Rams must shape up or ship out
Monday, November 29, 2010
With a 5-2 record entering Saturday’s intra-state showdown against Providence, the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team is on a realistic pace to enter Atlantic-10 play next month with double-digit wins for the fourth year in a row. Whether this season ends differently than the previous three depends on how they respond once the critical portion of their schedule begins.
We all know the Rams have crashed horribly down the stretch in each of the last three years, forcing them to settle for a trip to the NIT instead of a spot at the big-boy’s table in March. And thanks to that lethargic loss to the Flames last weekend, we now know the Rams have no shot at matching last year’s 12-1 non-conference record, which puts even more pressure on the team to finish strong next month before A-10 play begins on Jan. 9.
To put it bluntly, the Rams can’t afford anymore bad losses because we have no idea what will happen once the calendar turns to January. Once again, the Rams are somewhat of a “tweener.” Even the most wide-eyed optimist would admit they probably won’t be one of those automatic at-large teams when the tournament committee makes its picks, which means they’ll either need a strong showing in the A-10 Tournament in March or they’ll need to win it outright in order to reach the NCAAs.
The opposition between now and Jan. 9 isn’t particularly strong – the only threatening game remaining on the non-conference schedule is a showdown at 16th-ranked Florida on Jan. 3 – but the spacing between games is somewhat erratic. Starting Saturday at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, the Rams will play nine games in 31 days before their A-10 opener against Xavier. Saturday’s turf war against the Friars will be their first game in a week. They’ll take another week off between Dec. 11 (Quinnipiac) and 18 (New Hampshire) and then one more seven-day break for Christmas between Dec. 22 and 29. This stretch can be construed as somewhat frightening if you’re a die-hard Rhode Island fan. There’s a lot of inactivity between games, which can lead to rust or – even worse – a lack of focus without something to shoot for every few days.
The aforementioned loss to Illinois-Chicago came on the final leg of a three-games-in-three-days stretch at the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, an indication that the letdown could be somewhat attributed to fatigue, though the Flames were also playing their third game in three days, which means they dealt with the same adversity. Plus, the Rams might be in a position down the stretch where they need to win three games in three days at the A-10 Tournament, so they better figure out how to adapt between now and March.
The bottom line is the Rams need to wipe the floor with the likes of Providence, Northeastern, Lafayette and even Boston College, which is 5-2 after beating California on Sunday, but actually has a lower RPI (Rating Percentage Index) than Bryant despite the fact it plays in the ACC; in other words, these wins won’t particularly help the Rams, but losing to either of those teams would conversely put them in must-win status way earlier than they’d like to be.
How this year’s team responds within its conference depends on its mental makeup in conjunction with the current state of the A-10. Outside of Temple, which is ranked 21st in the latest Associated Press poll, this isn’t a particularly strong year for the A-10. Richmond and Xavier are prototypical bubble teams, but depending on how the rest of the season unfolds it’s not a stretch to say the A-10 will be fortunate to get two teams to the Big Dance in March, unless there’s a major upset in the conference tournament.
The only loss that wouldn’t kill the Rams at this point would be losing to Florida, but a win would be huge if this year’s team winds up on the bubble. When it comes to filling out those final three or four slots in the field of 64, one of the deciding factors for the tournament committee is how a team performs against elite competition. The Rams have lost 23 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents and haven’t beaten a Top 5 team in 12 years.
The good news is reinforcements are on the way. Six-foot-9 junior forward Orion Outerbridge and 6-foot-5 junior forward Jamal Wilson return next month, which should help the Rams under the basket and on the break – better defense and more healthy bodies equals more energy in transition; the Rams could certainly use help in all three categories.
No one ever said this would be easy. The Rams haven’t been to the NCAAs since 1999, and the journey seems to get tougher as the stakes get higher. There’s no point lamenting the past. The Rams know where they stand and they know what they have to do between now and March. They’ll have their work cut out for them, and it’ll only get worse if they hit anymore roadblocks along the way.
Related Articles
- Rams trounce winless Toledo for third consecutive win
- Solid effort by Rams, but not good enough
- James reaches milestone in Rams’ victory
- Rams Cruise to First Road Victory
- Rams Hang Tough, Fall to #4 Pitt
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It