Now that's bad

We're up to 347 D-I men's college basketball teams. Furman is now ranked 343rd according to the Sagarin Ratings in USA Today. At 0-11 and counting, we can officially start making the case for Furman as the nation's worst program. I'm so proud.

Only Dartmouth (1-11), North Carolina Central (0-18), Alcorn State (0-14) and New Jersey Tech (0-16) are looking up at Furman. That's right, Furman, the school that produced Frank Selvy, is keeping company with the likes of New Jersey Tech. The Paladins were recently passed by 2-13 North Florida, which broke its 54-game road losing streak with a win over Furman last month. Dartmouth's lone victory? You guessed - compliments of Furman. Now, technically, the 'Dins are 2-11, but to the computer those victories don't count because one was over, gulp, D-III Emory (that would be, no athletic scholarships) and the other was by four points over Berry - a .500 NAIA team.

There is one other winless school, 0-13 Eastern Michigan, but the Eagles are way up there at 317. The way I see it, there are really two questions left to be answered this winter for Paladin hoops: Can Furman go 0-fer, and how much longer can the school put up with the debacle that is coach Jeff Jackson?

Now, sadly for someone who was hoping Jake Delhomme would crack double digits in interceptions on Saturday, there's a fair chance Furman will win at least one more game. The Southern Conference isn't exactly a juggernaut, and with the likes of 4-8 Elon, 7-9 Citadel and 2-11 UNC-Greensboro on the schedule it's possible some loser team will muck up Furman's quest for epic horribleness. But stay positive.

Rumor had it, Larry Davis left the cupboard bare when he bolted to Cincinnati three years ago, so Furman's 17 or so basketball fans thought Jackson had invented coaching when he went 15-16 his first year. OK, so 7-23 last season was a step back, but maybe THAT was when Davis' talent drain kicked in.

Now Jackson has two recruiting classes in place, however, and it's hard to see how things are looking up. Jordan Miller leads the team at 14.2 points per game. Only two other players average more than 9. Nine different players have started at least one game. The Paladins can't shoot - not even free throws - and get outrebounded. They're not athletic. There is not a single statistical category where they are not getting handily beaten by their opponents. Not one.

In other words, they're a disaster. An optimist would say that there are only two seniors and two juniors on the roster, and Miller is a sophomore. As someone who hasn't seen a decent Furman team since '91, however, let's just say I'll believe I should be optimistic in retrospect.