January 6, 2009  by WH | A10CollegeHoops

Here are my final noncon rankings and comments. Per usual, I am unlikely to post again until the end of league play once conference games begin.

Even though some teams have outperformed or underperformed my expectations, I can’t say any team has truly surprised me with the exception of GW (just terrible lately). I didn’t anticipate such a slow start for Charlotte, and UMass struggled more than I expected, but both teams had obvious question marks before the season began.

As of now, we only have two schools that look like NCAA teams, but Rhody has a decent chance and I expect another team to make a big run in league play (Temple with a full roster?). I would be thrilled to get three teams in given the so-so noncon performance.

Speaking of which, looks like I will finish 5 games below my noncon forecast. Ironically, this is the first year in awhile that I did not automatically deduct five wins from my combined forecast. Had I done so, I might be perfect! (not that it would be a good thing). Too many damned near misses and blown leads late in games.

VALEDICTORIANS

1)XAVIER (unchanged). The Muskies (11-2). The Musketeers bounced back from a two-game losing skid with convincing wins over Robert Morris and at Virginia. Frosh PG Terrell Holloway has taken over the starting position, allowing Dante Jackson to play more at his natural position of off-guard. Two other touted frosh, Kenny Frease and long-range gunner Brad Redford, have come on strong. Upperclassmen Derrick Brown and BJ Raymond have also stepped up. If Holloway continues to mature rapidly, the Musketeers have to be considered the clear league favorite.

2)DAYTON (unchanged). The Flyers (13-1) have beaten all the teams they are supposed to beat and have a marquee win over Marquette to put themselves in line for an NCAA bid. Dayton does struggle at times to put the ball in the basket, but the team is very athletic and plays topnotch defense. With just a little better shooting and scoring, the Flyers have all the tools to battle archrival Xavier for the league title.

HONOR ROLL

3)RHODE ISLAND (+1). The Rams (10-4) are a few points away – agonizingly close losses at Duke and Oklahoma State – from being locked in for an at-large bid. The team is still well positioned, but URI needs to rack up 11 or 12 wins in conference play and advance deep into the league tourney to merit consideration. Seven-foot sophomore Will Martell has been a surprise contributor while Jimmy Baron Jr. and Keith Cothran have performed like All-Conference players. The defense is still a bit unreliable, but the Rams are deep and athletic and have the talent to make a run for the conference championship.

AVERAGE STUDENTS

4)CHARLOTTE (+1). The 49ers (5-7) might be playing the best ball of any A-10 team outside of Xavier, Dayton and URI, but a rash of injuries has further depleted an already-thin roster. Sophomore forward An’juan Wilderness is out for a few weeks and sophomore Charles Dewhurst was lost for the year to a knee injury. Charlotte has no backup point guard and needs a few of its healthier players to step up. Hard to believe a 5-7 team might be the fourth best squad in the A-10, but every program in the conference has significant flaws.

5)RICHMOND (+1). The Spiders (8-6) are one of the most disappointing teams in the league despite eight wins. The team blew a late lead at Virginia Military Institute and has lost to all three in-state rivals (ODU and VCU are the others) even though the Spiders arguably have the most talent of the bunch. The defense has been soft and the offense mistake prone. Yet Richmond still has the size, athleticism and backcourt play to finish in the conference’s top four if the players learn how to close out games.

6) TEMPLE (-3). After beating Tennessee, the Owls (6-6) stumbled badly with three straight losses, including a whopper at Long Beach State. Temple rebounded Monday night with a win over Kent State. Sophomore forward Craig Williams had a career game (16 points) and touted Argentine PG Juan Fernandez (8 points, 4 assists) wowed the crowd in his debut. Temple’s problems have stemmed from poor point play – a concern of mine in my preseason review – and lethargic play among bigmen Lavoy Allen and Sergio Olmos. The addition of Fernandez and further contributions from Williams could make the Owls a big factor in conference play, however.

7)LASALLE (+2). The Explorers (8-5) beat several mediocre opponents to enter conference action with a three-game winning streak. Ruben Guillandeaux seems to be awaking from a season-long slumber while Rodney Green and Kimmani Barrett have stepped up their games. Defense and rebounding have kept LaSalle in most games, but postseason possibilities rest on whether the offense shows major improvement. The lack of consistent point play and outside shooting have been the team’s undoing.

