It would have been easy to have inflated expectations for transfers Billy Baron and Andre Malone, with the idea that they would make an instant impact on this team’s fortunes as they became eligible. While that has happened with Baron, who had a big game on Monday, it’s not in his stats that it can be found. That’s not to say he hasn’t played well after having to shake some rust off early. But his value has come in what he does for the lineup and two other guards.

The Rams started the season with two freshmen point guards, and that’s not a position a team wants to have inexperience at. While Baron isn’t exactly a seasoned veteran, compared to Mike Powell and T.J. Buchanan, he is, and together the three of them are significantly better. Baron can play either guard spot, so at times they have multiple ball handlers on the floor, and that has taken pressure off Powell as the starting point guard. The end result has been nothing but positive.

“When we’re out there, we can handle the ball and take pressure off each and every one of us,” said Baron, who scored a game-high 25 points. “Mike doesn’t have to bring the ball up every time.”

Now the Rams have a triumvirate of point guards that is getting better, with Powell showing a lot of growth lately. The freshman matched his career high with 21 points, which he scored in the prior game as well, and it’s his fourth straight double-digit scoring game. In those four games, he’s 10-18 from long range and has also handed out at least three assists in each.

“He’s learning how to really use his body. He’s 5’9″, but he’s got a huge heart,” said Baron. “I love playing with him out there, because he takes pressure off me and I take pressure off him.”

For a while in the second half on Monday, it looked like overtime wouldn’t be needed. The Rams kept the Eagles at arm’s length, leading by as many as nine about nine minutes into the half. Boston College eventually grabbed the lead several minutes after that, but then neither team did much offensively as only six points were scored in the final 6:54 of regulation. When the Rams couldn’t hang on to that lead, then saw Boston College send it to a second overtime with a buzzer-beater by Patrick Heckmann, they could have been sunk psychologically. But they took control in the second overtime to take home the win.

The Rams still have a lot of room for improvement. Finally getting a couple of wins lately, including one on the road, will help the team’s confidence and overall psyche. They’re still trying to fully integrate Baron and Malone, with Baron saying he feels good about how he meshes with the team although there’s still some rust to shake off. That’s a plus since it helps the backcourt, but it’s just one part of the team trying to put it all together.

“We’re still trying to put our chemistry together working in the transfers,” said head coach Jim Baron.

Jim Baron said the Rams are still trying to work other players into the mix. The Rams haven’t looked like the “Runnin’ Rams” much this season, as they haven’t been able to control the pace much although they did that for a fair amount of Monday’s game. Even if they did control the pace often, they might have been exposed from a depth standpoint until now. With a full roster available save for the departed Jamal Wilson, the potential to do that is there, and he wants to go nine or ten deep.

Powell said the chemistry is better of late and the practices have been more competitive. The team moved on from Wilson’s dismissal and appears to be gaining confidence. Jim Baron said his team might have played a non-conference schedule that was a bit much for this young team, as it was far from a cake walk, and with little to show for their efforts on the bottom line the team’s confidence can be flagging. But Monday’s game may be a sign that they are handling adversity better, as they had their share of it but won the game. Atlantic 10 play is around the corner, and the feeling is that the team is getting better at a good time.

“Things are definitely getting better,” said Powell. “We’ll be feeling good once league play gets going.”

Already, about half of Division I conferences have played at least one conference game. The Summit League’s South Dakota State sits at 3-0, giving the Jackrabbits the most conference wins of any team in the country. There’s a random fact for you.

In many ways, it feels like the season starts anew when conference play begins in earnest when the calendar turns to a new year. Yes, there are plenty of fantastic nonconference games throughout the season, and some of the best rivalries involve teams from different conferences, such as this weekend’s bout featuring Louisville and Kentucky. However, no matter how intense those rivalries might be, the stakes just aren’t as high when the winner doesn’t gain ground in the win-loss column of its conference standings.

