When the men's basketball team opened the season with a No. 12 ranking-the highest in school history-in the D3hoops.com poll, they denounced its significance, stressing that the only important goal was to reach the Final Four.Now, armed with its best 12-game start in 51 years and a No. 2 spot in the D3hoops.com poll after the non-conference season, players and coaches are still downplaying their ranking, especially with most of the difficult University Athletic Association schedule still on tap.

"We're definitely aware of [the ranking], but we don't really put much stock into it," forward Stephen Hill '08 said. "We still have a lot of work to do. The biggest thing we've noticed being ranked No. 2 is that it seems that every game we play is the biggest game of the year for [the opposition]. Everybody is trying to come after us."

The team is 11-1 this season, the lone blemish a 71-64 overtime loss at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Dec. 6. Two days later, the Judges scored a 72-62 upset of then-No. 1 Amherst College, and after a thrilling 96-94 overtime win over Elms College Jan. 7, the Judges opened UAA play with a 66-56 win over New York University last Saturday.

Remarkably, the team has succeeded despite the absence of forward Steve DeLuca '08, a first-team all-UAA selection last season.

DeLuca missed all but 27 minutes of action in the first semester due to a lower back injury and a right hamstring injury. He originally injured his plantar fasciitis, the band of tissue that extends from the heel to the toe on the bottom of the foot, after the team returned from its summer trip to Italy, and difficulty adjusting to orthotics placed in his shoes led to his current ailments.

Initially, DeLuca was scheduled to return by conference play, but the recovery has taken longer than expected, and coach Brian Meehan said this week that his star player is "not even close to returning." DeLuca recently received an epidural shot in his lower back and is slowly working his way back into playing shape, but no timetable has been set for his return.

Meehan said the team's ability to overcome DeLuca's injury has allowed them to flourish.

"We planned on having DeLuca [this season] and felt we had a pretty good rotation and we had ideas of exactly how we were going to play," Meehan said. "[We] obviously had to change a lot of that and go in a different direction. [Give] credit to the kids; they've really done a nice job."

Meehan was particularly impressed with guard Joe Coppens' '08 play. Coppens is averaging 15 points and six rebounds, both second on the team behind forward Terrell Hollins '10.

"Coppens' leadership on the court has been phenomenal," Meehan said. "He's really stepped up to be our best player."

Hollins has also flourished after stepping into DeLuca's starting spot. While not a perimeter threat like DeLuca, Hollins has provided the team with an inside presence, averaging 15.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Whether it is Coppens, Hollins or guards Kevin Olson '09, Florian Rexhepi '08, and Andre Roberson '10, the Judges have had different players deliver clutch shots in the waning moments of the game. They have pulled out close victories over Bridgewater State College Nov. 18, Tufts University Nov. 25, Framingham State College Dec. 1 and, most recently, Elms College Jan. 7, a game in which Roberson drained the game-winning three-pointer with three seconds left in overtime.

"Our ability to perform in the closing minutes, where it really matters, in order to grind out a victory is what I'm really impressed with," Coppens said.

Still, the signature moment so far this season was the Dec. 8 win over Amherst, the defending Division III champions. Playing in front of nearly 1,800 Brandeis fans, the Judges had four players score in double-figures and were able to hold Amherst's all-American senior point guard Andrew Olson to just nine points. At the conclusion of the game, fans stormed the court, mobbing Brandeis players in the process.

The victory had far reaching ramifications beyond upsetting the top-ranked team in the country. Since the game occurred right after the loss to UMass-Dartmouth, a loss to Amherst would have given the Judges a losing streak heading into winter break.

"Losing to UMass-Dartmouth definitely changed our mindset heading into the [Amherst] game," Hill said. "It wasn't just play our best game and see what happens, it was really a must win for us. I think that losing [to UMass-Dartmouth] sharpened our focus."

Meehan said the Amherst win gave his team the blueprint it needs to achieve success in UAA play.

The UAA boasts some of the best Division III basketball programs in the nation.

Rochester has replaced Amherst atop the D3hoops.com poll, and Washington University in St. Louis, which began the year as the top-ranked team in Division III, is also ranked in the top 10. All eight teams in the conference currently have winning records.

"As we head into league play we have to almost play at that level that we played against Amherst in every league game to have a chance to win," he said. "Our focus was phenomenal on that day. Can we do that twice a week-every Friday and Sunday? It's not easy."

After a 3-5 start to conference play last season, Brandeis won its last six conference games to finish in a tie for third place at 9-5. Coppens said the Judges need to play more complete 40-minute efforts if they want to improve on last season's mark.

"We need to improve upon doing what we do in the final minutes for [all] 40 minutes [of the game]; not sleepwalking for the first 35 minutes." Coppens said. "We'll have a lot more than one loss if we continue this trend in the UAA.