CARMEL, Ind. -- The idea was sound and made plenty of sense: wait a few weeks to make the captains picks to see if players who did not qualify for the U.S. Ryder Cup team might get on a roll, turn some heads.With three of Davis Love IIIs four at-large picks looming on Monday morning, it is difficult to imagine the U.S. captain having much clarity at this point.Unless Love has made up his mind on one or more of the picks, regardless of how they played this week at the BMW Championship, those who are in contention for the picks are not making things any easier at Crooked Stick.With the help of vice captains Tom Lehman, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk (who is also in the running for a pick) and Tiger Woods, Love is sorting through all the relevant information at this point.There are some things we are looking for, things that Tiger and Tom Lehman have said, look, lets take a look at this, see who is doing this in this group of players, Love said the day after the eight automatic qualifiers became official at the Barclays.I keep saying the statisticians are going to help us with this, but those eight players on our team and the four assistant captains, they are pretty good golfers. They know whats going on. They know the players. They know who they want to play with.But if were looking for one particular reason to choose between two guys, then were going to dive into the stats a little bit more. Are we looking for a great wedge player to match up with this guy? Are we looking for a great driver to match up with another guy?Our alternate-shot is a big part of how we pair, how we pick. So its going to be looking at Hazeltine, how it suits certain players. I think theres going to be two obvious picks and theres going to be two were going to have to waffle about a little bit, and the stats will help us narrow that down.The eight American automatic qualifiers are?Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker, Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson.Koepka is the only rookie, so that could give Love some options as far as picking someone new. Love will make his final pick on Sept. 25 after the Tour Championship ends. As the final round unfolds on Sunday, here is a list of potential candidates, how they are faring and what their prospects might be. Keep in mind that a few of these guys might already be part of Loves plans regardless of how they are faring.Bubba Watson, 9th in final points, T-17 at Crooked Stick after 54 holesPositives: He is ranked seventh in the world, finished ninth in the points, won at Riviera earlier this year, finished second at Doral and is a long hitter.Negatives: Has not contended since the WGC event at Doral in March. Has a poor Ryder Cup record that includes going 0-3 in singles. His only top-10 in his past 10 events was a tie for eighth at the Olympics.J.B. Holmes, 10th in final points, 3rd at Crooked Stick after 54 holesPositives: Long hitter who has top-5s in two major championships this year and was a solid performer in his previous Ryder Cup experience, a U.S. win in 2008.Negatives: In his past five events, he has three missed cuts and hasnt cracked the top 30. Hes trying to make a last-minute impression here.Rickie Fowler, 11th in final points, T-59 at Crooked Stick after 54 holesPositives: Ranked ninth in the world, teamed well with Jimmy Walker at 2014 Ryder Cup, contended at Barclays.Negatives: Seems like a long time ago that he won in Abu Dhabi; has had two 54-hole leads since. And that Ryder Cup record of 0-3-5 is bizarre.Matt Kuchar, 12th in final points, T-5 at Crooked Stick after 54 holesPositives: Going back to the Players Championship, has seven top-10 finishes, a consistent performer who has played in three previous Ryder Cups. His 63 to win a bronze at the Olympics was a big moment.Negatives: Hasnt won this year and is 4-6-2 overall in the Ryder Cup. He went 1-3 at Gleneagles in 2014, although he did win his singles match.Jim Furyk, 15th in final points, did not qualify for Crooked StickPositives: A respected and solid player who has earned the second-most Ryder Cup points since June, finished second at the U.S. Open and shot 58 at the Travelers Championship. Still finished 15th in points despite playing only 14 tournaments this year due to injury at the start of the season.Negatives: His 10-20-4 Ryder Cup record means he has lost the most matches in U.S. history, considered part of the old guard that has not fared well and didnt make the third leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.Daniel Berger, 16th in final points, T-12 at Crooked Stick after 54 holesPositives: Won in Memphis in June, viewed as a young up-and-coming player who could be a future Ryder Cup player. Finished 16th due to missing a good bit of time due to injury.Negatives: Finished fifth at the Travelers Championship, where he held the third-round lead, is ranked 40th in the world with several others in contention ahead of him.Ryan Moore, 20th in points, T-62 at Crooked Stick after 54 holesPositives: Won the John Deere Classic, has two top-5s in the playoffs, would seemingly be the hot player Love is looking for.Negatives: A veteran player, Moore could manage only 20th in points and has never played in the Ryder Cup.Kevin Na, 22nd in points, T-12 at Crooked Stick after 54 holesPositives: Despite