I like to view the nonconference schedule as a time for growth. Teams get two months to adjust to new arrivals — on the roster or coaching staff — while playing only a few games conference games. That gives the coaching staff a chance to settle on an effective rotation and integrate any late additions because of transfer rules or early season suspensions.

In addition to growth as a team, the nonconference slate gives teams a chance to build their résumé for the NCAA Tournament. For the vast majority of D-1 programs, the only route to an NCAA Tournament is the automatic bid awarded with a conference tournament championship. However, for a bunch of teams, November and December help set expectations for conference play. Just look at Indiana, which entered the season unranked. The Hoosiers beat up some overwhelmed competition, which wouldn’t do Indiana any good in the eyes of the selection committee members come March. Then the Hoosiers went out and beat Kentucky. That’s a massive win that will help solidify Indiana’s NCAA Tournament status, even if the Hoosiers scuffle a bit in Big Ten play, finishing with only a .500 Big Ten record.

On the other hand, teams like Vanderbilt enter conference play knowing they have some work to do. The Commodores started the season as a top 10 team, but they have dropped games to Cleveland State, Xavier, Louisville and Indiana State. A couple of those losses are surprising while a couple are missed opportunities. Right now, the Commodores’ best wins are against Oregon, Oregon State and North Carolina State. None of those teams is a lock for the NCAA Tournament. So Vanderbilt must make hay in the SEC, especially against Florida, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi State. The Commodores get those teams six times, and Vanderbilt probably needs to win at least three — preferably one on the road — to feel secure about an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

And that just spices up already-compelling conference slugfests.

We go coast to coast with news from around the college basketball nation.

We’ll have at least two undefeated teams heading into 2012, as Baylor and Syracuse don’t play again in 2011 after winning last night. And that’s more than previously unbeaten Indiana and Louisville can say after dropping their first game of the season last night. Missouri plays Old Dominion Friday, and fellow unbeaten Murray State will also be in action Friday, against Eastern Illinois.

Connecticut might not be undefeated, but the Huskies are 1-0 without Jim Calhoun on the sidelines this season, CBS Sports.com reports. The Huskies beat South Florida last night, the first game of Calhoun’s three-game suspension, which is his punishment from a recruiting scandal in which he was cited for creating an atmosphere of compliance in Storrs.

Rhode Island is 1-11 this season, and that’s with senior guard Jamal Wilson in the lineup for 11 of those games. Life won’t be any easier for coach Jim Baron after he suspended the team’s leading scorer for breaking team rules, according to an Associated Press report. Wilson is averaging 17.5 ppg for the struggling Rams.

One of the complaints about conference expansion/realignment/destruction is the loss of rivalries that get the fans going. The Big Ten and Pac-12 are looking to avoid those situations via a strategic partnership that will allow the conferences to schedule multiple games between its members to encourage compelling match ups, which could include rivalry games, according to an ESPN.com report.

Maryland had to wait 10 games to get Ukrainian big man Alex Len on the court, writes Eamonn Brennan for ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog. However, he could become a critical player quickly, as evidenced by his 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in his first game Wednesday against Albany.

In case you missed the big news of yesterday, Louisville coach Rick Pitino announced that he intends to call it a career when his contract expires in 2017, according to the Associated Press. At 59, Pitino is already looking ahead to the end of his coaching run, which includes trips to the Final Four with three different teams (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville).

“It’s not easy. It’s challenging right now,” said a subdued head coach Jim Baron after the loss.

Granted, the Rams started three freshmen and a transfer on Friday night. But this team doesn’t look much like the Runnin’ Rams of recent years, as even though they had their moments running they instead got run out of the Ryan Center by the Friars, who won there for the first time. While there is potential with some of the young players, it’s going to take time to get there and it’s hard to see this group being the leaders of a team that is as good as the Ram teams of two and three years ago.

