(5) Rhode Island 87, (12) St. Joseph's 76

 

 

The Big Picture: Two of the teams that play up-tempo ball staged exactly the type of game that one would've expected them to.  Speaking of expectations, Rhode Island, the higher seed, had the sort of anxious moments that Rhody fans hoped were over, moments the rest of us have come to expect from a team that's played like a freaked-out groom with wedding jitters the final month of the college hoops season. 

The Good:  Jim Baron's seniors made sure the Rams survived the A-10 opening round and advanced.  Senior guard Keith Cothran and senior forward Lamonte Ulmer both scored 15 points.  The two seniors, who are the only seniors that get significant time for the Rams, combined to shoot 10-of-18 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line.

The Bad: Let us begin by saying this: We like Phil Martelli. A lot. He's honest and he seems like a guy we'd like to go drinking with in Philly. However, the game plan for the Hawks on Tuesday - outscore Rhode Island as near as one can tell - was completely misguided.  The Rams shot nearly 52 % from the field for the game, and 40 % from tripledom.