Rhode Island Rams Basketball

Another rainy day in Kingston, RI, as the students file back to school and here we are with the Runnin' Rams sitting at 15-3. Panic time!

Are you kidding me?

All I've heard for the past few days since the Rams lost to Xavier is the usual "Baron can't coach in the A-10," or "Here we go again, book your NIT tickets." Wake up people.

The Rams are 15-3. One early season loss on the road to a probable NCAA tournament team. One road loss to a sure-fire NCAA tourney team, and one loss to then No. 19 Temple.

Will you explain to me how we are supposed to be panicking?

Yes, losses like the one on Saturday are certainly disheartening to Rhody fans, but to be bailing on this team after losing a game in a building they have NEVER WON A GAME IN, ever, is a bit ridiculous.

Yes, URI has never won in the Cintas Center since it opened its doors 10 years ago.

It is also worth noting that Xavier now has won 19 straight at home, the seventh longest active streak in the NCAA, and 27 straight conference home games.

I really don't understand where these make-or-break expectations about Saturday's game came from.

While some cite Jim Baron's team's late season woes of the past few years, the bottom line was URI couldn't put the ball in the hoop. You are not going to beat a good Xavier team by shooting 40 percent from the field and 60 percent from the line. Never mind hitting only two three-pointers and getting out-rebounded 36-25.

Other than the terrible numbers, believe it or not, URI actually controlled the tempo and game for most of the 40 minutes. That being said, Rhode Island did not play anywhere near their best basketball.

As far as the impending "Baron Skid" as I saw one blogger post, you have got to be kidding me.

A loss to a top 40 team on the road after blowing out two lesser foes is not the "BS" as we will call it.

The "BS" happens when your ranked Rams team goes into unranked 9-7 St. Louis to get beat down and then follow with five straight losses down the road.

Or when you're one home win away from an almost certain at-large bid and all you need to do is beat two teams that you just beat the week before. Win one at home and you're in. They couldn't even do that.

That's the BS. 

All of that being said, this Dayton game is looming large on Tuesday for the Rams, who are seeking their first signature win among the Atlantic 10's elite teams.

Even with a loss to Dayton on Tuesday, URI will have another chance at an important quality A-10 win when they see Temple in Philadelphia in a few weeks.

Win or lose either of those games, if Rhode Island can play smart and not lose any bad games, they'll finish 24-5 going into Atlantic 10 conference play and a chance at possible revenge against some of the A-10 elite.

Regardless, pop a Xanex and relax, there's plenty of basketball left before we need to even look at the panic button.

Scary to think about, almost blasphemous, but I have to ask the question: was losing to No. 19 Temple actually a good thing for the Rhode Island Rams?

Coming into another home game vs. Duquesne tonight, Rhode Island stands at 14-2.

With those last two wins coming at the hands of very weak opponents, Fordham and St. Joe's, URI was able to do something with those teams they haven't done in a while in A-10 play.

Demolish them.

With the exception of last year's 31-point blow out of Fordham, you have to go back to 2006 to find beatings dished out by Rhode Island this bad.

Never mind back-to-back. 

The reality is, back to back games of 18 point or better throttlings are not commonplace during A-10 play for URI.

This year, Fordham kept with URI until the real Rams showed up during a 32-4 run in the second half that let the lead balloon to 28 amidst a barrage of Sportscenter-Top-10-Worthy Dunks. 

The St. Joes game was over when tip off came, URI jumped out to a 7-0 lead, 58-34 by the half, and kept it up from there.

Back to the question at hand, was losing to No. 19 Temple at home really a bad thing?

Had URI won that game, there was a good chance they could have been ranked the following Monday with all the hype surrounding their 12-1 record and victories over PC, BC and Oklahoma State.

From what we've seen in the past, the weight of a number in front of this team, this early into conference play, can be a bad thing.

In 07-08, ranked as high as No. 20, the high flying Rams went into No. 22 Dayton on an eight-game win streak and lost.

While they were able to squeak out a two-point win over Duquesne after that, Rhody stumbled to finish 7-9 in conference play.

Last season, URI went down the final stretch riding a six-game winning streak at the right time, including a thriller over previously ranked Dayton, gaining a lot of national attention from bracketologists.

But it seemed like Rhody thought they had an NCAA bid all sewn up when they dropped a heart-breaker at home to a UMass team they had just beat a week earlier.