Compounding that problem for this year’s team is leadership. The past few years, the leadership on the team has been tremendous, from Jimmy Baron and Kaheim Seawright to Keith Cothran and Lamonte Ulmer and then Delroy James and other classmates last year. This year’s senior leaders don’t appear to be of the same caliber. Orion Outerbridge is a nice player and nice young man, but doesn’t strike one as the leader type, and Jamal Wilson didn’t seem like that, either, before getting kicked off the team due to an unspecified violation of team rules.

While Wilson didn’t seem like the best leader, he was their leading scorer. He averaged over 16 points and five rebounds per game, and that production won’t be easily replaced. But at this point, it might be better that it opens up an opportunity for someone else to have an expanded role and perhaps earlier than one might have originally projected. Plenty of players could benefit, especially if Baron goes with small or big lineups at different times.

And at this point, it’s hard to imagine things getting much worse. This is a team that looks like they may have hit rock bottom.

“Guys are down, obviously,” said Outerbridge. “We’re down after every loss.”

Mike Powell and Jonathan Holton have shown potential among the freshmen, while guys like Dominique McKoy and T.J. Buchanan have to grow up faster if this team is to win more games. Nikola Malesevic will be out for some time with a broken hand, so that opens up more minutes and is also another hit to the team’s offense. The opportunity is clearly there for the young players.

The second half has been an Achilles heel for this team. The Rams have been outscored by 77 points in the second half on the season, an average of more than six per game. On three occasions, they have led at the half but lost. The loss against Providence showcased this problem, as the Friars started turning misses and turnovers into easy baskets at the other end in the second half, doing to the Rams what the Rams want to do to opponents.

Rhode Island has now lost eight straight, their longest losing streak since the 2004-05 season. Baron and his players seem subdued, and that’s not surprising considering that losing is tough on everyone.

“We’re trying hard not to let it affect the guys,” said Outerbridge. “1-11, that’s terrible. Some of these guys haven’t lost 12 games in their whole high school career. A lot of guys don’t know how to deal with it, but it’s just something we’re going to have to get through. It’s the reality. All we can do is try to get better.”

The Rams will take that streak south to the UCF Holiday Classic, where they open with James Madison on Thursday and then play either host UCF or Stetson on Friday. The Rams know things can get worse than they are now, and they aren’t prepared to let that happen without putting up a fight.

“We can lose every other game from here on out. That’s nobody’s mentality,” said Outerbridge. “We go into every game thinking we’re going to win. Everybody’s hyped before the game. The way we act before the game, you would think it’s the NBA Finals. We go out there and play hard, we’re just having a hard time playing a full game.”

You could tell listening to head coach Jim Baron that this team enters the season a little different from the last few. Whereas each of those teams had some significant contributors returning, and thus had some known quantities, this one really lacks that. Gradually, this team has lost some very good players little by little, and it’s debatable whether they’ve replaced them with comparable combinations of talent and experience. That leaves him with his current team, which he described after their first exhibition game on Friday night.

“There’s no question that we have a lot of work to do. It’s pretty much like a new team,” said Baron.

The first thing that jumps out about the Rams is that they lost a lot from last year, especially at the offensive end. Three starters are gone, as well as three-point specialist Akeem Richmond, who transferred to East Carolina. They take with them over 44 points per game, which is hard to replace, and while the Rams will surely score with the fast pace they will play at, they will need to improve defensively.

The Rams only have one significant contributor from last season back, junior forward Nikola Malesevic. They have a few who were role players last year and must contribute more, including the two seniors who will play a lot of minutes in Orion Outerbridge and Jamal Wilson. Both have long been “potential” players, but they’re in their last act and need to live up to that potential.

“We’ve been talking about it since the end of the UCF game,” said Outerbridge, referring to the Rams’ final game of last season in the CBI. “We know this is our last go-round. We know that we have to come out here and play as hard as we can every night. We’re not going to get any games back.”

Malesevic has come a long way since he first arrived in South Kingston. Last season he shot over 45 percent from long range, but he’s been far from a one-trick pony as he’s become a nice all-around offensive player and has improved on the glass.

