How did red-hot Rhode Island emerge as the second-best team in the Atlantic 10 and a legitimate NCAA Tournament candidate? You can trace the origins back to two not-so-pleasant meetings, both of which involved star guard Fatts Russell.
Meeting No. 1 happened last summer. Three of Russell’s relatives — his stepfather, Tahar Sutton, his older brother, DeWayne, and an uncle, William Roberts — staged an intervention of sorts. They sat Russell down and explained in detail all of the things he did wrong as a sophomore. This family knows basketball. Sutton helped coach Russell in high school, DeWayne played at Grand Canyon and Roberts “is the one who first put a basketball in my hands,” Russell says. So they weren’t afraid to speak their minds and bring the tough love.
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“They were really coming at me,” Russell says with a chuckle. “It was uncomfortable for me. But it really helped. I would grind my teeth and be like, dang, did I really do that? But it was reality.”
You might remember Russell as a key freshman reserve for the Rams team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018. He gained some national notice for his excellent defense on Oklahoma’s Trae Young and his 15 points in Rhode Island’s first-round victory.
Fatts Russell and Rhode Island now leading Oklahoma! #MarchMadness
🎥: @marchmadness pic.twitter.com/BDMdI0xZY3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 15, 2018
When several seniors graduated off that team, coach David Cox handed the keys to the 5-foot-10 point guard. Russell averaged 14.2 points per game as a sophomore but shot only 33.8 percent from the field and 22 percent on 3s. URI went 18-15 and missed the postseason. Russell says now that while he longed to be the Man, he understands he wasn’t quite ready for the challenge last season.
“We asked him to be our best scorer and our leader, and it was all a little too much for him to handle,” Cox says. “So he struggled a little bit. But this year, he’s shown tremendous growth and maturity.”
Russell is now one of the top all-around point guards in the country. He’s averaging 20.2 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds. His 3.1 steals per game ranks second in Division I. He’s shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 35.8 percent on 3s. If not for Dayton’s Obi Toppin, he would be the leading candidate for A-10 player of the year.
Russell credits his improvement to what he calls “some hard film sessions” with his family, who showed him his sophomore mistakes over and over again on their DVR’d game copies.
“Last year, it was like a mental rollercoaster,” he says. “Now, it’s just more steady. If I have an off game or an off half or even an off couple minutes, I’m mentally tough enough to move forward and just get to the next thing.”
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Despite Russell’s ascension, the Rams stood at just 8-5 in early January following back-to-back losses at Brown and against Richmond. That led to meeting No. 2.
Upset with the team’s at times selfish play, Russell and seniors Cyril Langevine and Jeff Dowtin called a players-only meeting after the Richmond loss. “We were like, we’re not going to let our season go down the drain,” Russell says. “If we’re going to flip this, we have to flip it right now. We felt like we had to be more together, be in sync on the defensive end and rebound collectively.”
Rhode Island (18-5, 10-1) hasn’t lost since. Its 10-game winning streak includes a season sweep of VCU. Russell had 30 points in the second victory over VCU, going to the free-throw line 18 times. The Rams went down to only eight rotation players after Dana Tate and Greg Hammond transferred midseason; junior college transfer D.J. Johnson is redshirting, while guard Jeremy Sheppard was ruled ineligible by the NCAA. The upshot is that everyone on the team knows their defined role, Cox says. URI has a perimeter stopper in Dowtin, a rugged rebounder in Langevine and a scoring threat on the wing in sophomore Tyrese Martin.
The Rams sit just a half-game behind Dayton in the conference standings and get their first crack at the Flyers on the road Tuesday. Even if they don’t catch Dayton, they’ve established themselves as a strong at-large candidate, bolstered by a stout nonconference schedule. Sure, the Brown and Richmond losses weren’t great, but their only other setbacks came against Maryland, LSU and West Virginia. Rhode Island also beat Alabama and Providence.