*8*)ST. BONAVENTURE (unchanged). The Bonnies (7-3) recovered from a blowout loss at home to Niagara by topping Bucknell and Central Arkansas on the road. Granted, the competition wasn’t great, but two road wins of any sort is a big accomplishment for the rapidly recovering program. The 6-10 freshman sensation Andrew Nicholson looks like the program’s biggest recruiting find in a decade or more. Expect the Bonnies to be very competitive in most games, especially at home, and a winning record is by no means out of the question. The team now has enough talent to compete with almost any team in the A-10. Point play is just so-so, however, and the Bonnies lack outside shooting when Chris Matthews is cold.

9)DUQUESNE (+4). The Dukes (9-4) are one of the two big surprises in nonconference play, along with St. Bonaventure. They lost to the four best teams on their sked but have handled all the opponents from lesser conferences. Aaron Jackson, who’s playing like an A-10 First Teamer, is one of four “veterans” who have carried the program while the youngsters mature. Touted frosh Melquan Bolding has come on strong to join PG Eric Evans as top candidates for the league’s All-Rookie team. Shooter Jason Duty, formerly a recruited walk-on, has been a surprisingly big contributor. If only the Dukes had one legit bigman …

10) ST. LOUIS (+2). The Bills (9-5) have won seven of their last eight games against mostly weaker competition, though not without some struggles. Rick Majerus has his young squad playing solid defense and a controlled offense, but points sometimes are hard to come by. Frosh bigman Willie Reed looks like a future all-conference player and two other newcomers, PG Kwamain Mitchell and F Brian Conklin, have impressed. The Bills are a middle-of-the-pack team at best, but they will pull some upsets in league play.

BACK OF THE CLASS

11)ST. JOSEPH’S (-4). The Hawks (6-7) simply don’t have enough Division 1 players. Sophomore forward Idris Hilliard has shown marked improvement, but none of the reserves has contributed significantly. St. Joe’s has to rely on no more than 3-4 players, led by Ahmad Nivins, to do the scoring, but the core group doesn’t have tons of energy leftover for defense at the end of a game. The tank could run dry in late February unless Martelli develops a bench.

12)MASSACHUSETTS (-1). The Minutemen (5-8) followed a four-game win streak with a two-game skid in which the team lost by a combined 56 points to Houston and Vanderbilt. What to make? Impossible to say. Rookie coach Derek Kellogg sure looks green and senior point guard Chris Lowe is struggling mightily to run the new offense. Yet UMass is still capable of beating virtually any team in the A-10, as the win at Kansas attests. The first game in league play vs. Dayton could be telling.

CLASS CLOWNS

13)FORDHAM (+1). The Rams (2-10) have gotten a boost from 6-9 West Virginia transfer Jacob Green, but this team is headed for 20-plus losses. Much too young and much too small (-10 rebounding margin). Coach ain’t all that great, either.

14)GEORGE WASHINGTON (-4). The Colonials (6-6) aren’t worse than Fordham, but while the Rams are getting better, the Colonials have badly regressed. The team lost four straight to Vermont, Hawaii, Coppin State and … Longwood! Travis King is still not his old self, but at least he has an excuse. The same cannot be said for Rob Diggs, Wynton Witherspoon, Damian Hollis – or Karl Hobbs. GW is near the bottom of the league in scoring, shooting, rebounding and assists. Call the Coast Guard.

ALL-CONFERENCE PROJECTIONS (based on current performance)

POY

Dionte Christmas

FIRST TEAM

Dionte Christmas, Temple
Ahmad Nivins, St. Joseph’s
Derrick Brown, Xavier
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne
Chris Wright, Dayton

SECOND TEAM

Tony Gaffney, UMass
Jimmy Baron Jr., Rhode Island
Damian Saunders, Duquesne
Ricky Harris, UMass
Keith Cothran, Rhode Island

THIRD TEAM

Jonathan Hall, St. Bonaventure
David Gonzalvez, Richmond
Tommie Liddell, St. Louis
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Dijuan Harris, Charlotte

DEFENSIVE POY

Tony Gaffney, UMass

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Tony Gaffney, UMass
Garrett Williamson, St. Josephs
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Ahmad Nivins, St. Josephs

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Eric Evans, Duquesne
Terrell Holloway, Xavier
Jio Fontan, Fordham
Brian Conklin, St. Louis

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

Tony Gaffney

January 3, 2009 | AP Press

MUNCIE, Ind. — Ahmad Nivins scored 19 points and Tasheed Carr had 18 as Saint Joseph’s overcame a slow start for a 63-55 victory over Ball State on Saturday.

