With Sunday’s 76-70 loss to Saint Joseph’s, the Fordham men’s basketball team dropped its 13th-straight game.
Playing at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., the Rams looked like they were going to break their losing streak early on. At the end of the first half, Fordham led the Hawks by 12 points and was dominating the stat sheet.
The second half told a different story though, as Saint Joseph’s started off strong and never looked back. They would score 45 points in the half, well above their average of around 32 points per period. The comeback by the Hawks not only puts Fordham’s losing streak at 13 games, but it also keeps them winless in Atlantic 10 play at 0-11.
The beginning of the season appeared promising for the Rams, as they started off 6-4. That stretch included an impressive win against Big East foe St. John’s, which gained attention for knocking off one-loss Duke by 15 points and then-No. 10 ranked Connecticut. Since last winning a game on Dec. 22 at home versus Kennesaw State, the Rams have lost all 11 conference games. The worst of these defeats came Jan. 22 at Dayton where they would lose by a season-worst 34 points.
Fordham has five games remaining on its schedule. Of these five, the Rams best chance of getting a conference win will come March 2 against La Salle, which is 4-7 in A-10 play and 12-14 overall. If they cannot manage a win against the Explorers, their final game comes March 5 at home vs. Massachusetts (13-10, 5-5 A-10).
Temple, XU make top 25
Strong play all season has finally delivered merit for the top two teams in the A-10. Both Temple and Xavier have made the Associated Press Top 25 Men’s College Basketball poll, as of Feb. 14.
While the Owls have been in the Top 25 for a majority of the season, this week marks the first time that two A-10 teams have made it together as well as the first time for Xavier, breaking in at No. 25.
No. 24 Temple has played well all season long and has its most pivotal game coming up Thursday against Richmond. The Owls (20-6, 9-2 A-10) and the Spiders (20-6, 9-2 A-10) are currently tied for second in the A-10 behind the Musketeers. A win for either team will go a long way towards securing a No. 2 seed in the A-10 tournament, starting March 11 in Atlantic City, N.J.
Xavier also has played well all season long and went undefeated through seven A-10 games. The Musketeers first loss came at the hands of Charlotte (10-14, 2-8 A-10) by four on Feb. 2. Since then, the Musketeers have ripped off three-straight wins, two against division rivals Saint Louis and Duquesne. Although they are currently ranked behind Temple in the AP Top 25, Xavier certainly has the ability to do as well as the Owls in not only the A-10 tournament but the NCAA tournament as well.
Duquesne scoring margin
While its record may not look as impressive as the big boys of the A-10, Duquesne certainly deserves respect in the conference. Through Sunday, the Dukes (16-7, 8-2 A-10), lead the league in scoring margin at plus 13.6, more than four points higher than the next team, which is Richmond at plus 9.5.
The goal for Duquesne all season has been to put up points. They lead the A-10 in scoring with 80.2 points per game. More impressively, the Dukes have erupted for 90 or more points six times and have scored in the triple digits on two different occasions.
High scoring for the Dukes has not meant lackluster defense, however. As of Monday, they sit at seventh in the conference in scoring defense by allowing less than 68 points per game. Duquesne’s defense was on display Jan. 12 when they stifled Saint Louis, allowing the Billikens to score only 45 points on the road.
The ability for the Dukes to light up the scoreboard while also limiting their opponents on offense is going to make them a tough matchup come A-10 tournament time.
Matt Catizone can be reached at [email protected].