A key position is the point guard spot, where a couple of freshmen are the most likely candidates. Mike Powell is well-built and can get in the lane, but he’ll surely have some growing pains if Friday night’s exhibition is any indication. Wilson may have to shoulder some responsibility there as well, which might be a hindrance to his ability to play bigger, long a strength of his. Billy Baron, who transferred from Virginia, won’t be eligible until December 23, the same day Auburn transfer Andre Malone is eligible. Once Baron is eligible, he gives them another good option at that position.

The Rams have plenty of wings along with Malesevic, so expect him to play some power forward for a smaller lineup so they can pair him with guys like Malone and freshmen Rayvon Harris and Dominique McKoy. Wilson might see some time on the wing alongside a smaller backcourt, with freshman T.J. Buchanan sure to be in that mix.

The most promising newcomer looks to be freshman forward Jonathan Holton. Long and athletic, he nearly had a double-double on Friday night and the effort was not in question. He should make an instant impact alongside Malesevic and Outerbridge, the last of whom could lead the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots if he stays on the court and plays like he did Friday night.

“Since day one, Jonathan has been that hustle guy,” Outerbridge said. “He’s getting every rebound, every tip-out. I’m just happy he was able to do that today in an actual game.”

The Rams had high hopes for Levan Shengelia before he got hurt in their season opener a year ago, and he’s back along with 7’3″ sophomore Blake Vedder, who still has a good ways to go to be a significant contributor.

The freshmen are an athletic bunch, which certainly fits Baron’s desire to play fast. But they’ll have to grow up fast, and the seniors will be tested from a leadership standpoint. So far Baron likes what he sees, but reading between the lines one senses they aren’t where he wants them to be.

“We’ve got to go even faster than what we did tonight, as far as pushing the ball, as far as up-tempo press,” said Baron.

They’ll have to grow up fast in more ways than one, because they start the season with three straight tough games on the road – at George Mason, Texas and Nebraska, and their first home games in the Legends Classic subregional are no picnic with Boston University, Hofstra and Cleveland State all visiting on Thanksgiving weekend. They could lose several games early, and it will be important not to lose the younger players. That’s one reason Baron said he has been preaching a lot to his younger players about playing through adversity. It’s clear they’re going to have some of that early on.

What that all adds up to is clear. If the Rams are to be a postseason team once again this season, Baron might need to do his best coaching job yet.

Did he know about it?

“I didn’t know how close I was until Coach (Preston) Murphy, with about seven or eight minutes left, told me I was two rebounds and two assists away,” said the senior forward. “So then I was like, ‘Why did you tell me?’”

James took care of the rest from there, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, with only two turnovers.

James’ accomplishment wasn’t the only unexpected event of the night. One of his big helpers was Orion Outerbridge, a player who has experienced some of the adversity the Rams have had to go through this season. The junior forward missed the first semester due to academics, and entered Wednesday night’s game having never attempted a three-pointer in his college career. He then proceeded to knock down four shots from long range, the only ones he took from there, en route to tying a career high with 18 points on 7-8 shooting.

But even Outerbridge admitted that James’ accomplishment was more impressive. Certainly, a triple-double is more rare than a 4-4 outing from long range by a player who never took a shot from there in most of his first three seasons. James said Outerbridge often hits those shots in practice, but the opportunity simply had not presented itself in games. In the end it doesn’t matter since both are on the same team and, more importantly, got the win.

There’s always a question of motivation for teams playing in a postseason tournament other than the NCAA. Some teams don’t get over the initial disappointment of not being in the NCAA Tournament, and they get eliminated quickly. Although the Ryan Center didn’t have a lot of energy, especially at the beginning, the players created their own energy for the crowd of just over 1,100.

“When you go out there and the ball is thrown up, it’s the same routine,” said James. “What tournament you’re in goes out the window. You’re playing against a team that wants to beat you.”