Ball State (5-7) held a 20-11 lead midway through the first half as Jarrod Jones scored eight early points and Malik Perry added seven for the Cardinals. That lead soon disappeared as Carr scored 11 points during a 17-4 run that gave the Hawks a four-point halftime lead.

The Hawks (6-7) never let Ball State get closer than five points in the second half as they held the Cardinals to 40 percent shooting for the game.

Carr hit all four of his free-throw shots in the final minute to help seal the victory.

Jones and Anthony Newell led Ball State as each had 16 points and nine rebounds.

Ball State outrebounded the Hawks 38-29, but committed 15 turnovers to 10 for Saint Joseph’s.

December 31, 2008 | AP Press

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Scott Rodgers scored 18 points as Drexel used two second-half runs and held off city rival Saint Joseph’s 64-52 Wednesday night.

Jamie Harris added 16 points for Drexel (4-6).

Tasheed Carr scored 19 points and Ahmad Nivins 16 for Saint Joseph’s (5-7).

Leading 35-30 with 15:48 left, the Dragons went on an 11-4 run, then, after a free throw by Carr, scored 12 of the next 14 points to lead 58-37 at the 3:58 mark.

Saint Joseph’s went on a 15-1 run to close within 59-52 with 32 seconds left, but could get no closer.

The Hawks used an early 10-0 run to take a 20-9 advantage, and led 26-16 with four minutes left in the first half.

Harris then sparked a 16-2 run and hit a 30-footer at the halftime buzzer that gave Drexel a 30-28 advantage at the break.

December 28, 2008 by WH | A10CollegeHoops

DRIVERS SEAT

1)  XAVIER (unchanged). The Muskies (9-2) were embarrassed by Duke, a team that is clearly superior at just one position (point guard) and lacks Xavier’s overall size and athleticism. It’s hard to be critical given the success of the program not only this season, but in recent years. Yet this was a hard loss to take given the high-profile opponent and the school’s first regular-season appearance (ever?) on a major over-the-air network. The effort seemed lacking and some of the players seemed intimidated. I expected better defense at the very least. Nonetheless, the Musketeers are still the A-10 frontrunner, notwithstanding problems with ball handling (12th in the league in turnover margin and last in assists).

2)  DAYTON (unchanged). The Flyers (11-1) are the only A-10 team aside from Xavier primed for an at-large bid. Sure, the sked has been relatively easy, but Dayton has done its part except for a blowout loss at the home of a very good Creighton team. The Flyers have prospered by dominating the boards (+7.1 margin), taking good care of the ball and defending tenaciously (34% FG defense, tops in the A-10). I mentioned a month ago that Dayton was struggling with outside shooting and some Flyers fans tried to downplay the matter. Well, 29% shooting from 3-point land doesn’t lie. Dayton still needs to shoot better to avoid a difficult patch in league play. Chris Johnon (7.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg) is one of the top contenders for All-Rookie team.

BACKSEAT GENERALS

3)  TEMPLE (unchanged). The Owls (5-5) continue their up and down play, blowing out Tennessee at home and then losing handily on the road to a very young and beatable Kansas squad. Losses to MAC opponents Buffalo and Miami have cost Temple pole position for an at-large bid. Point play has been a constant weakness. The defense has been disappointingly inconsistent (10th in the league in FG percentage defense). And Christmas has sometimes lacked offensive support from teammates. On the bright side, the Owls get touted frosh PG Juan Fernandez soon and the school still has good noncon opportunity with a game vs. No. 18 ranked Villanova. More than anything else, the defense has to tighten up.