winning just once on the PGA Tour in his career, viewed as a gritty grinder who might get under the skin of the Europeans with his various quirks and slow-play tendencies. Good iron player and short game, too, plus he had three top-10s in his past seven starts.Negatives: Had a strong start to the season in the fall when the points did not count, then went into a lull before showing some life of late, but unable to crack the top 20 in points. Has never played in the Ryder Cup.Justin Thomas, 25th in points, T-48 at Crooked Stick after 54 holesPositives: Another young, up-and-coming player who might give the U.S. a spark. As a buddy of Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, that friendship has helped him. Won in Malaysia last fall, also when the points didnt count.Negatives: Since winning in Malaysia, has just four top-10s in 24 starts and has not really contended. Does his promising future deserve a pick?So now what? If Love truly had his mind made up on a couple of picks, expect those to be among Fowler, Kuchar and Furyk. Fowler was a member of the Ryder Cup Task Force that helped pick Love in the first place and has made an effort by playing more to get on the team. Furyk is widely respected among U.S players and will be there as a vice captain, too. Kuchar is a veteran who is well-liked and has played well.But should that stuff really matter? Dont results count for something?Love would be well served to take perhaps one of those three players, then look to others who have showed at least some form of late, perhaps Moore or Holmes. And then look outside the box to someone like Berger or Thomas. Experience, especially in the case of the U.S., has proven to be overrated. Look at Patrick Reed, who as a rookie in 2014 proved to be the best performer.One thing is certain: nobody in the running has made such a compelling case that they should be considered an absolute lock. Foster Moreau Jersey . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. 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His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. CINCINNATI -- Edmond Sumner ditched the tape on his injured finger and played his best all-around game, a good sign for No. 17 Xavier as it enters Big East play.Sumner scored 12 of his 14 points while Xavier took control in the first half, and the Musketeers picked up their third straight win, 85-56 over Eastern Washington on Tuesday night.After a sluggish start, the Musketeers (10-2) took control with a 35-8 run. Sumner ran the show, ignoring the finger injury he suffered a few games ago.Every time I catch or dribble the ball, its just nagging, said Sumner, who had been taping together the two outside fingers on his left hand. Im a little superstitious. With the tape, I felt I had no control over the ball. I had to suck it up and play through the pain.Sumner finished with a career-high nine assists and no turnovers. Trevon Bluiett added 16 points, and Xavier had five players score in double figures.Jacob Wiley had 16 points for Eastern Washington (8-4) , which trailed by as many as 29 points.We were up 11 at the 11-minutes mark, then Xavier showed why theyre a Top 10 team, Eastern Washington coach Jim Hayford said. They were 6 for 6 closing out the first half. When they shoot the ball that well, theyre an unbeatable team.Eastern Washington made eight of its first 13 shots -- including two 3s by Felix Von Hofe -- against Xaviers sluggish defense for a 22-11 lead. Thats when Xavier turned it on, finishing the half on a 35-8 surge.We clamped down after sleep walking for the first 8 minutes or so, coach Chris Mack said.Kaiser Gates hit three of Xaviers seven 3s during the spurt and finished with a season-high 12 points . Gates, a sophomore forward, had knee surgery beforee the start of the season and missed the first five games.dddddddddddd Hes struggled to get back in form, making only 4 of 17 from behind the arc before Tuesday night.Overall Id say its the best Ive felt, Gates said. I felt a lot more loose than usual, a little more bouncy.BIG PICTUREEastern Washington: The Eagles are 1-24 all-time against ranked teams, including losses this season to Texas and Xavier. Their only win over a ranked team was 68-67 over No. 10 Saint Josephs on Nov. 15, 2001.Xavier: Sumner showed no problems handling the ball despite the sore finger. He made all of his four shots in the first half -- two from beyond the arc -- and two free throws.POLL IMPLICATIONSAfter consecutive road losses to Baylor and Colorado dropped them out of the Top 10, the Musketeers have stabilized with their three straight wins.VON HOFE HURTVon Hofe, who is Eastern Washingtons top 3-point shooter, hurt his left shoulder while going for a loose ball with 5:21 left in the game and went to the bench. He wore a sling at the end of the game. Von Hofe finished with nine points, going 3 of 10 from beyond the arc.OFF THE MARKEastern Washington came into the game making 81.8 percent from the free throw line, second nationally to Notre Dame, but went only 9 of 18 against Xavier.UP NEXTEastern Washington goes to Colorado on Thursday for the third of four straight road games. The Eagles finish their trip at Idaho on Dec. 30.Xavier opens Big East play against Providence at the Cintas Center on Dec. 28.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '