa.
"We want to run," Izzo said. "Why we didn't run as well the other night is because we took it away. I don't know if it was the number of free throws or stopped balls, it just didn't seem to be a lot of flow to the game."
Hunter is Old Dominion's second leading scorer at 13.4 points per game. He contributed 13 in the conference championship game, a win over Virginia Commonwealth.
"Their guards are pretty quick and don't turn the ball over," MSU senior guard Chris Hill said.
Both the Monarchs and the Spartans hold a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Forwards
Forward Alex Loughton, the CAA's Player of the Year, is a monster inside for Old Dominion. Arnaud Dahi and Kiah Thomas compliment Loughton inside.
'We're going to play them like we would anyone else," MSU junior center Paul Davis said.
Loughton averages 13.9 points per game and grabs 8.1 rebounds per game. Dahi averages 10.3 points and Thomas averages 8.3 points.
As a team, the Monarchs have outrebounded their opponents by only two boards per game. In contrast, MSU pulls down 8.1 more rebounds than its opponents per game.
In common
MSU and Old Dominion have had one common opponent, George Mason.
The Spartans defeated George Mason 66-60 in the consolation game of the BB&T Classic. The Monarchs split their pair with the Patriots, winning 71-58 at home on Jan. 15 and losing 74-58 on the road Feb. 16.
Izzo, though, didn't find much to take out of it.
"That weekend after that first game, we were screwed up," he said. "It helped a little bit, but I didn't get as much out of that yet as maybe I will."