“I would imagine we’re an NCAA Tournament-caliber team.” Cox says. “There’s not much more we can do.”
A return to the bracket would mean another spotlight opportunity for Russell, who most likely would become a fan favorite. He’s got the edge and swagger you’d expect from a guard from Philadelphia. “If you’re not physically, emotionally and mentally tough, you’re not going to be able to grow up a good basketball player in Philly,” he says. And then there’s that unforgettable moniker. His real first name is Daron, but his mom, Terri, gave him the nickname because he was a chubby baby. Now we get the hilarious juxtaposition of a dude listed at 165 pounds going by Fatts.
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“My friends would come over when I was a kid, hear the name and call me it,” he says. “I kind of just got used to it. Now I introduce myself as Fatts. It’s become a part of me.”
Don’t be surprised to see Fatts Russell and Rhode Island become a big part of March.
Familiar face leading Salukis back
You won’t see a more heavily contested buzzer-beater than this one from Southern Illinois freshman Marcus Domask against Missouri State on Saturday:
Count it. Game. @marcusdomask1 #UnleashTheDawg // #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/EHloMjXcHI
— Saluki Athletics (@SIUSalukis) February 9, 2020
Yet that’s not even the most amazing thing about the Salukis’ season. They were picked to finish last in the Missouri Valley Conference, a prediction that didn’t seem too far off when they were 6-8 overall after a loss to Indiana State on Dec. 30. Since then, however, they’ve gone 9-2. Their current seven-game winning streak includes upsets of Northern Iowa and Loyola Chicago, and they own sole possession of second place in the Valley behind UNI. They’ve done all this without senior guard Aaron Cook, who was leading the team in scoring when he broke his right hand in November. Cook is pursuing a medical redshirt.
In his first season at the helm of the Salukis, Bryan Mullins has to be considered a leading candidate for conference coach of the year. He’s used to winning in Carbondale. He played point guard for Southern Illinois, leading the team to the Sweet 16 in 2007, setting the school record for assists and twice earning Valley defensive player of the year honors. Mullins, 33, played professionally overseas before joining the staff at Loyola Chicago, where he was an assistant for the Ramblers’ 2018 Final Four run. Then the call came last March from his alma mater.
“I’m so appreciative of this opportunity because I know how special this place is,” Mullins says. “I’ve experienced it. I’ve lived it.”
Mullins brought in 10 new players during the offseason and plays four freshmen in his rotation. There were some growing pains early on, especially after Cook’s injury pushed freshman Lance Jones into point guard duties. The 6-6 Domask, a freshman from Wisconsin, has emerged as the leading scorer. The team also boasts a top-100 defense, which should be no surprise given Mullins’ background; during his playing days, Southern Illinois was known as Floorburn U. He’s working to rebuild that culture.
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“We bring in the same type of mindset and the same type of kids and characteristics,” Mullins says. “We have some different schemes on offense and defense. But in terms of how hard we want to play, in terms of doing the little things and those toughness plays, that stuff’s non negotiable. And the kids have really bought into that.”
The Salukis were a mid-major force earlier this century. They went to the NCAA Tournament every year from 2002 to ’07 and had a cradle of coaches going with Bruce Weber and Matt Painter. The program has had only two 20-win seasons since 2007 and hasn’t been back in the field of 68. Attendance and interest sagged.
Perhaps a beloved alumnus is the guy to bring the Salukis back. They beat Missouri State before 6,528 fans at the Banterra Center, the largest home crowd since 2016.
“It was just like back when I was playing,” Mullins says. “That’s why this school is so special, because the community rallies around it. They love to come and watch teams that play hard and have a chip on their shoulders. They love watching this team play right now.”
Mid-bits
• The very slight chance of a two-bid Ivy most likely died Friday when Yale lost at home to Harvard, 78-77. The Bulldogs almost made a miraculous comeback after trailing by four points with 5.6 seconds left. Azar Swain banked in a buzzer-beating 3 while being fouled. Alas, he missed the potential tying free throw.