4)  RHODE ISLAND (unchanged). The Rams (8-4) lost golden opportunities to burnish their at-large credentials with close losses in December at Oklahoma State and Providence. URI has to win its final three noncon games – it should be favored in all three – and win at least 11 games in regular-season A-10 play to remain in contention for an NCAA bid. The offense has been terrific – Rhody is scoring in bunches and shooting a high percentage. Yet the defense has been porous, even taking into account the fast pace at which URI plays (45% FG percentage defense, 13th in the A-10). A resurgent Jimmy Baron Jr. and the emergence of junior Keith Cothran as an all-league caliber player have been the key drivers.

THIRD ROW OF THE MINIVAN

5)  CHARLOTTE (+4). The 49ers (4-6) have won three straight, including gutty wins at Southern Illinois and Mississippi State. Bobby Lutz is running more set plays and better defining the roles of each player on offense. Too bad he didn’t do that before Charlotte effectively destroyed its chances of an at-large bid with a 1-6 start. The school would have to win all four remaining noncon games to revive that hope, but two of the opponents, Maryland and Tulsa, are formidable. Regardless of what happens, Charlotte looks like it’s going to play a big factor in conference play. The team clearly is good enough to win the A-10 tournament title, too. The question is whether the Niners can achieve those goals with Lamont Mack, one of my preseason picks for A-10 First Team, being such a big disappointment (34% FG, team-leading 31 turnovers).

6)  RICHMOND (-1). The Spiders (7-5) lost close games to Wake Forest, Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth in the past few weeks to put their postseason prospects at risk. Richmond’s biggest problem has been lack of effort. The Spiders have started slowly in several games and the defense has been weak (45% FG defense, 12th in the A-10). This shortcoming cannot be attributed to the absence of Dan Geriot, which is why it’s so disappointing. Granted, the Spiders haven’t gotten great inside play, but the frontcourt is decent enough and the backcourt is plenty good. Sophomore PG Kevin Anderson needs to turn his game on all the time – not just in the second half – and do a better job of getting teammates involved.

7)  ST. JOSEPH’S (+1). The Hawks (5-6) move up one spot by default because the rest of the A-10 hasn’t performed all that great. St. Joe’s did look good in a close loss to Villanova, showing improved play at both ends. Yet lack of depth and limited scoring options will hamper the team all season long. Ahmad Nivins is playing like a First Teamer but he’s not getting consistent support from anyone aside from Darrin Govens (15 ppg, 41% 3PG) and sometimes Tasheed Carr. Those three alone account for 70% of the Hawks’ points, although the team is 12th in the A-10 in scoring. Garrett Williamson has taken over main ball-handling duty to free up Carr to score more, but the Hawks won’t entertain postseason possibilities unless two more players step up.

8)  ST. BONAVENTURE (+2). The Bonnies (7-4) are the league’s biggest surprise and won’t be a pushover. The 6-9 Andrew Nicholson (11 ppg, 5.6 rpg) is frontrunner for A-10 rookie of the year and juco transfer Jonathan Hall is on track for all-conference honors. The good news lately is the play of Maurice Thomas, the power 6-8 transfer from UTEP. He adds to surprisingly tough and talented Bona frontline. The biggest concern is erratic ball-handling. Only two A-10 teams have committed fewer turnovers. St. Bonaventure gets a tough test this week at home vs. Niagara.

SITTING IN THE TRUNK

9)  LASALLE (-2). The Explorers (6-5) managed to blow another big lead, this time at Cornell, and give away another would-be win. LaSalle has been in every game, but the team lacks consistently good outside shooting and ball-handling and goes through major droughts. Ruben Guillandeaux (8.4 ppg) has disappointed and sophomore Jerrell Williams is a turnover machine. LaSalle is last in the A-10 in turnover margin, a whopping -5.10. The Explorers are likely to remain a tease all year long and appear on track for a .500 record overall they show improvement all around.

10)  GEORGE WASHINGTON (-4). The Colonials (6-3) have gotten off to a seemingly good start, but the team was manhandled by the two best teams it’s faced, Auburn and Maryland. The frontcourt play has been surprisingly lackluster. Rob Diggs is off to a slow start, Wynton Witherspoon has been in a season-long struggle and Damian Hollis remains inconsistent. In the backcourt, frosh PG Tony Taylor has impressed and Noel Wilmore is shooting well. Yet Travis King is still not his old self and GW has hit fewer treys than any team in the A-10 except for St. Joe’s, which partly accounts for its mediocre offensive output (67 ppg). Up ahead, GW has a chance to win Rainbow Classic tournament given a weak field, but the team has done nothing yet to warrant such optimisim.

11)  MASSACHUSETTS (+2). Like Charlotte, the Minutemen (5-6) appear back from the dead with a big victory at Kansas and a blowout over a solid Hofstra squad. The defense has intensified and the new offense is slowing coming around. UMass has as much outside firepower as any team in the league and Ricky Harris (20.4 ppg, 43.5% 3PG) is the best scorer in the A-10 not named Christmas. Tony Gaffney (12 ppg, 12 rpg, 52 blocks) is a dead lock so far for Most Improved Player of the Year AND First Team A-10. The same can’t be said for PG Chris Lowe, who’s played fairly well but far below expectations (62 assists, but 51 turnovers). The return of 7-footer Luke Bonner solidifies the frontline, but the key to a run at the A-10 title rests with Low returning to form and Wake Forest transfer Anthony Gurley stepping up his game. (UMass has to win a few more games before I can jump the school much higher in my rankings.)

12)  ST. LOUIS (unchanged). The Bills (7-5) have won four straight, but the wins all came at home against inferior teams. St. Louis struggles for baskets with so many young players and it’s the only A-10 team to score fewer than 60 points a game. It wins or loses depending on how senior wings Lisch and Liddell perform. The Bills now leave home to play a so-so Depaul team at a neutral site, which should give a clearer indication of how much the Bills have improved. Whatever the case, this is not a postseason team. FYI: Touted combo guard Ruben Cotto has decided to transfer before the end of the semester, further reducing the team’s depth.

13)  DUQUESNE (-2). The Dukes (8-4) have performed better than expectations for such a young team, but its shortcomings were revealed in three straight losses against good opponents Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Old Dominion. The smallish Dukes were outrebounded and the defense fell short. Still, the Dukes are scrappy and they will pull some upsets in A-10 play. Senior Aaron Jackson (17 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 59% FG) is playing like one of the top guards in the league and some of the freshmen have showed great promise, including PG Eric Evans (9.5 ppg) and WG Melquan Bolding. Soph Damian Saunders (15 ppg, 7.4 rpg) is a future all-conference player, maybe even a current one.

WAITING ON THE BUS

14)  FORDHAM (unchanged). The Rams (2-8) have shown significant improvement in the past few weeks with a blowout over Lafayette and a buzzer-beater loss to Fairfield. This is still the youngest, smallest and least experienced team in the league, so Fordham will continue to take its lumps. Hopefully the Rams can show further improvement in the rest of the noncon slate. Frosh PG Jio Fontan seems to be getting his college legs and 6-9 West Virginia transfer Jacob Green, a badly needed bigman, becomes eligible.

ALL-CONFERENCE PROJECTIONS (based on current performance).

POY
Dionte Christmas

FIRST TEAM

Dionte Christmas, Temple
Ahmad Nivins, St. Joseph’s
Tony Gaffney, UMass
Derrick Brown, Xavier
Chris Wright, Dayton

SECOND TEAM

Jimmy Baron Jr., Rhode Island
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne
Ricky Harris, UMass
Jonathan Hall, St. Bonaventure
David Gonzalvez, Richmond

THIRD TEAM

Tommie Liddell, St. Louis
Damian Saunders, Duquesne
CJ Anderson, Xavier
Kevin Lisch, St. Louis
Dijuan Harris, Charlotte

DEFENSIVE POY

Tony Gaffney, UMass

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Tony Gaffney, UMass
Garrett Williamson, St. Josephs
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne
Marcus Johnson, Dayton
Ahmad Nivins, St. Josephs

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM

Andrew Nicholson
Eric Evans, Duquesne
Terrell Holloway, Xavier
Jio Fontan, Fordham
Brian Conklin, St. Louis

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

Tony Gaffney

December 28, 2008 | AP Press

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Ryan Rossiter hit two free throws with 2.4 seconds left as Siena rallied from an 18-point second half deficit and defeated Saint Joseph’s 75-74 Sunday night.

