Gamenotes: Rhode Island/Charlotte (.pdf)
Listen Live: Beltone Hearing Aid Centers Rams Radio Network 
(WHJJ 920 AM; The Wolf 102.3 FM) | Steve McDonald, Don Kaull
Internet: iHeart.com (Audio) | Charlotte49ers.com (video); Live Stats
Social Media: Like the Runnin' Rams on Facebook | Follow the Runnin' Rams on Twitter
BY MATT SWISS
GoRhody.com Senior Staff Writer
The Runnin' Rams enter tomorrow afternoon's game at Charlotte with a strong sense of urgency. Or at least they had better do so. After the Rams fell 84-66 at Xavier this past Wednesday night, Rhode Island must fight to stay above water with the three other teams near the 12th place cutoff line - Charlotte, George Washington and Fordham. With a win on Saturday, the Rams would earn a much-needed head-to-head tie breaker over the 49ers.
Charlotte currently sits at 3-6 in Atlantic 10 play and sophomore guard Billy Baron knows its importance.
"It is a must win game - a must win," he stressed. "We have to grab this one for sure if we want to make it into the A-10 Tournament."
If the Rams are indeed able to pick up their fourth win of the season away from the Ryan Center tomorrow afternoon at Halton Arena, they need to recognize the significance of tomorrow afternoon's game. And despite the team's struggles to this point - just five wins in 25 tries - the team remains confident going forward, understanding that it's far too early to just check out.
"We're fighting like we're 20-5 and we're going to fight until the end," Baron said. "We just want to get to the A-10 Tournament, because it is another clean slate. Everybody is 0-0 and anything can happen."
A 5-20 start can all be washed away with a few key victories in the season's final weeks. A win against Charlotte puts the Rams in manageable position going forward. It would put the Rams at least somewhat back in control of their own destiny and it would certainly give Rhode Island reason to be confident going forward.
Just as Baron alluded to, get one of those top 12 seeds in the standings and anything can happen. Rhody's fight to do just that begins tomorrow afternoon in what can only be defined as a must win.
Matt Swiss is a senior journalism major at the University of Rhode Island. Follow him on Twitter @mswissbeats