It’s been a long road to this point for the Rams. They lost a couple of players who were more than just keys to last season’s success, and then other personnel issues set in. Jamal Wilson didn’t play any non-conference games due to injury, and in the season opener, they lost Levan Shengelia for the season. In January, guard Daniel West was declared academically ineligible for the second semester, which was a big hit to the backcourt since they were already thin there.

Not only are the Rams in a postseason tournament, but they reached the 20-win mark with Wednesday’s win for the fourth straight year. That was one more point of satisfaction and another item aided by playing, as was the senior class becoming the winningest in school history as they picked up their 90^th win.

“This was an unbelievable year that I’ve gone through with the adversity,” said head coach Jim Baron. “With losing guys with health issues, academic issues, not only have we won 20 games, but these guys are graduating on time. That, to me, is a great combination.”

The Rams have to go on the road for their next game. They are hopeful of coming home again, but most of all, they are happy to still be playing.

“We don’t have to play in this tournament, but why wouldn’t we want the chance to continue playing basketball at the end of the season?” said Outerbridge. “It feels good to continue to play, regardless of whether it’s the CBI, NIT, NCAA.”

UMass is moving forward and in a tie for third in the conference with its 5-2 mark as they enter a week with two road games. After a slip in play during December, they are playing well again with four wins in their last five outings. Opponents are shooting around 39 percent from the field against the Minutemen in Atlantic 10 play, and that’s where it has all started.

Just as important, areas that were question marks for some of the season are getting shored up. Although the scoring column won’t immediately reflect it on Sunday, Anthony Gurley now has more help. He was the only double-digit scorer for the Minutemen with 21, but four players scored between six and nine points in a relatively low-scoring game.

Perhaps the most important question mark, that of who would be the point guard, is becoming less of a concern as Gary Correia improves. The senior, who is by nature a shooting guard, has had his struggles at the position but now appears to be growing into it. He had five assists and one turnover against Rhode Island and simply ran the team.

“He’s starting to actually get a feel for what I’m looking for on the floor, when I want to run different things and what I want to do,” said head coach Derek Kellogg.

The Minutemen reach 5-2 after a week with some adversity, as their trip to St. Bonaventure had a detour to Albany after there was smoke in the cockpit of their plane. They went to Olean a little later than planned and got a victory to come home with. Kellogg joked that they tried to reproduce part of it for Sunday’s game.

“We actually walked through in a mass room because we couldn’t find an airport,” said the UMass mentor with a smile.

Rhode Island, on the other hand, may be 4-3 but isn’t in a great place right now. Part of the reason is health, which has been a challenge all season. It started early, with forward Levan Shengelia suffering a season-ending knee injury in the season opener, and that came after Jamal Wilson was out with a foot injury that has him back on the shelf once again. As if that’s not enough, guard Daniel West is academically ineligible for the second semester.

With West out, the Rams have to dig deeper into their bench. Anthony Baskerville, a wide receiver on the football team who joined the basketball team in December, is now seeing minutes at the point guard spot. That tells you how much this team is hurting from a depth standpoint, and that’s not something to be taken lightly. The way they play, depth is a necessity, and Baron has constantly spoken of how much they need their bench. That was a strength last season, but hasn’t been one this year in part from injuries.

“We really need our bench,” said Baron. “We really need to have a bench, especially the way we play as far as running the ball.”

Now the struggles with the bench are more acute. Baron isn’t one to greatly shorten the bench just because the options get more limited. He’s going to try to get something out of Baskerville and more out of Ryan Brooks, the latter of whom has shown flashes of potential but hasn’t been consistently effective. Orion Outerbridge was shaken up on Sunday, and their hope is that it’s not serious.

The Minutemen appear to be in a better place for the moment while the Rams have a serious depth concern on their hands. The good thing for the Rams is in February, they have a three-game homestand where they can get on a late roll. By then they will have had a chance to build up more depth, while UMass will have had a chance to continue their improvement.