That was followed by another dream-killing loss to Duquesne in the A-10 tourney, a team they had also beat on the road the week before.

Had URI beat Temple and possibly succumb to the pressure of being a top-25 team, a let down loss to St. Joe's or Fordham could have been a very large stumbling block on the road to an NCAA at-large bid.

A win against Temple and a loss to either St. Joe's or Fordham would look far worse than two blow out wins over weaker opponents and a single-digit, overtime loss to a ranked team.

Although it was at home, losing to a ranked team is never a bad loss. With their two losses to teams that are almost shoe-ins to the big dance this year, URI's tournament resume is not all that bad.

Ranked, marquee wins look nice, but a bad loss can hurt far worse than a good win can help.

Bad losses negate big wins.

Bad losses after big wins make teams look lucky, spotty, and inconsistent.

Both are a downer for anyone's tournament hopes.

The Rhode Island games previous to Temple were nearly all nail-biters. Five out of the last six games didn't see a win greater than five points and had a buzzer beater at Drexel. Had URI lost one of those games to Fairfield, Drexel, Akron, or Northeastern, this Temple loss would have been crushing.

Against Temple, Rhody played their worst game of the season. At least it happened against a team they could stomach losing to.

Reading the body language and hearing the players talk after the Temple loss, no one looked or sounded broken.

No one was concerned with how bad they felt about losing, they just kept playing their game. They knew they were a better team than the performance they gave on the court and just moved on.

These last two games have proved that.

Honestly, the Temple game feels like it was months ago.

How ironic would it be, to be there in March looking back at this season saying it was a big loss that pulled this team together and set the stage for an NCAA tournament run?

While those inside the Rhode Island program may have been quietly confident about the Rams' chances this season to reach postseason play and challenge for the Atlantic 10 title, those around the Atlantic 10 had their doubts. Rhode Island was picked to finish eighth out of 14 teams in the 2009-10 Atlantic 10 preseason poll .

But the Rams, under the leadership of coach Jim Baron, are defying the preseason expectations, sporting an 11-1 record heading into tonight's game versus Akron. With wins over BCS conference foes such as Providence , Boston College , and Oklahoma State , Rhode Island has to be included in the discussion as a contender for the conference title.

The key to the Rams' success has been the play of three seniors who were previously asked to play supporting roles stepping up their game. Keith Cothran, a 6'4" guard, has become the leading scorer for Rhode Island, a role he wasn't so sure he wanted in the preseason.

"It's a little tough, to be honest, because at times I'm going to have to confront or get on my teammates," Cothran said in an interview with Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook prior to the season.

Cothran has increased his scoring from 13.2 points per game last season to 16.8 this season. Part of the reason may be his improved free-throw shooting. After shooting 60 percent at the stripe last season, and no better than 66 percent in his career, Cothran is 40-52 at the line this season (77 percent).

Delroy James, a 6'8" forward, and Lamonte Ulmer, a 6'6" forward, have increased their scoring outputs as well. 

James has adjusted well to his increased role, after being the team's sixth man last season. The increased minutes have seemed to help his shooting stroke. He is averaging 13 points a game, up from 9.9 points per game last season. Although his overall shooting percentage is down, James has made great strides in his shooting at the line and behind the arc. 

At the line, James is 30-36 (83 percent) after shooting just 61.5 percent last season.  James has already made and attempted more three-pointers this season than all of last season.  Shooting just 9-40 last season from three, James is already 14-41 this season, a much more respectable 34 percent.

Ulmer is an energy guy who has become more of a factor on the offensive end as well.  Ulmer is averaging 11.5 points per game this season, up from 7.7 a game last year.  Ulmer leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game, impressive for someone at his size.  He is also shooting at a very high percentage, converting on 55.4 percent of his field goal attempts.

"He's one of the best athletes I've ever had," Baron said of Ulmer in the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook earlier this season. "He can get up and down the floor and really attacks the basket.

It's not just a three-man show up in Kingston though. The Rams have plenty of depth to support the big three. Six other players are playing at least 10 minutes per game. They are all contributing in the score book as well, as all six of those players average at least four points per game.

Rounding out the starting five are 7' junior center Will Martell, who holds down the paint, contributing a solid 6.8 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, and 6'1" junior guard Marquis Jones, who runs the point unselfishly with 5.6 points per game and a conference leading 5.2 assists per game.