Clarence Jackson had a career-high 28 points, Edwin Ubiles 12 and Rossiter 11 for Siena (7-4), which has won five of its last six games.

Idris Hilliard had a career-high 20 points and Ahmad Nivins 15 for the Hawks (5-6), who committed 19 turnovers.

Saint Joseph’s led 44-39 at the half, then went on a 17-4 run to lead 61-43 with 15:05 left. The Saints’ pressing defense then sparked a 19-4 spurt, cutting the lead to 65-62.

Saint Joseph’s moved ahead 68-64, but Jackson scored twice to forge a 68-all tie with 4:36 remaining. Ubiles hit a 3-pointer with two minutes left to give Siena its first lead of the second half, 73-72. Then, a layup by Hilliard with 12.7 to go put the Hawks back on top.

The Hawks’ Tasheed Carr then stole the ball and was fouled with 9.5 seconds left. But Carr missed the first of a 1-and-1, leading to Rossiter’s game-winning points.

December 22, 2008 by John Lamb | A10CollegeHoops

PHILADELPHIA –  All-American candidate Ahmad Nivins scored 26 points to lead the Saint Joe’s Hawks to a hard-fought 71-67 victory over the Cornell Big Red on Monday night in Philadelphia.

The Hawks battled from as many 15 points down to seal the come-from-behind victory. Head coach Phil Martelli said after the game that the last game before Christmas is always hard for his team.

“The hardest game of the year is that one, after exams and prior to Christmas,” said Martelli. “Because you forget that the are 18 to 22. The dorm empties and everyone leaves. The way we started the game, they lose that little bit of an edge.”

Nivins scored 16 of his points in the second half. He also pulled down 16 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, to pick up his 16th career double-double.

He finished the game with a very efficient shooting line of 10-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the line. There were several NBA scouts in attendance that had to have come away impressed with the way the 6-9 forward played.

Sophomore forward Idris Hilliard also put together a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.

“Tonight [Hilliard] was a victim of a lethargic start and I had to take him out,” said Martelli. “Idris answered the call at both ends of the floor. He became more involved defensively. We are still not all the way there yet but that would be a big step forward if we can get another guy to score the ball.”

Junior forward Ryan Wittman led the Big Red (5-6) with 16 points. Reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Louis Dale scored 15 points and looks to be back to 100 percent after missing the first eight games of the year due to an injury.

Sophomore forward Adam Wire collected a team-high six rebounds for Cornell.

The Big Red had a chance to tie the game late but Dale was the recipient of a questionable charging call that put Hilliard on the foul line for two shots. He split the free throws and extended the lead to four at 70-66 with 20 seconds left in the game.

A Darrin Govens three with just under five minutes remaining ultimately put the Hawks on top for good. Govens finished the night with 15 points, 12 of which coming off of three-pointers.

He drew the ire of his coach after the game, however, due to his not-so-pretty 5-of-15 shooting and spotty defense.

“I don’t leave here jumping for joy when [Govens] is 5-for-15, that means he is 1-for-5 on twos,” said Martelli. “He was not strong defensively in the first half. He is a basketball player, I don’t want him to be just a shooter. He has been very good defensively until tonight.”

Nivins came out of the break on fire as he scored 10 of the Hawks first 14 points of the half. A breakaway Garrett Williamson dunk put the Hawks out in front 46-44 six minutes into the half.

The normally lively Saint Joe’s crowd was rather sedate for most of the game due to a combination of lackluster play on the court and the fact that the students are on break. Williamson gave the home fans something to cheer about, however, when he blocked what looked to be an easy layup for the Big Red’s 7-foot senior center Jeff Foote at the ten minute mark of the second half.

The Hawks used a 20-7 extended run in the second half to push out to a 58-51 lead. The Big Red scored the next nine points and regained a 60-58 lead with 5:05 left on a pair of free throws from Dale.

The Hawks answered on the next trip down the floor as Govens hit what ultimately was the game-deciding three-pointer.

Both teams scored 18 points off of turnovers and the Big Red held their own in the paint, scoring 28 points to Saint Joe’s 30. The Hawks ability to grab offensive rebounds in the second half is what ultimately allowed them to win the game.

