What happened to St. Joseph's?
Two weeks ago, the Hawks were perched atop the Atlantic Ten, a sure bet to land a conference tournament bye and an outside shot at an at-large NCAA tournament bid.
Four narrow losses later, St. Joe's has played its way out of both scenarios and into a tie for sixth place.
According to coach Phil Martelli, though, almost nothing has changed. The Hawks simply were victimized by an in-and-out shot here or a bad bounce there. Still, as Martelli noted, the results are what count, and four straight in the loss column - to Massachusetts, St. Louis, La Salle and Temple - are what they are.
"It's easy to do the math and say, 'Hey, we've lost four games by a total of 12 points,' " Martelli said. "That's a loser. You never hear a winning team say, 'Oh, we won four games by 12 points.' "
The numbers, in some ways, are the same as when the team won nine of the previous 10. The Hawks are shooting with exactly the same accuracy from the field - 44.9 percent. Ahmad Nivins still is churning out double-doubles. And the level of competition has virtually been the same.
But opponents have had more success putting the ball through the hoop. Before the losing streak, foes shot 41.4 percent. Since, they have hit 45.6 percent.
The Hawks were at 29.2 percent from three-point distance over the last four games. Previously, they made 33.9 percent. In Sunday's 70-69 loss to Massachusetts, St. Joe's was 0 for 7 from beyond the arc. That doughnut ended a 495-game streak of games with at least one trey made.
Nivins continues to battle a calf bruise he suffered early this month. "A little bit of explosiveness is gone," Martelli said.
Many players are banged up and tired, the coach said.
The players "worry they're letting each other down or we're not winning with the regularity the program is used to," Martelli said. "I think that can get to be a burden."
Tidbits
The Hawks' three-point production is down. Last season, they had four viable options from outside - the departed Pat Calathes and Rob Ferguson, as well as Darrin Govens and Tasheed Carr. Calathes and Ferguson shot better than 40 percent and the team 38.6 percent. This season, it's Govens (34.5 percent) or Carr (40.5).
Govens and Garrett Williamson are what remains of a four-guard recruiting class from three years ago. Juwan Carter left after his freshman season, sat out last year, and is leading Delaware with 15.7 points a game. D.J. Rivera transferred to Binghamton last summer and is leading the Bearcats at 20.4 points and 6.4 rebounds.
Spotlight on: Xavier
No. 18 Xavier has been the class of the A-10 for several years, but when the Musketeers visit St. Joseph's at the Palestra tonight, they will face an opponent that has been a nuisance. The Hawks have won four of the last six in the series.
"They've played a power game at Xavier for a long time," Martelli said. "They believe in trying to overpower you. I think we've been able to spread them out a little bit and maybe negate their size and strength advantage."
Contact staff writer Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.
Taking a Look at St. Joseph's
* Record: 14-12 overall, 7-5 Atlantic Ten (tied for sixth place).
* RPI ranking: 94 (through Tuesday).
* Predicted NCAA tournament seeding: The Hawks must win the A-10 tournament to make the NCAAs.
* Last game: Lost to Massachusetts, 70-69, at the Palestra on Sunday.
* Next game: Tonight at 7 against No. 19 Xavier, at the Palestra.