Leading the bench are sophomore forward Orion Outerbridge and freshman guard Akeem Richmond. Outerbridge is scoring 7.8 points per game and chipping in 3.5 rebounds in 18 minutes per outing. Richmond is an outside threat, shooting 35.6 percent from three (21-59), putting up 7.6 points per game in just 16 minutes of action per night.

With all of the depth and options Baron has, it's easy to explain the team's efficiency on offense. Opposing defenses cannot key on one or two players, as everyone is capable of putting the ball in the hoop. Rhode Island is shooting 48 percent from the field, and averaging 1.1 points per possession, ranking first in the Atlantic 10 and 27th nationally.

The Atlantic 10 will definitely not be a cakewalk with Dayton , Richmond , Temple , and Xavier all looking solid in non-conference play as well. But if Coach Baron can keep the balanced and efficient offense going, the Rams will be a major factor in the A-10 title race this season.

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KINGSTON - RI. As we've seen before under the guidance of Jim Baron, the Runnin' Rams are doing just that, running, out of the gate.

An unassuming, but deadly squad led by seniors Keith Cothran and Lamonte Ulmer, and junior guard Delroy James are sitting at 8-1, with an eye-opening, steam-rolling victory over ACC rival Boston College, in Boston last Sunday. We have certainly seen this type of breakout before, during URI's 60 plus wins in the last 3 years.

The problem with this for Rhody fans, is the late season melt-downs that had the sure-fire NCAA Tournament bound Rams come one game short.

In 2010, however, this Cinderella might be asked dance come March.

In '06-'07 a young Rhody team shocked everybody with an upset of Xavier in the Atlantic 10 semi-finals. During the final game in Atlantic City, the Rams hung with George Washington in an ultimately losing battle that had kept them from the NCAA tournament for the 7th straight season.

In '07-'08 a Will Daniels-led Rhody squad caught fire and came out 15-2, their only losses on away floors to Boston College and a #22 Dayton squad, with the Rams being ranked as high as #21 in the country.

What seemed to be a slower tempo team then went 6-8 the rest of the way during conference play, including 5 straight losses, culminating with a disheartening 74-73 loss to Creighton in the first round of the NIT.

A game that had Rhody up 17 points well into the second half, but ended with a Cavel Witter 3-pointer with 3.2 left on the clock to seal it for the Blue Jays.

'08-'09 had more of the same in store for the Rams, who hit their stride in the stretch run during conference play and won 7 straight, including a wild, overtime, buzzer-beating performance over Dayton, who had just exited the top 25 that week.

While this team was great, led by long-range sniper Jimmy Baron and big-man Kahiem Seawright, they lacked the marquee wins to add to their 22 win resume.

They had opportunities, for sure - a white-knuckle, edge-of-your-seat, 3-point loss at #5 Duke, a loss against #22 Villanova that had the Rams playing their 4th game in 7 days, a back-and-forth loss against Big 12 opponent Oklahoma State, a drag-out 2 point drop at home against #16 Xavier and the very hard to swallow 1 point loss to in-state rival Providence College.

A power conference, quality win, might have been enough for the Rams, who had a 12-2 home record, to overcome the loss to a lesser UMASS team in the final regular-season game at the Ryan Center.

The A-10 tournament had the boys from Kingston sitting as the #2 seed, but they dropped a 78-74 decision to a Duquesne team that they had beaten only a week before. NIT play had more of the same, with a win at Niagara but a loss to a Penn State team that they had fully dominated back in November.

The tournament game ended with the Rams unable to hit a field-goal in the last 7 minutes of regulation.

This year, however, looks to be different. While being picked to finish in the lower half of the A-10 standings and miss post-season play, the players on this team aren't strangers to shattering expectations.

The Rams that finished at #2 in the A-10 last year, were also picked to finish 8th and miss the post-season.

What separates this team from the past, and from their opponents? Two things. Depth and athleticism.

While these have become staples of the run-and-gun style of Jim Baron's Runnin' Rams, they have really come to fruition this season.

While depth has been what has kept this team's legs fresh this year, the quality of players coming off the bench this season are troubling for any defense to say the least.

This "backup" squad is unrelenting and doesn't give teams much breathing room when Rhody's starters are off the court.

Athletically, to say this team is gifted is an understatement. Combine that with the fitness of this team and you begin to understand why this team is called the Runnin' Rams.

While this may not be the most skilled basketball team in the NCAA, this is certainly one of the fastest and in-shape squads in D-1. When they control the tempo and play what seems to be a frantic and hectic pace for other teams, like they did at Boston College, the conditioning shows.

