Hello, St. John's. Your 5-0 record looks good -- you could even say it looks perfect -- but whom have you beaten?

Let's see ... the schedule says you've beaten Stony Brook, Fordham, Fairfield, St. Francis (N.Y.) and Hofstra. In other words, you haven't beaten anybody. So we're not sure about you just yet.

	Justin Gray usually gets other Deacons involved, but scored 20 against Wisconsin.

And hello to you, Wake Forest. Your 5-0 record also looks quite impressive. Perfect, even. And on your schedule here it says you've beaten Temple and Wisconsin. Nice -- very nice.

But then, Temple is way down and Wisconsin is unaccomplished. So we're not sure about you just yet, either.

Hello, St. John's vs. Wake Forest. If there is a December game that needs to be played more than this one, we're all ears. In the meantime the Red Storm visits the Deacons on Saturday, a game that should tell more about each team than any of its previous games.

The Red Storm hopes to overcome a hurdle that tripped them almost every time last season -- a road game. St. John's was 3-8 on the road last season, beating only Boston College, Virginia Tech and Niagara.

"We're a year wiser," says Red Storm coach Mike Jarvis. "We're more prepared."

Better competition is needed to know for sure, but the Red Storm could be a whole lot better than their 20-12 mark of a year ago thanks primarily to the additions of Elijah Ingram and Andre Stanley, whose penchant for running the offense allows Marcus Hatten to focus more on his specialty -- scoring. With Ingram and Stanley combining for almost seven assists per game, Hatten's scoring is up nearly three points from his average of a year ago, all the way to 22.8.

Hatten and Co. haven't seen a defense like the one awaiting them in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Deacons have one of the best perimeter defenders in the country in Josh Howard, a spidery 6-foot-6 wing who could draw the assignment of the 6-1 Hatten, or could stick to rejuvenated St. John's junior Willie Shaw (12.5 points per game). The Deacons also have quick guards Taron Downey and Justin Gray playing in tandem.

Howard, long suspected to be one of the best all-around talents in the country, is having the kind of breakout season that could lead to All-America consideration. A stat-box filler in the mold of Scottie Pippen, Howard averages 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.3 steals and one blocked shot per game. Four teammates also score in double figures, including vastly improved sophomore Vytas Danelius (11.3 points, 10.3 rebounds) and mountainous freshman Eric Williams (12.3 points, 64.3-percent shooting from the floor).

The Deacons are deep enough to win, and win handily, even without a huge game from Howard. He had just eight points and four rebounds Dec. 15 against SMU, but the Deacons still won 73-49.

"We are far from a juggernaut offensively, but we (can) make enough baskets," Deacons coach Skip Prosser says. "I think we had 20 assists on 25 baskets (against SMU), so we're not just standing around out there."

No standing around Saturday, either.

Either St. John's or Wake Forest will pick up it best victory of the season. In defeat, the loser probably will learn more about itself than its early wins could teach.

Games of the Week

Tennessee at West Virginia Saturday The Mountaineers already have knocked off one SEC team, Florida. Now they take on the Volunteers. Who'll win? Easy: the 'eers. Virginia at Rutgers Saturday Why do we have the feeling this game could make one of these programs, and break the other, when the NCAA Tournament selection committee next convenes? N. Carolina at Florida State Sunday The first game of the ACC could be a sneaky one. Under new coach Leonard Hamilton, the Seminoles look to be a lot better than anyone expected two months ago. Villanova at Dayton Sunday Two teams clawing for respect get the chance for a quality out-of-conference win.

Tougher Rhode To Victory
Speaking of big games Saturday, No. 3 Pittsburgh had better be careful against Rhode Island.

Yes, Rhode Island.

Rhode Island, as in the team that went 8-20 last season. Rhode Island, as in the team that won seven games the year before that, and five games the year before that. Rhode Island, as in the team that will try to run and trap and hustle the Panthers right out of the Ryan Center.

The Rams are 5-2, with victories against Providence on the road and Southern Cal at home. Winning their fifth game on Dec. 14, against Maine, put them almost six weeks ahead of their last three seasons, when the average date of their fifth victory came on Jan. 24.

But that's what Rhode Island coach Jim Baron does. He stomps on the gas pedal. He hurries. He wins.

Baron has won in tougher places than this. His first head coaching position was at St. Francis (Pa.), where his first four teams went 7-20, 13-16, 17-11 and 24-8. From there he went to St. Bonaventure, where his first four teams averaged 12 wins, and his next five averaged 17 wins.

What's that you say? Winning 17 games a year at St. Bonaventure is no big deal?

You try it.

Baron inherited a truly desolate program when he left the Bonnies for Rhode Island last season. The Rams had gone 12-48 in the two previous seasons, and the situation off the court was uglier than the one on it. But Baron was the perfect fit, a disciplinarian who wins with an up-tempo style of play that can lure fans and recruits.

Off the court, Baron has let the Rams know exactly what he expects. One of his first acts as coach last season was handing each player a spiral-bound notebook broken down into Rules (six of them), Goals (10) and Expectations (16). It covered everything from academics to appearance. On the court the Rams go 10 deep, and while they haven't shot or rebounded better than their opponents this season, they have been much peskier. Foes are averaging 20.5 turnovers per game, six more than the Rams commit, which has enabled Rhode Island to attempt 60 more field goals. You don't necessarily have to shoot as well as other teams when you're shooting a lot more often.

The out-front stars are Dustin Hellenga and Brian Woodward, who average a combined 30 points per game, but the hidden gem is point guard Howard Smith. He averages just 4.9 points per game but has a nearly 6-to-1 ratio of assists (44) to turnovers (eight).

Add that core of players, Baron's hard-core style and the new Ryan Center, a $54 million facility that opened this season, and the picture at Rhode Island is a lot prettier than it was when Baron got here last season.

"It's all part of the process," he says, "all part of the vision."

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