By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Just when Xavier thought it had won its battle for first place last week against Dayton, the Musketeers have to face a Rhode Island team with lofty aspirations on Saturday.

The Rams come to Cintas Center sitting in second place in the Atlantic 10 Conference East Division, one game behind Saint Joseph's at 7-3 in the league and 15-6 overall.

"We're concerned with what we're trying to get done," said Xavier coach Thad Matta, "but we know there is a lot at stake for them as well."

Rhode Island coach Jim Baron doesn't want to put too much pressure on his team, which is experiencing more success this season than it has since former coach Jim Harrick left for Georgia after the 1998-99 season.

The Rams endured one of the worst three-year stretches in the program's history following Harrick's departure, but URI has succeeded this season behind Baron's ability to blend experienced veterans with talented newcomers.

"We're in an incredible situation," Baron said. "Last year, we won eight games. Two years ago, we won five. Now we've got 10 freshman and sophomores. We just have to keep improving. I'm not worried too much about the standings."

The Rams will need some help if they are going to catch Saint Joseph's. The teams don't play again after splitting two games.

Baron knows it's the players' nature to see where they are in the standings.

"It's challenging," Baron said. "You have to keep the players grounded. We're in unmarked waters here, so we have to work to get better."

Rhode Island is 64th in the Rating Percentage Index as of Thursday. That's a step up from 227th at the end of last season, 234th the year before that and 239th in 2000.

"It's going to be the best Rhode Island team I've played against," said Musketeers senior David West, who was particularly concerned with the Rams' rebounding prowess.

Rhode Island is nearly Xavier's equal on the boards, grabbing 39.1 rebounds per game. The Musketeers lead the A-10 with 39.9.

No one player stands out as a dominant inside force for URI, but 6-foot-3 senior Brian Woodward leads the team with 5.8 boards per game. He also scores 13.9 points, second behind sophomore Dustin Hellenga, who puts up 14.0 per game.

Two of Rhode Island's A-10 losses have come on the road, and Saturday's game is the first of three consecutive away from the new Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I.

Baron said the 7,751-seat Ryan Center contributed to this season's success in much the same way Xavier experienced a boost when Cintas Center opened before the 2000-01 season.

"It gives you more confidence and gets you believing that you're a contender," XU's Lionel Chalmers said on playing a season with a new arena. "Playing in an old gym isn't as fun. Not to take away from any attitude changes that (Rhode Island) made this season, but those other accessories help a lot."

It's the improved attitude, Baron said, that made the most difference, however. Even when players saw that most media picked them to finish next-to-last in the A-10 East, the Rams ignored what they read and let their record serve notice.

"These guys are resilient," Baron said. "They just continue to bounce back from every setback, and it seems like every game we have a different guy step up."

In their most recent win against La Salle, it was Lazare Adingono, who scored a career-high 24 points. Before that, Woodward put together games of 30 and 25 points, giving Rhode Island a three-game winning streak going into Saturday's game.

"I don't have time to think about it," Baron said of the streak. "When you've got 10 freshmen and sophomores, you really just have to worry about practice each day."

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com

Rhode Island by the seasons

Year	Overall record	Conf. record	Coach
1998-99	20-13	10-6	Jim Harrick
1999-00	5-25	2-14	Jerry DeGregorio
2000-01	7-23	3-13	Jerry DeGregorio
2001-02	8-20	4-12	Jim Baron
2002-03	15-6	7-3	Jim Baron