This allows them to hang with any team in the nation. Because of the depth, no one on the Rams roster is averaging over 30 minutes a game, key not only in keeping players healthy all season, but in having players who can continue to push the tempo on the floor, no matter who they are, for a full 40 minutes.

While there were doubts about this teams ability to run an effective half-court offense when the pace of the game has slowed, these doubts are starting to fade.

Every player has made strides at their positions and can make plays at any point in the game. While Cothran is the out-right scoring leader, averaging over 17 a game, it seems that someone different steps up every night.

In an A-10 with spectacular guard play, the team who's frontcourt and center can pick up slack when the guards drop it will be the one finishing on top.

Why this team is different than last year? The half court offense.

Where this team has begun to slide in the past years, has certainly been in conference play. Teams that are familiar with Rhody's hellacious tempo work on ways to slow it down and in the past, the half-court offense was ineffective.

The sets, essentially, depended on Jimmy Baron coming off of a screen to make a shot, even if the play wasn't designed for it. When the play broke down, Jimmy was there, and to his credit, made the most of it.

Without a lock-down deep threat on the floor this year, many were nervous about how the Rams would be able to play at a slower pace.

What it looks like now though, is a team that has a number a threats from deep and mid-range. While you shouldn't expect to see performances like the 9 of 15 3 point shooting clinic the boys in Keaney Blue put on at Boston College, expect to see a number of players that can hit shots and make plays from anywhere on the floor.

While last year defenses knew that Baron was the man who would be taking the shot in a clutch situation, defenders will not know who the ball is going to and who is going to make a play on any given night. The balance on this team is scary for any opponent.

What the year will come down to for the Rams as a team is how well they can use the opportunities they will be given. They will have only a few games to open eyes with marquee victories and need to capitalize on them.

A loss by 2 at VCU is not going hurt their NCAA Tournament bid hopes, as long as they can secure a big road and a few big home wins.

They have stepped up to the occasion so far, beating both power conference teams they have faced, one of them away, and need to gain one more big win before they see Temple in mid-January.

The Oklahoma State game at Mohegan Sun on January 2nd, is going to be the true measuring stick for this team.

Playing a very good team from a very good Big 12 will be one of the victories they will need on their resume come March. The difference between a bubble team with 23 wins and a team admitted with 22 is how many of those wins are of the high quality nature.

Besides VCU, PC, BC and Oklahoma State, their out-of-conference play schedule has been weak and will continue to be so until they reach A-10 play.

The advantage for the Rams is the strength of the A-10 Conference.

Ranked 6th in the Sagarin Index, the A-10 is the strongest non-BCS league by far, and ranked better than the PAC-10. As long as these squads continue to play this well, Rhody could have the potential to play 5 games against ranked opponents (Temple twice, Dayton, Xavier, Richmond).

A win or two or three against a ranked team in conference and the Rams should be able to overcome the out-of-conference strength of schedule woes and climb in the RPI and the polls.

What makes the A-10 so exciting to watch is also it's biggest vice when it comes time for NCAA Tournament bids. The teams play with each other, no matter how good or bad they are, and beat each other up.

If Temple, Dayton, Xavier, Charlotte, Richmond and URI can stay away from bad losses and separate themselves from the pack, the A-10 could essentially be a 5 bid league.

While it's a stretch to say the least, realistically, you are looking at an A-10 that will send 3, maybe 4 teams to the big dance, so long as the winning ways continue. Vital for the Rams is going to be seizing these opportunities and getting the quality wins.

My prediction?

URI will finish with between 23-25 wins in the regular season. Lofty I know, but the reality is, that this team plays with whoever their opponent is, good or bad.

They can certainly win the rest of their games until A-10 play starts, and go 12-4, or better, in conference. Their keys will be to:

1) Protect the fort - win at home at the Ryan Center, something they've been quite good at in recent memory.

2) Win all the games they should, lose none of the ones they shouldn't - as long as the losses are not to opponents outside of the top 100 they'll be alright.

3) Win big games - The NCAA Tournament doesn't hand out bids to decent teams, they give them to the good ones. You become a good team by beating better ones. The lack of big games this season magnifies this for the Rams. Luckily they'll also have opportunities to bolster their resume with a stacked A-10 in the conference tournament.

As a team widely overlooked year in and year out, it is understandable why the "experts" think that post-season play isn't likely.

