With a 19-3 record, 5-2 in the Atlantic 10, the Rhode Island men’s basketball team has exceeded all expectations for the 2007-2008 season. At their current mark, the Rams have equaled their best start after 22 games in program history. URI is currently second in the A-10. They are in a great position to make a strong run at the conference tournament and possibly the NCAA Tournament if they continue their strong play.
The Rams have been led by senior forward Will Daniels and junior guard Jimmy Baron Jr., son of coach Jim Baron. Daniels is currently averaging 18.1 points per game to go along with 6.6 rebounds, and an efficient .508 field goal percentage. Baron is averaging 16 points a game and is shooting .448 from 3-point range.
URI has played especially well at home, notching an 11-0 record at the Ryan Center. The Rams are also undefeated on neutral sites, going 5-0 on nonpartisan courts. URI will travel to the Mullins Center on Thursday to take on the UMass.
Dayton struggles
After starting 14-1, the Dayton has lost four out of their last five games, dropping their record to 15-5. The Flyers’ struggles have come in the heart of A-10 conference play, posting a 3-4 record against fellow conference teams. Though Dayton has had key non-conference victories against Louisville (16-6) and No. 21 Pittsburgh (17-5), the Flyers have struggled to beat the top teams in the A-10, losing games to No. 13 Xavier (18-4) and, most recently, a 12-point loss to URI.
With upcoming games against Charlotte, Temple, and current A-10 leaders St. Joseph’s and Xavier, the Flyers will need to improve their play if they want to salvage their season.
A-10 in the polls
The Atlantic 10 had one representative in this week’s Associated Top 25 Poll, the Xavier Musketeers. Xavier continues to climb up the Top 25, coming in at 13th this week. Rhode Island, the next closest A-10 team, came up 36 votes short of making the ranks. Both Xavier and URI continue to prove themselves as the class of the A-10. Xavier is currently tied with St. Joseph’s for first in the A-10 with a 6-1 conference record. URI is second with a 5-2 record.
Weekly Honors
Junior forward Rob Diggs of George Washington was named A-10 Player of the Week. Diggs had his fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds on Jan. 30 in a loss against St. Joseph’s.
Guard Kevin Anderson of Richmond and forward Matt Morgan of St. Bonaventure were named A-10 Co-Rookies of the Week. Anderson had a game-high 17 points in Richmond’s 64-58 win at Charlotte, while Morgan averaged 11.5 points and seven rebounds in games against Duquesne and LaSalle.
Ricky Eddleston can be reached at [email protected].
