It hung on their locker room wall for a while, a very visual reminder of what their place in the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was perceived to be by at least one blogger on a Division III Web site.

"The first team to disappoint" is how it read in part, and to say that the members of Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team took the slight to heart is something of an understatement.

"The critics haven't watched us," forward Mike Baker said at the conclusion of Tuesday's practice at Mayser Center. "Everybody on this team knows we're good."

Good enough to be 26-5 and headed to this weekend's Final Four at the Civic Center in Salem, Va.

Awaiting them in Friday's 7 p.m. semifinal is Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, 29-2 and ranked sixth in the nation in Division III.

The 5 p.m. semifinal lists defending national champion and No. 2 Washington University in St. Louis (27-2) opposite No. 23 Guilford College (25-5) of North Carolina.

Friday's winners advance to Saturday's 3 p.m. title game. The consolation is at 12:30 p.m.

F&M knows it will once again be cast in the underdog role come Friday's tip-off. This time, however, they're counting on it.

"That's what we are, we're the underdog," head coach Glenn Robinson said. "That doesn't mean a darn thing, except that maybe it makes you play a little harder."

Truth is, the Diplomats don't need much added incentive when it comes to facing Stockton. Robinson has been telling his team the Ospreys are the best squad F&M has prepared for thus far.

"We've seen them on tape and they look pretty good," forward James McNally said. "They're smaller than us so we've got a height advantage. But they're quicker, so there are problems for both sides."

Stockton's current 17-game win streak has been built on pressure defense and high-octane offense. The Ospreys shot 64 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free throw line in a 103-60 rout of Farmingdale State in Saturday's sectional final.

Their balance is reflected in their stats. Five players are scoring in double figures, but the highest average is 13.2 and belongs to 6-2 senior forward Jerome Hubbard, a career 1,000-point scorer.

Omar Smith, a 6-3 junior forward, is the tallest player among the starters and leads the team in rebounds. Hubbard and the 6-2 sophomore tandem of Michael Farrow and Kai Massaquoi all crash the boards as well.

"They play bigger than their size," Robinson said.

Massaquoi is the New Jersey Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Santini Lancioni, a 5-9 junior, is NJAC Player of the Year and Gerry Matthews the NJAC Coach of the Year.

No team had a more impressive run to the Final Four than Washington-St. Louis. The reigning kings used their poise and experience to take down No. 1 and previously undefeated University of St. Thomas 79-64 on Saturday. The night before, the Bears beat No. 3 Wheaton, 55-52.

University Athletic Association Player of the Year Aaron Thompson, a 6-4 junior guard, is scoring a team-best 18 ppg. Forward Tyler Nading (13.6), a career 1,500-point scorer, and guard Sean Wallis (10.8) joined Thompson on the UAA First-Team All-Star squad.

Wallis, who is five assists shy of tying the school record of 556, is also a defensive stopper with 42 steals to his credit.

Mark Edwards has won 504 games in his 28 years as Bears coach.

The Quakers are fronted by the inside-outside combination of juniors Tyler Sanborn and Clay Henson. The 6-9 Sanborn hauled down 375 rebounds to go with his 15.6 ppg. Henson, a guard averages a team-leading 18.7 ppg.

Both are first-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selections. Tom Palombo is ODAC Coach of the Year.

Once again, F&M appears to be up against it. Truth is, they wouldn't have it any other way.

"Critics said we would be a big disappointment," Baker said. "For us to be doing what we're doing, we're making a big statement. We're proving everybody wrong."

And that piece of paper on F&M's locker room wall? It's no longer there, but "out of sight, out of mind" doesn't necessarily apply in this case.

E-mail: egruver@lnpnews.com