On Monday, as the AP Top 25 Poll was released many people were wondering if the La Salle Explorers were going to get any votes and they did. The Explorers only got three votes but it was well deserved after the week of basketball they played beginning last Wednesday when they upset the No.9 ranked Butler Bulldogs at Tom Gola Arena.
If you weren't there, you missed a dog fight of a game! Many people didn't think that the Explorers could pull out the victory but they fought back but were down by one with about eight seconds left in the game. Senior guard Ramon Galloway drove the length of the court for a game winning layup for the win.
For La Salle University and The Explorer Entourage, the La Salle student section it has been waiting a while to see a victory of this magnitude, it was amazing to see and be apart of. Believe it or not if you haven't been following the La Salle Explorers this season you would know that Ramon Galloway is this team's heart and soul. He leaves it all out on the court and his teammates follow suit. Many people expect Galloway to be a solid pro prospect coming out of La Salle because of his athleticism and his shooting ability. ESPN's Fran Fraschilla said in a tweet that he believes Galloway may take a couple of seasons playing in the D-League but will play in the NBA and I truly believe that as well.
Now on Saturday night, the Explorers had another test and that was going on the road and taking on No. 19 ranked VCU. The Rams are a tremendous and well coached basketball team coming out of their previous conference the CAA and the Explorers dominated and survived VCU making a run in the second half. Again, the Explorers were lead by Ramon Galloway who had 31 points.
His 31 points and La Salle's big win over another top 25 team such as VCU got the attention of ESPN's Andy Katz, Fran Fraschilla, and Dick Vitale. So what does this past week in La Salle basketball tell us? It tells us that La Salle is a force to be reckoned with once again in the Atlantic 10 and in college basketball. This past week also tells us now that the Explorers will have a target on their back every game for now on and they will have to accept the challenge that comes with it.
The Explorers are 14-5 and 4-2 in the Atlantic 10 conference and are looking like serious contenders for a possible NCAA Tournament berth. You might compare this team to last year's Drexel Dragons team that played great all season but failed to make the NCAA Tournament even though they should of made it.