Musketeer Madness

Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News today touched on the problems that some of the A-10's top RPI teams (all but Xavier) are having against their weaker conference opponents. Here are his comments:

Team of the week: Fordham made a mess of the Atlantic 10's plans for a huge at-large haul. The Rams took out conference bubble teams Massachusetts and Charlotte in the space of three days -- even beating the Minutemen on the road.

What is happening in the A-10 is exactly what the league needed not to happen -- Fordham, Richmond, Temple and Saint Louis are proving more difficult to beat than their preconference work indicated it would be, and many of the teams that tore through November and December getting big nonleague victories (Dayton, UMass, Charlotte and, to a lesser extent, Rhode Island) are buried in the middle of the pack. There may be fewer bids for this league than many were dreaming six weeks ago.

Now La Salle knocks off St. Joe's. All of a sudden there are lots of A-10 bubble teams.

Dear Fordham,

Come on!! If you're going to go off an beat UMass and Charlotte, then please make sure you beat Charleston and Robert Morris and UNC Greensboro when you had the opportunities. You scheduled well this year, but you need to win those winnable games, so you don't drag down the conference top teams in February.

Dear St. Louis,

What is your problem? You score 20 against GW . . . 20 frickin' points!! You can't beat Missouri State early in the season, but you felt obligated to take out the Minutemen as they watch their bubble hopes pop. Please, when you travel to Charlotte and St. Joe's in the near future, think about what you are doing . . . maybe put 22 on the board this time.

Dear La Salle,

For the love of all humanity, what were you thinking? You, the team that scheduled New Jersey Institute of Technology . . . in February, and who suffered losses to Bucknel and Howard went and took out Martelli's men? Please stop it!! You are messing with a good thing. How are you ever going to get a basketball court that isn't over the swimming pool? You get more money when teams like St. Joe's make the Big Dance. Ugh, probably over your heads.

Dear UMass, Charlotte and St. Joe's,

While I have scolded the three teams above for their thoughtless play and ultimate insignificant wins, you need to do your part. Those losses hurt bad. You need to get up early, step on their neck, and not let them up. (B.Larkin) You need to act like you want to play in the field of 65. Please put together a nice streak of wins (less St. Joe's v Xavier) and make a run in the A10 (less you face X) and maybe, maybe, we will watch you play on CBS in March.