What in the world has happened to the University of Delaware men’s basketball team?  The Hens entered this 2012-13 season with unusually high expectations.  UD was picked to finish second in the CAA coming into the campaign, and they began the year by beating Virginia on the road and giving Kansas State all they could handle at Madison Square Garden.  That’s the same UVA team that beat North Carolina two weeks ago and the same Kansas State squad that entered the week with the No. 11 ranking in the country.

However, since that narrow loss to the Wildcats, things have spiraled down the toilet for Monte Ross’ team.  Delaware has just six wins in its last 15 games.  Included in that stretch are losses to Delaware State and Lafayette. 

It has been anything but pretty, although Wednesday may have represented a new low.

The Hens journeyed to Harrisonburg, VA to take on a James Madison team that was coming off of a 26-point drubbing at the hands of Towson over the weekend.  It seemed like a good spot for UD to end its two-game skid; instead, it turned out to be a completely one-sided affair, as Delaware was beaten 64-50.

The Hens fell behind 26-10 early and trailed 29-18 at the half.  UD never got the margin within single digits in the second stanza.  Delaware missed its first six shots after intermission and took more than six minutes before connecting on its first field goal of the second half.

Jamelle Hagins endured a miserable night, as foul trouble combined with poor shooting to leave the senior with just four points and four rebounds for the game.

Where can Delaware go from here?

This was supposed to be the campaign in which Ross’ program would turn the proverbial corner.  The Hens have the talent to win three straight games in Richmond come CAA Tournament time.  Yet at the moment, they are playing like a team incapable of winning three more games in what is honestly a very mediocre league this year.

Is there still time to fix what ails Delaware?  Yes, but the solutions had better surface soon.  A few more performances like Wednesday’s effort in Harrisonburg and UD will be too far gone to fix.