The Rams still haven't been back to the big time since Lamar Odom's miracle shot against Temple in '99.

But this year looks different. This year, they won't need a miracle shot. They won't need one guy to do all the heavy lifting and they won't fall apart at the end.

This team is filled with players who have been on top and watched it slide away before and do not want that feeling again.

They will not get a big head no matter what number comes in front of their name or whether one comes at all.

Above all else they are a team, in every sense of the word. They are putting their heads down and playing.

Flat out playing.

They are killing themselves on and off the court to make sure that a meltdown won't happen again. Knock on some wood and mark these words:

Cinderella is wearing a Keaney Blue dress to the ball this year.

By Kevin Ryder

KINGSTON, RI—It is something that fans of the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball program have been waiting for since Lamar Odom’s wild three-pointer beat Temple in the finals of the 1999 A-10 Tournament.

It is something that has eluded head coach Jim Baron since he arrived to a mess of a basketball program that was Rhode Island earlier this decade.

It almost happened last year, when the Rams were in the top 25 for a blink of the eye before a late-season collapse, including finding every conceivable way to lose games over the final few minutes of the game, put the Rams in the NIT and a first-round exit.

It could happen this year, and last night’s thrilling two-point overtime win over a very tough Dayton squad was just what the Rams needed.

“It” is the NCAA Tournament. “It” is what separates the haves from the have-nots in the college basketball landscape. “It” is the difference between sellout crowds, national television exposure, and truly being a part of March Madness and ending up in the no-one-cares abyss of the NIT or, gasp, the College Basketball Invitational.

The Rams (21-8, 10-4 in the Atlantic 10) have not cashed in on their opportunities for a high-profile win this season. They have had plenty of chances, and each one seemed to end in a harsher way than the previous one.

Let’s take a quick look back.

Nov. 16 @ Duke

A game that just about everyone, including yours truly, thought the Rams had less than a 0 percent chance of winning. Yet there they were, riding the hot hand of Jimmy Baron to a second-half lead at Cameron Indoor with a legitimate chance to win. Of course, some questionable calls went against Rhody, and the Rams left with some national respect, but an 82-79 loss.

Nov. 29 vs. Villanova @ The Palestra

Now the final score will show that it wasn’t a close game. It was, for about the first 30 minutes. Then the Rams showed signs of fatigue, playing their fourth game of the week, and lost to the Wildcats 78-65.

Dec. 6 @ Providence

A tough loss for sure. The Rams were hurt by Baron being sick and could never build a solid lead over the Friars. In the end, an off-balance shot by Baron from the right wing went off the back rim, and the Rams lost 66-65.

Dec. 20 @ Oklahoma State

This was a game right up URI’s alley—up-and-down action, last team with the ball will win. They ran out to a double-digit lead over the Cowboys but couldn’t maintain it, and OSU hung on for a wild 86-82 victory.

There are four marquee games, at least against teams from marquee conferences, that the Rams let slip through their fingers. A win in one or two of those games, and URI is probably on the inside looking out of the NCAA Tournament picture.

In league play, the Rams have suffered a triple-overtime loss at St. Joe’s, a two-point setback to nationally-ranked Xavier at home and a three-point loss to Richmond. But since that loss to the Spiders, the Rams have been on fire, winning nine of their last 10 games, the lone setback a 68-62 loss at Temple.

That brings us to last night at the Ryan Center: an overtime win over a quality team, the one thing the Rams had lacked so far this season. A game-winning shot from the most unexpected source, sophomore point guard Marquis Jones, and big shots all night from Baron, Kahiem Seawright, Keith Cothran, and Delroy James.

It was a total team effort, the kind the Rams will need in their final two games of the season, at Duquesne and home against Massachusetts, before the A-10 Tournament in Atlantic City.

The Rams have experienced “it” for the first time in a long time—a quality win over a quality opponent. It was something needed if this team is going to make a serious run and a serious case for inclusion in the brackets on Selection Sunday.

Now URI wants to experience the ultimate “it,” a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time this decade and for the first time since Odom was an undergraduate student-athlete at the school. The key now will be to ride the momentum of the big win over Dayton and close out the season with wins over Duquesne and UMass and head into the conference tournament with a first-round bye and a legit shot at making the championship game.

If that happens, then the Rams might be dancing this season, might be a part of March Madness and experience the ultimate “it,” which would be a long time coming for this program.