FanHouse Daon Merritt

Coming into the season, the South Alabama Jaguars weren't on anyone's radar. John Pelphrey traded up for the Arkansas job so even with a 19-win team returning intact some backsliding was expected. Indeed, they slid back 15 years when they hired former coach Ronnie Arrow to coach the club. It turns out what's old is new again. The Jaguars are 13-3 and, after consecutive wins against Western Kentucky and at New Orleans, the favorite in the Sun Belt. Arrow took USA to the second round in 1989 and could have a team ready to repeat that performance.

Those three losses tell us almost as much about the team as the 13 wins. They fell at Ole Miss, at Vandy in double OT and to Miami (OH) on a neutral site, all by five points or less. Their senior backcourt has been the motor. Demetric Bennett averages 20 points a game and Daon Merritt runs an offense that averages more than a point per possession and rarely turns the ball over. The team also rebounds very well, best in the league with 38 a contest.

Their defense has to improve but probably will now that Western and New Orleans are in the rear view. Even if they don't take a quantum leap forward, their rebounding and offensive efficiency make them a good bet more often than not. That, and an RPI of 30, means they should start garnering some buzz soon.

I've already voiced my displeasure with the inclusion of teams like Xavier among the mid-major morass. They have the tradition, the size and the talent to hang with any of the big boys but the Atlantic 10 is still a bit of a redheaded stepchild. The only way they can defy their label is by winning games, something they've done seven out of eight times this season after beating Creighton 79-66 last night. The deep Musketeers got a typically well-balanced scoring night, led by 28 from Drew Lavender. The 5-7 sparkplug usually finds one of his five teammates who score in double figures but took matters into his own hands from the opening tip. He scored 17 in the first half, hit four threes and still found the time to dish out 10 assists.

XU remains under the radar but is a team that can't be slept on. C.J. Anderson, Josh Duncan and Derrick Brown can beat you inside while Lavender, Stanley Burrell and B.J. Raymond control the perimeter. Few teams, regardless of conference, can match that kind of balanced scoring. We'll see who among Tennessee, Kansas State, Auburn, Virginia and Arizona State can, but first the Musketeers will face Cincinnati in a battle for city bragging rights next week.

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