They scored 22 points on second-chance opportunities while Cornell only mustered eight. Nivins and Hilliard always seemed to be in the right spots for easy tip-ins and put-backs on missed shots.

Although the Hawks found themselves down 33-32 at halftime, it could have been a lot worse. The Big Red led by as many as 13 points, including an 18-5 advantage about eight minutes into the game.

The Hawks used a 14-6 run, led by senior guard Tasheed Carr and freshman forward Bryant Irwin with six and five points respectively, to cut the Big Red lead to three at 24-21 with 6:32 left to play in the half.

Nivins scored six straight points in the final two minutes of the half to give the Hawks a short-lived lead. Wittman hit a fade-away circus shot as the shot clock expired with three seconds left to put the Big Red back on top going into the break.

Both teams shot well in the first half as Cornell connected on 56 percent of their shots while Saint Joe’s hit 48 percent of theirs.

The Big Red’s Geoff Reeves led all scorers with 11 points, one point shy of his season average, at the half. He finished the game with 15.

Nivins was the Hawks leading scorer in the first half with 10 points. He also pulled down a game high five rebounds through the first 20 minutes. Surprisingly, Martelli was not completely pleased with the way his star played in the first half.

“We had to take him out in the first half because he whined about the ball,” said Martelli. “For ten games he has been as good as you can be in our league. We will hope for better in the next ten games.”

The Hawks are off until next Sunday when Siena visits the Palestra. Cornell will be back in action next Monday when Boston University makes the trip to Ithaca.

POSTGAME AUDIO (right click and save as… if you have trouble hearing this):
Phil Martelli’s Postgame Press Conference

December 9, 2008 | AP Press

TOWSON, MD — Ahmad Nivins scored 25 points and had nine rebounds to lead Saint Joseph’s to an 85-64 victory over Towson on Tuesday night.

Darrin Govens added 22 points for the Hawks (4-4).

Junior Hairston led Towson (4-5), which has lost four of its past five games, with 16 points.

Saint Joseph’s led 38-31 at halftime but outscored the Tigers 29-14 over the next 10 minutes for a 67-45 advantage. Nivins, who entered the game averaging 18.3 points and 11.7 rebounds, and Govens combined to score 16 points in that span.

Tasheed Carr scored 11 points and Garrett Williamson added eight points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Hawks.

Brian Morris scored 14 points for Towson.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Ahmad Nivins – Saint Joseph’s
Senior, Forward, 6-9, 235 lbs.
Jersey City, N.J./St. Anthony’s HS

Nivins earns his second career A-10 Player of the Week honor after
averaging 19 points and 14 rebounds over two contests…scored 20
points and pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds in Saint Joseph’s
77-64 win at Lehigh on Dec. 2…had a team-high 18 points and 11 boards
on Dec. 6 versus Creighton…made 12-of-18 field goal attempts in the
two games…leads the A-10 with five double-doubles on the year.

B.J. Raymond – Xavier
Senior, Guard, 6-6, 226 lbs.
Toledo, Ohio/St. John’s Jesuit HS

In Xavier’s lone contest of the week versus Auburn on Dec. 3,
Raymond scored a career-high 32 points on 10-of-13 shooting and added
six boards in the Musketeers’ 81-74 victory…drained a career-best
seven three-pointers in nine attempts…leads XU in scoring (13.7
ppg.).

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Andrew Nicholson – St. Bonaventure
Freshman, Forward, 6-9, 230 lbs.
Mississaugua, Ontario/Father Michael Goetz Secondary HS

Nicholson scored a season-high 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds and
tied a program-record with eight blocks on Dec. 6 as St. Bonaventure
downed Princeton, 60-53, in the Bonnies’ lone contest of the
week…made four-of-six shots from the field and 8-for-11 from the
line, including all four of his foul shots in the final two
minutes…is the first SBU student-athlete in program annals to earn
three A-10 Rookie of the Week awards.

November 26, 2008 | AP Press

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Alonzo Gee had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead Alabama to a 58-48 victory over Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday in the fifth-place game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

The Crimson Tide (3-2) finished with a 37-23 rebound advantage and outscored the Hawks 38-18 in the paint.

Tasheed Carr matched his career high with 23 points for the Hawks (2-3), who opened the tournament with a 68-50 loss to No. 6 Texas.

