ODU-Norfolk State basketball series is steeped in history. Why isn't it an annual affair?

NORFOLK, Virginia -- When Old Dominion and Norfolk State began playing basketball more than five decades ago, it may have been the best rivalry in the commonwealth.

Both were Division II powerhouses. ODU twice went to the Division II Final Four and won the 1975 national championship. Norfolk State advanced to the Elite Eight in 1974, upsetting the Monarchs in an NCAA regional game at ODU along the way.

Sellout crowds usually packed Scope or the old ODU fieldhouse. Most contests were physical, and victories were celebrated by players and fans .

I was there for many of them and got to see legendary players such as Bobby Dandridge, Dave Twardzik, Charles Bonaparte and Joel Copeland.

Unfortunately, the rivalry tailed off after ODU made the jump to Division I in 1977 and didn't pick back up much after the Spartans made the same move two decades later.

Friday night, the teams meet again at Scope in what officials view as a test drive to see if the rivalry still has drawing power.

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