Harvard somehow found itself in a similar situation the following day. The Crimson led Brown, 71-69, with 2.9 seconds left. But Brown’s Tamenang Choh drove in for a tying layup and was fouled with 0.5 seconds left. No such luck for Harvard at the charity stripe this time, as Choh made the free throw for the win.
Here’s the final play of the game and the call with @NCoitABC6 on @espn +! pic.twitter.com/Gq0id1hKJy
— Brown Basketball (@BrownBasketball) February 9, 2020
• North Carolina A&T announced Friday that it is leaving the MEAC for the Big South starting in the 2021-22 season. The Aggies lead the MEAC by a half-game, though you wonder if they’ll get many friendly whistles in the conference tournament.
• We haven’t had much reason to mention Houston Baptist this year, as the Huskies are 3-18 overall and 3-9 in the Southland Conference. But we have to recognize the most amazing throwback uniforms of all time, which resurfaced again in Saturday’s game against Northwestern State. The Huskies have worn them once a year since 2014-15 while honoring their mid-1970s era. Long may they live.
“Is this Heaven?”
“It’s Sharp, Texas.”
“Sharp, Texas?”
“Yeah.”
“Coulda sworn it was Heaven.” pic.twitter.com/5xvetPVVVA
— Steven Key (@HBUCoachKey) February 8, 2020
Games of the week
(All times ET; AP rankings as of Monday morning)
Colgate at Boston, 7 p.m. Monday (CBS Sports): Patriot League throw-down! The Raiders are the defending league champs, have been the league’s best team all year and even own a win at Cincinnati. But Boston U. is just one game back in the standings, and the Terriers, who pulled off an upset at South Carolina back in November, look to avenge a nine-point loss at Colgate on Jan. 18.
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Rhode Island at No. 6 Dayton, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (CBS Sports): Not only is first place in the A-10 on the line, but it’s the first Toppin Bowl. Obi Toppin’s younger brother, Jacob, is a freshman forward for Rhode Island. The two have never played an organized game against each other. On paper, the Rams could match up well with Dayton — and not just because they also have a Toppin. The Fatts Russell-Jalen Crutcher and Cyril Langevine-Obi Toppin matchups are awfully appetizing.
Charleston at Hofstra, 7 p.m. Thursday (CBS Sports): First place in the Colonial Athletic is at stake. Sam Miller’s layup with nine seconds left pushed Charleston to a two-point home win on Jan. 18. Hofstra, which won at UCLA earlier this year, is on a four-game winning streak and will look to turn the tables on the Cougars behind its excellent scoring duo of Desure Buie and Eli Pemberton.
Northern Iowa at Loyola Chicago, 8 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2): The first meeting between these two went to overtime before UNI eked out the victory at home. The Ramblers, who somehow scored only 39 points in a loss to Indiana State last Wednesday, need to protect home court to stay in the Missouri Valley title chase.
No. 4 San Diego State at Boise State, 4 p.m. Sunday (CBS Sports): The undefeated Aztecs open the week Tuesday at home against the hollowed-out shell of New Mexico, a team they beat by 28 in Albuquerque on Jan. 29. The trip to Boise, the first of two remaining road games, should be much more challenging. It could, in fact, get interesting. The 16-9 Broncos have a budding star in Derrick Alston and have beaten BYU and Utah State at Taco Bell Arena. (And now I suddenly have a craving for a crunchwrap).
