Wednesday, January 30, 2013
La Salle poised to end drought?
By Luke Lapinski
La Salle hasn't been invited to the Big Dance since 1992. And, considering the influx of talent joining the already tough Atlantic 10 this year, the Explorers weren't necessarily on a lot of radars at the start of the season. But John Giannini's group is 14-5 and coming off back-to-back wins over Butler and Virginia Commonwealth. Could this be the year they finally get back to the NCAA Tournament?
Obviously, there's still plenty of work to be done, but La Salle has put itself in a great spot. At the moment, the Explorers sit at 4-2 in conference play and only the Bulldogs have a better record against A-10 opponents so far. Plus, the wins over programs run by Brad Stevens and Shaka Smart have garnered some national attention for Giannini's squad. Our own Jason King notes that this team has to be taken seriously. And the play of perimeter weapons Ramon Galloway, Tyreek Duren and Tyrone Garland makes it hard to argue with that point of view.
