OOC opponents: What they've done, part one

This is the first in a series of updates we'll do throughout the season on the non-conference opponents the men have faced. RPI rankings are courtesy of Ken Pomeroy.

The non-conference teams GW has faced are currently a combined 21-23.

Mount St. Mary's
Record: 2-4
RPI: 245
Best Win: Loyola (MD) (199)
Worst Loss: American (271)
Conference: Northeast
Conference RPI Rank: 28 out of 31
Analysis: Mount St. Mary's lost four in a row to start the season, but the Mount has won back-to-back contests heading into tonight's home matchup with Long Island (108). The non-conference schedule still has big games against Winthrop (72) and at Oregon (11). Mount St. Mary's has not finished higher than #230 in the RPI rankings since 1999 (171).

Boston University
Record: 2-6
RPI: 269
Best Win: Harvard (143)
Worst Loss: Manhattan (252)
Conference: America East
Conference RPI Rank: 27 out of 31
Analysis: The preseason favorites in the America East Conference snapped a six-game losing streak with a seven-point win over Harvard on Tuesday night. Two of BU's losses have come to teams ranked in the top 100 of the RPI, while three have come to teams ranked between 101 and 200. The Terriers still have road games at Massachusetts (34) and Holy Cross (44).

Maryland-Baltimore County
Record: 6-2
RPI: 42
Best Win: Morgan State (77)
Worst Loss: at Lafayette (251)
Conference: America East
Conference RPI Rank: 27 out of 31
Analysis: The Retrievers had won three-straight before falling at Wichita State (113) by nine on Tuesday night. Aside from the win over Morgan State, UMBC hasn't beaten anyone with an RPI ranking higher than 160. The Retrievers still have games at West Virginia (61), against Hampton (83), and at Ohio State (39).

UCLA
Record: 6-1
RPI: 10
Best Win: vs. Michigan State (19)
Worst Loss: Texas (3)
Conference: Pacific 10
Conference RPI Rank: 2 out of 31
Analysis: The Bruins are off to a fast start despite a number of injuries. UCLA fell at home to Texas by two last Sunday night. Next up is Davidson (130) in a semi-home game in Anaheim, CA on Sunday. The rest of the non-conference slate is relatively easy before Pac-10 play starts; the conference is currently rated as the second-toughest in the nation in terms of RPI.

Auburn
Record: 4-2
RPI: 128
Best Win: at Alabama State (82)
Worst Loss: at Tulane (166)
Conference: Southeastern
Conference Rank: 8 out of 31
Analysis: The Tigers have two wins against teams currently ranked #332 or worse. Auburn got blown out by 29 points against West Virginia in a semi-home game in Birmingham, AL on Wednesday night. The Tigers still have a home game against Xavier (7) looming at the beginning of January. Other than that one, four of the program's five remaining non-conference opponents have an RPI of 215 or worse.

Maryland-Eastern Shore
Record: 1-8
RPI: 308
Best Win: Stony Brook (316)
Worst Loss: at Iowa (229)
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic
Conference RPI Rank: 26 out of 31
Analysis: UMES' 39-point loss at GW last night was the seventh in a row for the program whose best finish in the RPI since 2004 is #318. The Eagles visit Old Dominion (114) on Saturday and travel to Nebraska (164) at the beginning of January.