Friday night's AU Men's Basketball clash with Patriot League favorite Bucknell had been earmarked long before the season started.
But with AU (10-7) getting demolished by Holy Cross, 80-56, Monday and sitting tied for third in the league at 3-2, and with Bucknell cruising on an 11-game winning streak and a PL-leading 5-0 league record, the game at Bender Arena could take on a do-or-die feel for AU.
"From an emotional standpoint, it takes on even more importance than it would otherwise," said AU head coach Jeff Jones. "But it would've been an important game even if we'd won Monday."
Bucknell is arguably the most publicized PL basketball team in league history. While PL experts chose the Bison as league favorites before the season began, the Bison accrued national attention when they beat Pittsburgh - then ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press national top 25 poll - 69-66 in the Steel City.
Since that victory, the Bison have been featured in The Washington Post and projected in ESPN.com's Bracketology as a No. 13 seed in the NCAA tournament, a seed higher than any of Holy Cross' memorable teams ever received. Just this Wednesday, ESPN2's morning show "Cold Pizza" interviewed Bison assistant coach Nathan Davis and sharpshooter guard Kevin Bettencourt via satellite.
But despite remaining undefeated, PL play has been no cakewalk. The Bison narrowly escaped a Jan. 12 trip to Colgate, 71-69. On Sunday, it took a three-pointer with six seconds left from point guard Abe Badmus to sink visiting Lehigh, 63-61.
Bucknell will face AU in only its second road game of the PL season. And it may do so without head coach Pat Flannery, whom school officials granted a temporary but indefinite medical leave of absence that began on Sunday. Officials didn't specify the nature of Flannery's condition.
The Bison are certainly not unbeatable, but they still have a confident swagger.
"Every time you go on the road, it's a test," Davis said. "You have to have guys make shots. But we feel like it's a game we've got a great chance to win. We've won at Yale, St. John's and Pitt. It's definitely something we've done before."
The Eagles know they're in for a challenge, but at least they're on their home floor. AU only lost twice at home, with both those defeats coming over winter break, when the lack of students provided a lackluster atmosphere.
"We've had, compared to last year, great turnouts," sophmore guard Andre Ingram said. "When the crowd is here, when they're jumping and they're loud, we feel the energy. It seriously does help.
"Luckily, this game is at home. I don't think we're ready for a road game against Bucknell at this point."
The Eagles weren't ready against the second place Crusaders (13-5, 4-1) on Monday, even after 26 inches of snow postponed the game 24 hours, from Sunday. AU, which defeated Army, 72-37, in West Point, N.Y., Friday weathered the storm after reaching its Worcester, Mass., destination.
Holy Cross responded to the day's rest like a team rejuvenated, exploding to an early 28-9 lead and never looking back to an AU squad that looked extra homesick from the extra day on the road.
"We have the common problem of not coming into the start of the games ready," Ingram said. "That type of loss might be what we needed to see - that we're going to get pounded [if we're not ready]. Holy Cross wasted no time with us. They busted us in the mouth."
AU had no answer for the Crusader guards, with three scoring in double figures. Junior Kevin Hamilton led all scorers with 23 points, sophomore Keith Simmons scored 17 as a substitute, and freshman Pat Doherty added 15.
"Holy Cross' guards are just really, really good," Jones said of the performance. "Simmons and Hamilton might be among the best five players in the Patriot League."
Ingram, AU's leading scorer, had a quiet 10-point night while battling uncharacteristic foul trouble. Senior forward Matej Cresnik added 10.
AU's defense was especially troubling, yielding a whopping 25 assists on the Crusaders' 29 field goals.
The Eagles will need much more bite on Friday. The Bison run a potent three-guard offense, with slasher Charles Lee and Bettencourt feeding off Badmus' distribution.
Add to that trio - which combines for about 31 points a game - consistent interior scoring from 6-foot-11 center Chris McNaughton and the workmanlike intangibles of forward John Clark, and you have a team that is as versatile as it is hostile.
"Bettencourt, Lee and McNaughton," Ingram said. "After every game, I check on [Bucknell], and it's always those three. I can't wait to see the film. I want to see for myself. All I've done is read about them."
Jones took special notice of Lee. "He and [Holy Cross'] Hamilton appear to be waging quite a battle for player of the year in the Patriot League. He rebounds, defends, can put the ball on the floor and attack the rim, and he hits the jump shot."
Bucknell, while well aware of the scoring threat duo of Ingram and senior swingman Jason Thomas, is not going to focus its defensive effort solely on the perimeter.
"We going to have to certainly know who guys are," Davis said. "Last year we were hurt a lot by (senior forward Raimondas) Petrauskas and Cresnik stepping out and making shots. We have to try to limit them to one shot and done."
Strategies aside, Friday's contest, like many in the PL, may boil down to questions of heart and hustle.
"This game's not going to be about X's and O's," Ingram said. "It's more of a heart game for us. How we're going to respond at home, with the crowd behind us, will show a lot about our character"
