Projo College Hoops

If a basketball team is going to play three games in one season in the same building away from home, The Palestra is a great place to do it.

So, no one on the URI side is complaining to be back here again today. The Rams beat Penn State and lost to Villanova here in late November. Today, they take on Saint Joseph's in the A-10 opener for both. The Hawks have dominated URI in Alumni Fieldhouse, their on-campus building that is now undergoing renovations. URI's chances will not be hurt playing in this great building.

A couple notes on conference happenings as we await the start:

Want to go to the conference tournament in Springfield, Mass? It could happen.

Several weeks ago, A-10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade reported that six cities were involved in the bid process to host the A-10 tournament for the next three years. At the time, she indicated five of the venues were predictable with one a surprise. Apparently, Springfield is the surprise entrant.

City officials reported this week that they are bidding to have the tournament form 2010-12. The MassMutual Center, which has a capacity of just over 6,600 fans, has been redone. Springfield, of course, is the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Massachusetts is hosting Dayton today in Springfield, the first time the Minutemen have played there since 2005. It is hoped the game will showcase the city and help in the drive to attract the tournament.

The only other city confirmed as a bidder is Atlantic City, which completes its current three-year contract as host this year.

Secondly, a personnel note, one that figures to make Temple an even stronger contender than expected this year.

The Owls, the defending tournament champion, have added a point guard. He is Juan Fernandes, who is from Argentina. The 6-4 guard had eight points in each of his first two games, including making all four of his 3-point attempts.

 Tags  Bernadette McGlade Saint Joseph's The Palestra URI

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