Alabama, which lost 92-69 to Oregon in the first round, closed the first half on a 10-0 run and scored the first basket of the second half for a 31-18 lead, its biggest of the game.

Saint Joseph’s, which opened the game missing nine of its first 12 shots, got as close as 43-39 on a 3 by Carr with 8:24 to go, but Gee scored on a tip-in and Yamene Coleman followed with a basket down low.

Both schools were making their first appearance in the tournament.

November 25, 2008 by John Lamb | A10Collegehoops

In the era of Power Conferences and Mid-Majors a basketball team can measure its success with signature wins against BCS schools. Although it is very early in the ‘08-’09 season, as of Tuesday evening, the Atlantic 10 is 4-9 versus BCS teams. Xavier has two wins over Missouri and Virginia Tech. St. Bonaventure beat Rutgers in overtime and St. Louis knocked off 53-50. So just where does the A-10 stand on the college basketball landscape?

There is no question that the conference has seen marked improvement in the past few years. Last season the league sent three teams (Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Xavier) to the NCAA Tournament, another four teams (Charlotte, Dayton, UMass and Rhode Island) to the NIT and one team to the inaugural College Basketball Invitational (Richmond).

At one point last season it was feasible that the A10 was going to send five teams to the Big Dance. Then the war of attrition that was last year’s conference slate occurred. Dayton was one of the chief victims of the league’s parity as the Flyers raced out to a 14-1 record and a top 25 ranking before limping to the finish line with an 8-8 conference record. Injuries to freshman sensation Chris Wright and junior Charles Little certainly did not help but even if those two were healthy it is hard to forecast where they would have ended up in the final standings.

A year ago, a conference record 11 of the 14 teams had at least 15 wins. The difference between the A10 then and now is that last year the league had signature wins against the big boys across the board. The conference was a mediocre 17-28 against BCS schools but 7 of the 14 teams in the league notched at least one victory against a power conference foe. Xavier led the way with a 5-2 record against the BCS. When conference play opened up the teams beat up on each other but the ones who made statements early in the year were sitting pretty for post season play.

This year the A10 has come very close on many occasions but has yet to seal the deal. Rhode Island came within seconds of knocking off perennial powerhouse Duke. George Washington fell apart against Auburn after racing out to a 44-29 lead at halftime. Charlotte lost in the final minute against Clemson a week after Temple ran out of gas against the Tigers at the Charleston Classic.

LaSalle had not one but two chances to knock off a big name team. Poor execution down the stretch by the Explorers allowed Florida State to eek out a victory at the Tom Gola Arena. LaSalle gave UConn all they could handle but a team can’t expect to win when their opponent makes 19 more foul shots than  they attempted (LaSalle 9-10 from the line; UConn 29-40).

The good news is that there are still plenty of opportunities for the A10 to make some noise on the national scene. All three Philly schools have Villanova to play as per the Big 5. December is a big month for Temple as the Owls will go on the road to play Penn State, Kansas and ‘Nova while welcoming Tennessee to the Liacouras Center.  Duquesne has games against Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

Xavier has a chance to solidify its status as a true powerhouse in college basketball. Games against Auburn,  Cincinnati, Duke, Virginia and LSU highlight the Musketeers upcoming non-conference schedule. A winning record in these five games would cement Xavier’s national status and finally put to bed any doubts whether or not they are a mid-major.

A successful rest of the non-conference schedule is essential for the league on two levels. First, if the A10 is going to claim the mantle once more of premier non-BCS basketball conference then its teams must improve their OOC records. Damaging losses to the likes of Jacksonville State by UMass do nothing to help the national profile of the conference. Secondly, a solid OOC record will get the national pundits talking about the league. Everyone knows that the Big East is the best and deepest conference in college basketball but, in terms of parity, the A10 is right there as well. Right now, however, the league is viewed as Xavier and a bunch of other teams.

Can it be done? It is possible, even though the conference has started out behind the 8-ball. While a winning record against the BCS is probably out of the question at this point there is no doubt the a few wins here and there will go a long way in establishing the A10 as a source of quality basketball this season.

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John Lamb can be reached at Johnlamb@A10collegehoops.com