Upset-Minded Old Dominion Goes Way Back: The History of Monarchs Upsets

The Colonial Athletic conference has put together some nice teams over the years, along with some huge upsets over supposedly better teams. Don't tell the conference teams that they are the underdogs, or face the consequences.

Just ask Mike Brey and Notre Dame today. Always upset-minded Old Dominion took the Fighting Irish down earlier today.

To make you Notre Dame fans feel better, you weren't the first team to be upset by the Monarchs, nor will you be the last.

So, what are the biggest tournament upsets the Old Dominion Monarchs have ever pulled?

I'm giving that to you in this slideshow. Some you will be well aware of, others you will not quite remember, but an upset is an upset!

Here's a look back in time at the greatest upsets ever by Old Dominion.

1980: The First Tournament Appearance

In 1980, Old Dominion began its NCAA tournament history. Legendary coach Paul Webb led his team to a then ECAC South Tournament victory, thus getting the Monarchs in the tournament.

In the first-round matchup, the Monarchs took on No. 8 seed UCLA in Tempe, Ariz.

After falling behind by nine points early, Old Dominion could never get back into the game. UCLA would advance all the way to the title game, where they lost to Louisville.

Ninth-seeded Old Dominion loses, 87-74.

1985: The First At-Large Bid

Five years removed from leading his team to their first tournament appearance, Paul Webb and the Monarchs earned their first ever at-large bid.

As one of the last teams to get in the tournament, Old Dominion earned a 12 seed and was matched up against No. 5 Southern Methodist.

Webb's team competed the whole first half, but with about 15 minutes to play in regulation, the Monarchs went cold and missed eight consecutive shots, while SMU hit five in a row to put the nail in the coffin on Old Dominion's season.

Once again, another loss for Paul Webb's squad.

No. 12 Old Dominion—68
No. 5 Southern Methodist—85

1986: The First Win

Now under the reins of coach Tom Young, the Monarchs captured their first ever NCAA Tournament win over ninth seeded West Virginia.

Led by the play of Kenny Gattison (pictured) with 27 points, Old Dominion outlasted the Mountaineers in the first round of the 1985 NCAA Tournament.

Old Dominion—72
West Virginia—64

However, the Monarchs were not enough for the Duke Blue Devils, as they were defeated in the second round by the top seed in the tournament.

Old Dominion—61 Duke—89

1995: The Triple Overtime Thriller

In what may be the biggest upset ever pulled out by Old Dominion, the No. 14 Monarchs defeated the Villanova Wildcats in the first round of the 1995 Tournament.

What a way for Jeff Capel to begin his NCAA Tournament career. Petey Sessoms scored a career-high 35 points to help the Monarchs shock 'Nova in a triple-overtime thriller. This goes down as one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history.

Old Dominion—89 Villanova—81 (3OT)

Unfortunately, they ran out of gas in the second round against Tulsa. A Cinderella story is once again shot down by a higher team.

Old Dominion—52 Tulsa—64

2010: The Story Continues

Today, Old Dominion knocked off sixth-seeded Notre Dame, and taking another another step into the second round, as well as their team's history.

The Monarchs won a gutsy game against the Fighting Irish, winning 51-50 in a great game by both sides.

Frank Hassell led the team to the win with 15 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.

Old Dominion—51 Notre Dame—50

Can they finally advance to the Sweet 16? It's definitely possible. We could see history this season for the upset-seeking Old Dominion Monarchs.

They will face the winner of the third-seeded Baylor Bears and the No. 14 Sam Houston State Bearkats.

Here's to a first-ever Sweet 16 game for the Monarchs. Who knows, from there, anything can happen. Just ask Colonial Athletic foe George Mason.