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If the final week of the Atlantic 10's regular season is as unpredictable as the one that has just passed, the conference will be giving fans an early treat heading into championship week. Over the past five days there was a change atop the standings, leaving a tie between Xavier and Massachusetts as well as the two last place teams in the conference, Saint Bonaventure and Richmond both pulling off upsets and shaking up the A-10 tournament picture. Saint Joseph's which previously had sole possession of fourth place and control of the final first round bye for the upcoming A-10 tournament in Atlantic City, lost in Richmond on Saturday as the Spider claimed only their seventh win of the season. Now the Hawks find themselves tied with a hot George Washington team that has won three in a row with games versus Charlotte and Duquesne remaining whereas St. Joe's faces the two conference leaders, Xavier and Massachusetts.

For those of us who can't wait the three weeks until Selection Sunday, well, we've got those pesky conference tournaments to tide us over. Eight conferences ended their regular seasons today and now head into the single-elimination free-for-all that will determine who represents that conference in the NCAA tournament.

Some people hate the conference tournaments, as in all but a few cases, they can virtually negate the regular season (say, when some 11-18 team wins three games in three days to steal an NCAA bid from the regular season champ.) Even the "power" conferences sometimes have a team that would not otherwise be an NCAA team win out to snatch an NCAA bid, often from one of that conference's own members.

The Atlantic 10 postseason is less than two weeks away and with that, a chance to partake in the NCAA tournament. But before conference members make the trip down to Atlantic City there is still work that needs to be finished, and that work picks up this weekend with seven league battles Saturday. Here is a preview of the weekend's action:

Atlantic 10's Premiere Weekend Matchup: Xavier @ Dayton, 6:00 Saturday. It was a big week for the Xavier Muskateers, who moved into a first place tie with Massachusetts after knocking off first place Rhode Island. The Muskateers attempt to continue their torrid pace in Dayton which is never an easy task. Xavier features one of the most balanced squads in the country and are led by Senior Justin Doellman who dumped in 29 points Wednesday against the Rams. Dayton is led by guard Brian Roberts and is just one week removed from suffering its first home setback of the season, a 77-69 loss to UMass. Expect Xavier's size and athleticism to cancel out the Atlantic 10's top homecourt advantage in a 80-75 win against the Flyers.

You see it in the team's eyes. Full-court press in the first half?! Oh no. Big men can't hide from handling the ball because the offense will need every man available to move the ball up the court. This pressure style defense requires a high degree of stamina, discipline, and court sense. Plus, you need to be able to score as well. With the right personnel, it can bring your team to the top. In 1994, Nolan Richardson's '40 Minutes of Hell' brought him and the Arkansas Razorbacks a championship. This philosophy also appears to belong to a few coach's, notably in the present of Bruce Pearl, coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. But there is a coach in the WCC making 'waves' (pun intended) with his high pressure, up-tempo game as well: Vance Wahlberg, coach at Pepperdine.

1-N.Carolina*, Wisconsin*, UCLA*, Florida*
2-Kansas*, Pitt*, Texas A&M, Ohio St
3-Memphis*, Duke, Washington St, Georgetown
4-S.Illinois*, Virginia, Nevada*, Kentucky
5-Butler*, Indiana, Marquette, Arizona
6-Texas, Air Force*, Michigan St, Boston College
7-Oklahoma St, Oregon, VA Tech, Tennessee
8-W.Virgina, Stanford, Notre Dame, Maryland
9-Louisville, USC, Texas Tech, Purdue
10-Winthrop*, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Illinois
11-Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, GA Tech
12-Xavier*, Gonzaga*, BYU, Creighton
13-VCU*, Akron*, Davidson*, Vermont*
14-S.Alabama*, Penn*, Marist*, Austin Peay*
15-ETSU*, Oral Roberts*, Weber St*, Holy Cross*

SHOOTING BRICKS- CONSISTENTLY OFF-TARGET COMMENTARY

Is this year just next year’s rehearsal?

We’ve heard all season that this is the year of the freshman. However, even some teams considered to be loaded with senior leadership have a majority of their key pieces returning next season. With so many top teams in college basketball this year with returning players, sans the early entry players, it begs the question…Are we in for more of the same from these same teams next year?

I went to go through the top 16 teams listing all seniors that are contributing at least 10 min of PT. If you’re not playing 10 MPG then you’re not really contributing (or at least not for the purpose of this blog entry). Finally, a summary of senior contribution in regards to team scoring and rebounding is calculated:

The top of the Atlantic 10 proved their merit this past weekend in conference matchups with Rhode Island, Xavier, Massachusetts, Saint Joseph's, and George Washington all turning in victories. Jim Baron's Rhode Island squad continues to hold onto sole possession of first place due to the sharp shooting of the coach's son, Jimmy Baron, the 6'2 sophomore was 11 for 14 from the field including 9 three pointers on the way to beating former Conference USA members Saint Louis and Charlotte. Hanging onto first place looks to be a challenging task as the Rams face Xavier in Cincinnati then head back home to face a formidable Fordham squad. Baron wasn't the only Ram to turn in a solid performance this week as the Rhode Island frontcourt outplayed E.J. Drayton of Charlotte in an 85-69 defeat of the 49ers. In the win, forwards Will Daniels and Joe Mbang combined for 31 points and 15 rebounds to help Rhode Island surprise Charlotte on the boards by a 12 rebound margain.

Shooting Bricks- Consistently Off-Target Commentary
(Note- Changed it from it's previous title because one blog title using alliteration is probably enough)

2-18-07 BracketBuster Saturday
January and February Saturdays are the most underappreciated days of the year. With games going straight for almost 12 hours an opportunity to breathe is difficult much less turn away and miss some action. Bracket Buster Saturday was no different as there were a slew of fantastic games that went all the way into the early Sunday morning hours. A couple of things deserve particular attention.

Southern Illinois @ Butler

Just saying the name, "Arizona," used to conjure up visions of a basketball powerhouse, one that was a consistent threat to win get to the Final Four. The Arizona Wildcats had spent the better part of the last two decades being the measuring stick for excellence in West Coast college basketball, and to a certain extent being on the national stage as well. That is until last season. During the 2005-2006 season the Wildcats were swept by UCLA as they finished 11-7 in the PAC-10 Conference, the second time that has happened this decade. What made last season ominous was the way in which they cobbled together that conference record. Arizona had talented seniors who were athletic and could shoot. In fact, one could argue that as individuals, Arizona had as much talent as any team in the country. So what happened? Time, complacency, competition and the rising of an old power have combined to put Arizona on the brink of consistent mediocrity. And with it possibly the retirement of Hall of Fame coach, Lute Olson.

Backboard Bricks- Consistently Off-Target Commentary 2-17-07

Inaugural Post- A Trip to Mecca at the Palestra in Philadelphia, PA

Inspired by the good people here at CHN I decided a few weeks ago to embark on a journey to a variety of different college basketball venues. I, as I’m sure many of you as well, have viewed a countless number of games via various television networks but other than NCAA tournament games, and my hometown teams I really haven’t taken the opportunity to experience the true spirit of college basketball in person. Then a few weeks ago Bill Kintner wrote an article about his experiences with the various different arenas and I decided I wanted to see them for myself as well. You can find Bill’s fantastic article here: