By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

XU AT FORDHAM

Tipoff: 7 p.m. today, Rose Hill Gym (3,470), Bronx, N.Y. Records: XU 13-4 (4-1 Atlantic 10), Fordham 2-14 (1-4). Radio: WLW-AM (700). TV: None. Series: Xavier leads 10-2. Line: XU by 17. XAVIER Player Yr. Ht. PPG Keith Jackson So. 6-5 6.5 Romain Sato Jr. 6-5 16.6 Dedrick Finn Fr. 6-1 6.9 David West Sr. 6-9 19.1 Anthony Myles Jr. 6-9 9.5 Coach: Thad Matta (39-10, 2nd season; 63-18 overall). FORDHAM Player Yr. Ht. PPG Michael Haynes Jr. 6-8 14.5 M. Jarrell-Wright Jr. 6-5 11.9 Glenn Batemon So. 6-11 10.6 D. Williamson Fr. 6-4 7.3 J. Anderson Fr. 6-2 6.9 Coach: Bob Hill (36-66, 4th season; 36-66 overall).

BRONX, N.Y. - Xavier has plenty of reasons to look past today's game at Fordham.

There is a rematch against Richmond coming up in seven days. Lionel Chalmers' return is pending next week, and David West is nursing a sore knuckle and playing in front of several friends and family members from nearby Teaneck, N.J.

And why not slight Fordham? The Rams haven't defeated Xavier in 12 years and possess nowhere near Xavier's talent level this season. West and Romain Sato are both All-American candidates, while Fordham's best player, Michael Haynes, isn't even an all-conference candidate in the Atlantic 10.

Xavier has won its last four games. Fordham (2-13, 1-4 A-10) responded to its second win of the season Jan. 5 with a four-game losing streak, which has the Rams ranked 245th in the ratings percentage index.

"Honestly," said Xavier coach Thad Matta, "I'm just looking at Fordham, and Richmond when the time comes. It's day by day."

What Matta means is that he doesn't want the Musketeers, ranked 24th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, going into Fordham thinking about a guaranteed win and leaving with a shocking upset loss that would drop Xavier from either set of rankings probably for the rest of the season.

This is the type of game in which Matta wants to see offensive execution that puts the game out of reach at halftime and shows that Xavier (13-4, 4-1) is ready for a tough road trip next week to Richmond and George Washington. To get that, Matta has to keep Xavier focused on Fordham.

Much of the talk the last few days has centered on Chalmers returning to the lineup after a four-week hiatus since breaking his right foot Dec. 31 against Creighton. Preventing more distractions, Matta said he wouldn't even try to bring back Chalmers against Fordham.

Chalmers' presence should not be necessary against the Rams, who average 65.2 points, 12 points fewer than Xavier's season average but more than 24 points fewer than the 89.5 Xavier has averaged in its last four games.

Fordham is hampered further by Haynes' sprained foot. He played Wednesday in a loss to Saint Joseph's, but only 31 minutes. He will be a game-time decision, coach Bob Hill said.

"Without him, it's difficult for us to be in games," Hill said. "We need him to play 38-39 minutes."

That is the amount of time that Xavier starters are used to playing since Chalmers went down. Today could be a chance for them to get some rest, although the Musketeers have a full week off before their next game.

"Were doing all right," West said. "We've adjusted to our roles that we have to play, and we're just playing well lately."

West has been as strong as anyone in the A-10 since Xavier lost to Richmond Jan. 7.

He has recorded a double-double in each of Xavier's last four wins and was named the A-10 Player of the Week following two wins in which he averaged 19.5 points and 13.0 rebounds.

Today West probably will continue to wear the bandage that has covered his bruised knuckle.

It keeps him from moving his right index finger, which affects his outside shooting but has little impact on his rebounding.

A healthy Haynes is Fordham's best chance at slowing West, other than foul trouble, which has bothered West at times this season, most recently against Richmond, when he fouled out.

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com