Questions That Have Emerged for Fordham so Far in 2014-15 Season

Fordham was reintroduced Wednesday night to a lesson it had learned long ago: Winning road games in college basketball is difficult.

Playing away from home against any opponent is a challenge. Playing on the road against one of the better teams in the Atlantic 10 is an even greater task.

Fordham hung in there against Rhode Island. It trailed by only four at the half, and the game was tied late. Ultimately, though, the Rams fell to Rhode Island, 68-65, remaining winless on the road and dropping to 5-8 overall.

Fordham returns to the Rose Hill Gym Saturday night for a game against the Dayton Flyers. Despite the fact that they'll be back home where it's won all five of its games this year, it won't get any easier. Dayton is 11-2.

Like any other program, there are questions. For the young Rams, there are many. Here are the ones that have emerged so far this season that will impact the future.

Fordham can use all the help it can get. Here are some key contributors over the first two months of the season that the Rams will continue to count on:

Mandell Thomas, a junior, is averaging 13.3 points per game. He's scored in double figures in 12 of Fordham's 13 games. Will he continue to produce at that level?

Ryan Rhoomes, one of only three upperclassmen, will play a huge role all season. He's averaging 9.6 rebounds per game, and at 6'8" he gives the Rams a presence down low that they desperately need. Rhoomes will have to be even better as the Rams move through A-10 play. He's certainly capable.

Christian Sengfelder was just named the A-10 Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. He's the team's third-leading scorer, averaging 11.2 points per game while pulling down 6.8 rebounds per game. He only has 11 points combined in the Rams' first two conference games. How will he fare the rest of the way now that the competition has gotten a whole lot better?

Despite his suspension and then leave of absence, Jon Severe has a chance to be a huge part of Fordham's future. The sophomore guard averaged 17.3 points per game last year. At his best, he can be an elite scorer.

But Severe's season has gotten off to a rough start, and he has a lot of work to do to get back into things.

In two games since returning from his leave of absence, Severe has played 35 minutes and has 13 points. He had five turnovers in his first game back and was 1 of 7 from the floor in Wednesday night's loss.

Lost in all the recent drama is the fact that this is one talented basketball player. If he scores like he did last year, and plays under more control, he could be the reason the Rams win games. It's important to note, however, that the Rams won four games without him.

Severe will have to earn his minutes, among other things he'll need to do, before we can really measure his impact.

Eric Paschall has not disappointed early in his Fordham career. He's averaging a team-high 16 points a game, yet you still get the feeling that the best is yet to come.

Paschall scored 31 points on opening night and has scored in double digits in nine of Fordham's first 13 games. He's averaging 17 points and 7.5 rebounds through two A-10 games, signs of what Paschall can do on the big stage.

Whenever you talk about what's ahead for the program, he's a big part of the conversation. Paschall is Fordham's top recruit—in so many ways the key to its future—and so the question is how good can be be?

So far, you have to like the results.

Antwoine Anderson is a guy who head coach Tom Pecora talked a lot about during the offseason. Over the first two months of the year, it's obvious why.

One of seven freshmen on this year's team, Anderson has shown signs early on that he can be the point guard of the future. Though he began the year coming off the bench, he's started seven games this season, and right now he appears to be the Rams' best option at the point.

Nemanja Zarkovic is a quality guard who possesses intangibles that will no doubt be very useful in the years to come. He should still be looked at as a big part of the future.

But right now Anderson has the edge. The redshirt freshman has 43 assists in 11 games and is averaging 8.3 points per game. His speed and athleticism can dazzle.

Obviously, the point guard position is vital, and Fordham is relying on its youth at this most pivotal spot. This is also a team that was desperately seeking a point guard this offseason, and so this will be one of many focal points this year.

Fordham will see a lot of quality point guards and will face a lot of pressure in the A-10. This is a very important position, and Anderson's development will be watched closely all year.

Since they joined the conference prior to the 1995 season, life in the Atlantic 10 has been incredibly difficult for the Rams.

They're 72-234 against conference opponents and 0-2 so far this year.

The A-10, having sent six teams to last year's NCAA tournament, has never been better. While the league might not repeat its heroics of a season ago, it's still one of the top basketball conferences in the country.

As of games through Jan. 7, there are nine teams in the conference with records above .500. The top three teams—Dayton, George Washington and VCU—are all at .800 or better. Davidson, new to the league, is seven games over .500.

This year, for the first time, Fordham will play 18 games against A-10 teams. It starts with a grueling stretch of games against VCU, Rhode Island and Dayton, right now three of the top four teams in the conference. It won't get any easier after that.

How this young Rams' team responds to the nightly challenges it will face will be worth noting. Last night's game was encouraging. After losing to VCU to open conference play on Sunday, the Rams went on the road and gave Rhode Island a run for its money. Fordham came up short, but it competed.

Last year's team responded the same way. As the losses mounted late in the year, Fordham hung in there and almost pulled off upsets against La Salle and George Washington at the end of the regular season. Then, the Rams snapped an eight-game losing streak with a win in the play-in game of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

Fordham didn't quit. We'll see how resilient this year's team is.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Follow him on Twitter: @CFCostello