A lot of the first half was vintage Runnin’ Ram basketball, as they forced 16 turnovers that they cashed in for 14 points, many coming from the press. Early on, UNH did a reasonably good job of breaking the press, and they handled the Ram halfcourt defense well even though it was very active. The Wildcats moved the ball well and got some penetration that gave them scoring chances. Once the Rams forced turnovers, the game changed and they opened up as much as a 16-point lead.

The Rams only forced one turnover in the second half, but they didn’t press nearly as much as they had a comfortable lead for most of the second frame. New Hampshire never got within single digits until about three-quarters of the way through the second half.

It didn’t help that leading scorer Ferg Myrick got ejected late in the first half after continuing to talk to the referee after some pushing and shoving with URI forward Ben Eaves started to get out of hand. That earned him a second technical to go with the matching ones called on both players initially. Myrick had 10 points in 12 minutes and got in the lane a few times to make things happen before the ejection.

A bright spot for the Rams was on the glass, which the coaching staff has cited multiple times as a place of concern. The Rams out-rebounded the Wildcats 38-36, including 13 offensive rebounds that turned into 11 second-chance points.

“One of our goals before every game is to out-rebound teams, because we feel if we get rebounds, we’re going to run,” said Eaves. “I think that’s paramount for every game we play.”

The Rams could get better in that department soon. Orion Outerbridge, who sat out the first semester due to academics, will return on December 30 against Boston College. Jamal Wilson, who has been sidelined all season with a broken foot, will be X-rayed on Monday and might not be far away from returning. That would give them another rebounder on the wing to go with the frontcourt addition.

“Getting two more guys gives us two more bodies that allows us to lengthen our playing rotation,” head coach Jim Baron said.

Outerbridge will be the most likely to be a difference-maker. He’s more experienced and adds a good deal of length. In addition, rust won’t be a major factor, as he has practiced with the team all season although there is a difference between practice speed and game speed.

“He’s coming back ready to play, and we need him to play,” said senior forward Delroy James, who had 22 points and nine rebounds on Saturday. “He’s in shape, he’s doing all he can do to get back on the court and help us in a big way. I can’t wait until he comes back, to tell you the truth.”

Added Eaves: “He rebounds the ball well, he runs the floor, he’s a high-energy guy, he fits our system perfectly.”

It comes at a good time because Atlantic 10 play is right around the corner, but that’s not all. They next host Lafayette, a contender in the Patriot League, then come back after Christmas to host a Boston College team that has been better than expected. They start 2011 with a trip to Florida to take on the Gators, then begin Atlantic 10 play with Xavier at home and a trip to Richmond.

As concerned as Baron has been about rebounding, he’s been just as concerned about bench play. Last year that was a clear area of strength, and with the way they play depth is a requirement. That hasn’t been a strength thus far, but it could be once Outerbridge and Wilson return.

“Everybody’s got to step up, especially our bench,” Baron said.

Soon, the Rams will have more capable bodies who can step up. The added depth will come at a good time, and after winning a game like Saturday’s where they didn’t play at their usual pace or score like they usually do, they have started the post-exam period on a good note.

• Steve Donahue is throwing his freshmen right into the mix at Boston College, and it’s helping in the immediate. In particular, Danny Rubin started against Holy Cross and had 14 points and six rebounds, going 4-9 from long range and making a couple of key shots during a run where the Eagles first broke the game open.
• Prior to making the key three-pointer that ultimately sank Bryant, Harvard sophomore Christian Webster was just 2-9 from the field on the day. But he made the shot when it counted, and although it wasn’t a big game after he had a career-high 29 points in their prior game, it didn’t surprise the coach.”He’s a very confident player right now, even though he didn’t shoot it particularly well overall,” said Tommy Amaker. “I think having that moment, and the way he’s played recently and coming off the Mercer game, I didn’t doubt for one second that he had a great shot at burying that shot, and he did.”
• Bryant figured to be more talented this year with Frankie Dobbs now eligible, and Alex Francis has already made an impact that has led to back-to-back NEC Rookie of the Week honors. Add in the return of senior Cecil Gresham, who hit a big three-pointer that put them up by four on Wednesday, and it’s clearly a new team. Now they have to finish games, which they did against Iona but didn’t against Army and Harvard.”We’re more talented, I thought Corey Maynard played well,” said head coach Tim O’Shea, referring to the talented freshman from Australia. “I think we have to find a way to get over the hump.”
• Drexel started the season with three straight on the road and went 2-1, with the loss coming Wednesday night at Rhode Island. Head coach Bruiser Flint took note of the team’s 11-24 showing at the free throw line, which compounded another problem that has cropped up with his team’s offense in past years.”We started getting into too much of a quicker pace, and then we started rushing,” Flint said, noting that Rhode Island started dictating the pace later. “Even the shots, when we were open, we were rushing to shoot them.”
• Rhode Island senior Delroy James is a fine example of a player who has steadily improved over his career to approach the potential he showed before college. Every year, you could see the strides he has made, and now he’s grown into the best player on his team. James had 33 points on Wednesday, one off his career high, and did it on 11-18 shooting.
• After missing all of last season, Central Connecticut State junior Ken Horton has come back with a vengeance. Against Army, he scored a career-high 34 points, and thus far is averaging 21.3 points and 9 rebounds per game.
• Andy Toole has Robert Morris picking up right where they left off at the defensive end. That was an area of emphasis for Mike Rice, and thus far the Colonials are keeping it up as they have yet to allow an opponent to score 65 points. In yielding 155 points in their first three games, they have posted the lowest three-game opponent total to start a year in NEC history against only Division I competition.

The Rams’ 92-67 win was encouraging from many standpoints. They shot 57.6 percent from the field, including 62.5 percent in the first half. They forced 22 Brown turnovers and cashed them in for 35 points. They had a 40-18 edge in bench scoring, with three of their five double-digit scorers coming off the bench. And as fast as they play, posting 19 assists with just 10 turnovers was also quite impressive.

“They’re real good at what they do, and they’ve won a ton of games over the last few years. It’s because of how they play,” said Brown head coach Jesse Agel, who went on to explain what it was like to be on the opposing bench that night. “They’re good players, and they have a great style of play. It’s fun to watch, except when you have to stand there for two hours and watch it.”

The Rams wasted little time turning Bear turnovers into points, and they seemingly weren’t missing early. They weren’t just making jump shots, as they were 7-21 from long range on the night, although Akeem Richmond made some nice mid-range jumpers. They got inside for baskets, posting a 20-4 edge in points in the paint in the first half.

Perhaps as important as anything is the play of the bench. The Rams took a hit with the players they lost, but they also have been hit by injuries to players like Jamal Wilson and Levan Shengelia, along with Orion Outerbridge having to sit the first semester due to academics. Nikola Malesevic was an unknown entering the season, but thus far he has posted two double-digit scoring games off the bench. Ben Eaves posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in what head coach Jim Baron said might have been “one of his best games here at the University of Rhode Island.” Daniel West gave them 14 points, six assists and four steals as well.

Baron said he can envision Eaves playing a bigger role off the bench for this team. It’s understandable since he has a live body and can play a physical style of basketball. Given the current state of their personnel, he’ll surely get the chance.

“I told him, ‘Ben, you can really use your body to be a force in there.’ We’re going to need him to do that,” Baron said.

In the second half, Brown got within nine on three occasions. After they did so for the third time, pulling within 57-48, the Rams ran off 16 unanswered points to put the game well out of reach. Even when the Bears got within single digits, you never got the sense they were truly within striking distance because the Rams just couldn’t be stopped.

