Hawks #1 in RPI Saint Joseph's looked a bit odd Saturday. Maybe it was those squeaky-clean home whites the Hawks wore. But it was same old St. Joe's in its Atlantic 10 opener, as the Hawks kept their perfect record into 2004 by beating George Washington. But excuse the folks on Hawk Hill if they didn't recognize their team. St. Joe's, No. 10 in both polls last week, and No. 1 in the first RPI of 2004, has been forced to take its impressive act on the road more than any other national contender. And the way Phil Martelli's squad went about winning during its non-conference season makes Saint Joseph's 11-0 start among the most credible records in the country. St. Joe's is one of 10 perfect teams that entered conference play. And, among the unbeatens, the Hawks have taken the toughest route to its best start in school history. Yes, Jameer Nelson and the Hawks are No. 1 in the first RPI rankings of 2004. Seven times in 2003 the Hawks played in hostile environments. Yes, three of those games came in the Palestra on Penn's campus in Philadelphia. And while their fans didn't have to travel outside the city limits, trust us, the Hawks were the road team against Penn. Against Drexel? Well, it's not Saint Joseph's fault that the Hawks can bring as many or more fans than Drexel to a game at the Palestra even though the Dragons' campus is two blocks away. The third game at the Palestra was, yes, a home game against Boston College. Still, Saint Joseph's played in Madison Square Garden against Gonzaga, where the Hawks were the "unofficial" home team because of the proximity. But the game was still in New York, not at Hawk Hill. Saint Joseph's beat Cal in Oakland in the Pete Newell Challenge. The other road trips were at Delaware, Boston University and Old Dominion. And while those teams may not put fear into most top 25 teams, there aren't too many teams with a legit chance to contend for a top two seed come March that are willing to play those kinds of road games (read: at low or mid-major teams). The only games St. Joe's played on campus prior to New Year's Eve were against Pacific and San Francisco: The fewest of any top 25 team. "I already checked it," Martelli said in reference to his Hawks' lack of home games. "I'm not apologizing for our schedule. I'm proud of it. We just don't buy games." Link - Full Article