The Mid-Major Top 10
1. San Diego State (24-0, 13-0 Mountain West): Maybe Saturday’s 89-74 win at Air Force wasn’t the Aztecs’ crispest performance of the season – a flurry of fouls and an interminable second-half delay for a clock malfunction didn’t help matters. Still, it was yet another double-digit conference road victory. Just five games stand between SDSU and an undefeated regular season, with three of those coming at Viejas Arena. If you want to know how the Aztecs got this good, make sure to read my story from last week. My expert analysis, after seeing this team in person: They’re legit. Last week: 1
2. Dayton (21-2, 10-0 Atlantic 10): Saint Louis gave Dayton a test for the second time this season, but Jalen Crutcher was too good down the stretch. The Flyers are the No. 6 overall seed right now, according to the selection committee’s bracket reveal on Saturday. That puts them in line for possibly grabbing a No. 1 seed if other teams falter. LW: 2
3. BYU (19-7, 8-3 West Coast): The Cougars avenged a road loss to San Francisco by dispatching the Dons, 90-76, at home Saturday. Yoeli Childs’ finger must be feeling better. He had 32 points in 27 minutes. BYU’s next three games – at Loyola Marymount, at San Diego and home against Santa Clara – should be pretty manageable. Then comes a big visit from Gonzaga on Feb. 22. LW: 3
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4. Rhode Island (18-5, 10-1 A-10): The Rams destroyed George Washington, 82-51, on the road Saturday, holding the Colonials to just 29 percent shooting. In conference play, Rhode Island is holding opponents to 23.8 percent on 3s. The game against Dayton should be two tons of fun. LW: 5
5. Northern Iowa (21-3, 10-2 Missouri Valley): The Panthers were in a tight one with Drake on Saturday until A.J. Green put an end to the threat with eight straight points. Green finished with 34 and should be the runaway player of the year in the Valley. LW: 6
6. East Tennessee State (21-4, 10-2 Southern): The Bucs took a costly home loss to Mercer 12 days ago. At least they bounced back and beat those same Bears, 73-60, on the road Saturday. ETSU plays The Citadel and VMI this week (combined conference record: 2-22) before a big battle for first place against Furman on Feb. 19. LW: 8
7. VCU (17-6, 7-3 A-10): The Rams had a full week off after their disappointing performance at Rhode Island, and they took out some frustrations in a 73-62 win against Davidson. “They were upset and disappointed, to a point where they were embarrassed,” VCU coach Mike Rhoades said. “I wasn’t nice with them, and I thought they did a good job responding.” This team has no margin for error left to gain an at-large bid, and the upcoming schedule is not kind. VCU plays three of its next five on the road, including tough games at Richmond and Saint Louis, and hosts Dayton on Feb. 18. LW: 7
8. Saint Mary’s (20-6, 7-4 WCC): Look, nobody in the WCC can handle Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have won 38 straight conference road games, which has to be one of the most insane streaks in college basketball history. Still, Saint Mary’s was never competitive Saturday in a 90-60 vivisection in Moraga. That’s four WCC losses already for the Gaels, who still have to go to Spokane. The NCAA Tournament viability of this team is definitely in question. LW: 4
9. Utah State (19-7, 8-5 MWC): Welcome back, Aggies. Utah State couldn’t pull off the win at San Diego State on Feb. 1, but it has won five of its past six by comfortable margins. We’re finally starting to see the team we expected, thanks largely to the return of Neemias Queta. He had 21 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots in Saturday’s 70-61 win over Boise State. The Aggies are on the periphery of the bubble because of nonconference wins over LSU and Florida, but they’ll most likely have to win the Mountain West tournament — or at least knock SDSU out in the semifinals — to have a real chance of dancing. LW: Not ranked
10. Furman (20-5, 10-2 Southern): It’s probably about time we ranked the Paladins, who have beaten East Tennessee State and are tied with the Bucs atop the SoCon. Bob Richey’s club ranks seventh nationally in effective field goal percentage and No. 2 in 2-point field goal percentage. Star guard Jordan Lyons had 33 points in Saturday’s win at Western Carolina. How different Furman’s NCAA Tournament outlook would be if it could have hung on and won at Auburn on Dec. 5 instead of dropping an overtime heartbreaker. Life in the mid-major ranks is cruel sometimes. LW: Not ranked.
Dropped out: Yale, Liberty
Waiting room: Vermont, Wright State