Easily lost in what the Rams have done right is the play of senior leader Delroy James. All he did was post a game-high 23 points on 9-15 shooting to go with three steals. He scored 20 points in the opener at Pittsburgh and hasn’t missed a beat as he moves into the role of being the team’s top player.

The Rams had a chance to win the season opener at Pittsburgh, which would have been a monumental victory. They had an eight-point lead at one time and were 14-32 from behind the arc. While moral victories don’t count in the win-loss column, they acquitted themselves well. Add in their play on Tuesday night in getting their first win, and while the sample size is tiny with just two games, right now the team looks more promising that most figured.

The Rams are about as easy to figure as the Atlantic 10 as a whole, a conference that looks to be wide open aside from Temple being the favorites. But last season, no one figured the Rams would win 26 games, including a great run in the NIT to Madison Square Garden. And if the Rams’ second exhibition game is any indication, they’ve got some work to do.

Baron has often spoken, like many coaches do, about senior leadership. This season’s team has four who will play significant minutes and all of whom had a role in last season’s run to Madison Square Garden. That gives them a solid foundation, as does the athleticism this team has that fits the Runnin’ Rams style that Baron has had in place for a while.

The Rams played on Wednesday night without a couple of players who should figure prominently in this team’s season. Junior wing Jamal Wilson is out indefinitely with a broken foot, while senior Will Martell sat out with a bum ankle that should be healed enough for him to play in Monday’s season opener at Pittsburgh and freshman Levan Shengelia is also out. When you add that the backcourt is in some transition, it’s easy to figure why the team they have in a month will look a little different than that took the Ryan Center floor on Wednesday night.

“We’re going to have to work to get better,” Baron said. “You’re going to have portions of this team where you’re going to have to have another type of chemistry, because you’ve got guys coming back.”

One thing Rams won’t lack once they are fully healthy is overall size. They have eight players who stand 6’7″ or taller, including the tallest in program history in 7’3″ freshman Blake Vedder. Martell figures to start in the middle, likely flanked by senior Delroy James and one of two sophomores, Ryan Brooks or Nikola Malesevic. Martell has progressed nicely in his career and led the team in field goal percentage last season, while James has length and athleticism and is closer to fulfilling his potential.

Brooks and Malesevic both had nice stat lines in the second exhibition, but the bigger thing is that both were active at both ends of the floor and around the ball often. Malesevic was thought of as mainly a shooter last year, but he did much more than that in a concerted effort to be more aggressive. Still, though both look ready to take on added responsibility this season, Baron is guarded.

“They’re sophomores,” said Baron. “It’s quite a jump from freshman to sophomore year. Both guys have worked very hard in the off-season, and we hope that they can continue that.”

Senior Ben Eaves will be a valuable reserve, and junior Orion Outerbridge will be in the mix after he sits the first semester for academics. Eaves is a live body, while Outerbridge is long and athletic but has had to play behind older teammates thus far in his career.

The backcourt took a hit when Stevie Mejia transferred, as he was a solid backup point guard. But they aren’t lacking bodies, starting with senior leader Marquis Jones. After playing the point his entire career, Jones will play more off the ball, which will be an adjustment. He’s capably run the show to this point and looks to be in good physical shape. Sophomore Daniel West, a junior college transfer, could grab the starting point guard spot, although he needs to get in better shape. Sophomore Akeem Richmond was a big weapon off the bench last season and may remain in that role this season. He gives them a shooter, and Baron noted that the team’s perimeter shooting is likely to be up and down although Richmond is one they may be able to hang their hat on a little.

The Rams’ non-conference schedule has plenty of challenges, starting with Pittsburgh. They also host Drexel, Patriot League contender Lafayette and Boston College, while traveling to play arch-rival Providence and Florida.

The Rams were picked fifth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, which is higher than they were last year. As he often is, Baron is sounding a measured tone in talking about his team. It makes sense, because although the Rams appear to have the personnel to finish about that high in a wide-open conference, it doesn’t look like it will be a smooth journey.