Atlantic 10

Poll: Who Will Win the Atlantic 10 Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:29:31 -0500

College Hoops Tuesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:37:34 -0500

For all the bubble teams not playing on Tuesday night there's really just one game they need to pay full attention to: the Horizon League final between host Butler and second-seeded Wright State. Point blank: if the Raiders find a way to knock off Gordon Hayward and company at Hinkle Fieldhouse one more bid goes off the board (if you're of the thinking that Saint Mary's wasn't a lock themselves before Monday night). The Bulldogs, as you likely already know, went through Horizon League play unscathed and would benefit from a win in regards to NCAA Tournament seeding with a "preferred" seed being more than possible. The last time these two teams met was back on February 6th, a game Butler won 74-62.

If Brad Brownell's team is to win one thing they can do is get Matt Howard into foul trouble. The junior forward has had more than his fair share of foul troubles this season but if he's on the floor and allowed to go to work it's going to be a long night. In the first meeting Butler turned the ball over seventeen times but more than made up for it by shooting a blistering 67.5% from the field (23-29 from two-point range). And that was a game in which Howard played just sixteen minutes; Willie Veasley led the way with nineteen points while Hayward added seventeen. Also of note: the average plus/minus for the starters in that contest.

Butler's starting five boasted an average plus/minus of +13 while the Raiders were far below that at -11.4. Todd Brown and Vaughn Duggins are two of those five starters and they must have superlative performances if Wright State is to pull off the upset. The game was essentially a matter of Butler getting whatever shot they desired; if the Raiders are unable to make them work for their shots they'll be in for a long night at Hinkle. As for other games bubble teams will be on display in both the Atlantic 10 and the Big East.

Rhode Island, Charlotte and Dayton all host first-round games and if they should lose there's no need to entertain thoughts of a Selection Show viewing party. As for the Big East, USF kicks things off with last-place DePaul. The Blue Demons may have the edge in regards to being ready to play in this noon tip since they were in the same exact spot against Cincinnati last season (the Bearcats were on the bubble in that game, similar to USF). The crowd could very well resemble that of a "friends and family night", meaning that the team that manufactures its own energy from the start will be at a decided advantage. Seton Hall is also a bubble team and they take on Providence in the first game of the night session. Those two met last Saturday with the Pirates winning on the road, but given the up-and-down styles that both teams play Seton Hall could have their work cut out for them.

Three total tickets to the NCAA Tournament will be punched with title games in the Sun Belt and Summit also taking place. Oakland was the best team in the Summit but it's not like Ron Hunter's Jaguars were that far off. And the Sun Belt was one of the most unpredictable leagues in college basketball this season, meaning that anyone's guess is a good one in regards to the matchup between Troy and North Texas. Before all the other major conferences tip off their league tournaments this will be a good mixture of games.

TV GAMES

Noon ESPN2 USF vs DePaul (Big East Tournament)
2p ESPN2 Connecticut vs St. John's (Big East Tournament)
7p ESPN2 North Texas vs Troy (Sun Belt Final)
7p ESPNU Seton Hall vs Providence (Big East Tournament)
9p ESPN Wright St at Butler (Horizon Final)
9p ESPN2 IUPUI vs Oakland (Summit Final)
9p ESPNU Cincinnati vs Rutgers (Big East Tournament)

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

Atlantic 10 First Round (campus sites)
7p Duquesne at St. Bonaventure
7p Saint Joseph's at Rhode Island
7p Massachusetts at Charlotte
7p George Washington at Dayton
Big Sky Semifinals (Ogden, UT)
6:35p Montana vs Northern Colorado
9p Portland St vs Weber St
MEAC First Round (Winston-Salem, NC)
6:30p Florida A&M vs Bethune-Cookman
9p North Carolina A&T vs Howard

OTHER GAME
8p Pennsylvania at Princeton

ONE PREDICTION

Seton Hall over Providence: Look for this to be the wildest game of the day at the Garden, but the pick here is Seton Hall. Both teams have stretches of lackadaisical play/bad shot selection but the Pirates are the better of the two teams when it comes to turning their opponents over. Seton Hall wins by five.

College Hoops Saturday Recap: Three More Tickets Punched

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:24:28 -0500

Cornell got things started on Friday night with their third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and three more guaranteed themselves spots in the Field of 65 on Saturday. In the most anticipated of the three finals it was Murray State picking up their 30th win of the season, dethroning defending Ohio Valley champ Morehead State 62-51 in Nashville. Isaiah Canaan scored 16 points off the bench to lead the way for Billy Kennedy's team, who will represent the OVC in the Big Dance for the first time since 2006. And true to the team's balance all five starters scored between seven and nine points while Morehead State struggled mightily on offense outside of Demonte Harper (20 points). Murray played solid defense and was able to pull away in the second half once they knocked down a few shots.

"I thought we played hard defensively the whole time and when you start making shots and scoring your defense gets even that much better," said Coach Kennedy, who also described the win as a relief (quote courtesy of the Ohio Valley Conference). That's the sad truth for a few teams in one-bid leagues: the pressure to "validate" a season's excellence their year comes down to a weekend that can play out like a crapshoot. The Racers are a dangerous team due to their depth and balance; they'll likely end up with a fourteen seed and scare the you-know-what out of someone in the first round. And as for conference tournaments being a roll of the dice look no further than the Atlantic Sun, which saw three of its top four seeds bounced in the quarters.

But when that tournament ended it was East Tennessee State that won, picking up their second consecutive A-Sun title with a 72-66 win over Mercer on the Bears' home court. Justin Tubbs led the Bucs with 18 points while tournament MVP Micah Williams added 13 points and nine rebounds. Five ETSU players reached double figures while E.J. Kusnyer led Mercer with 16 points. Leading scorer James Florence struggled from the field (2-11, 9 points) and Kusnyer scored just four points after halftime but it was turnovers (16) that did in the Bears in the end. Those two were considered to be longshots to even reach the final while Coastal Carolina rolled into the Big South final with a 28-5 record and the title game on their home court.

But that didn't matter to Randy Peele's Winthrop Eagles, who used a 13-3 second half run and some stifling defense to knock off the regular season champs 64-53. Mantoris Robinson led three Eagles in double figures with 14 points and more importantly Winthrop limited CCU to 36.5% shooting and forced 14 turnovers. Similar to their win over Radford on Friday night Coach Peele's team defending the three extremely well as the Chanticleers made just three of eighteen attempts. Winthrop and ETSU are both teams that look to be headed towards a fifteen or sixteen in regards to tournament seeding.

Three Key Happenings

1. Kyle Kuric helps Louisville close out Freedom Hall in style. On what was a special day in the history of Louisville basketball a player who'd scored six points all February went on a special run. Kyle Kuric came off the bench to score 22 second-half points in leading the Cardinals to a 78-68 win over top-ranked Syracuse, their second win of the season over the Orange. The win should push the Cardinals into "lock" status for the NCAA Tournament and gives them a good push into Big East Tournament play. Kuric made nine of eleven shots from the field (4-6 3PT), entering the game when Reginald Delk left due to a cramp.

"He may be their best shooter, we just don't know because he doesn't play that much," said Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. "I've never seen anyone come off the bench and do that (quote courtesy of Louisville Athletics)." And as a team the previously cold Cardinals shot 58.1% from the field in the second half and outscored the Orange 48-33. Scoop Jardine scored 20 points off the bench while Wes Johnson added 18 for Syracuse but it wasn't enough to make up for quiet afternoons from Andy Rautins (1-9, 4 points) and Kris Joseph (1-4, 2 points). And it wasn't enough to account for the hot-shooting Kuric either.

2. Overall, the Atlantic 10's bubble teams had a rough day. The one good result for the conference was Saint Louis' 70-60 win at...Dayton. That should sum up the carnage that took place within the Atlantic 10, which starts on Tuesday a conference tournament that many BCS conference bubblers will observe with high interest. Richmond, Temple and Xavier are all locks at this point but who will (if any) join them? The young Billikens took advantage of a backloaded conference schedule to pick up wins over the Flyers (twice) and Rhode Island while taking Xavier to the brink before falling. But the other three teams limp across the finish line, with Charlotte, Dayton and Rhode Island all taking on "water" that more than likely will sink them come Selection Sunday.

The Rams dropped a 69-67 decision at UMass on Saturday, with Ricky Harris' shot in traffic giving the Minutemen the win and a berth in the conference tournament. Jim Baron's team has lost five of their last seven and host St. Joseph's in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Tuesday night. They're going to have to get to Atlantic City and do some serious damage if they're to earn a bid. And the same goes for Charlotte, who lost 89-84 at home to Richmond in overtime. The 49ers went 1-6 in their last seven games and will host UMass on Tuesday; they may have to win the conference tournament and the same goes for Dayton. What once looked to be a six-bid conference could be down to no more than four.

3. Baylor grabs a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament. With multiple NBA scouts in attendance Baylor forward Quincy Acy picked the right time to put together one of his best performances of the season. The forward had ten dunks on his way to a career-high 24 points in leading the Bears to the 92-77 win over Texas to wrap up a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament and the program's winningest regular season in 64 years. LaceDarius Dunn scored 30 to lead all scorers but Acy's dunks and blocked shots were the talk of the game. Gary Johnson led Texas with 25 points off the bench but outside of Damion James (18 points) Rick Barnes received very little from his starters. What sets Baylor apart is how willing guys are to share the basketball; 23 of their 36 baskets were assisted and this team is a far cry from teams in seasons past that would shoot first and ask questions later. Rest assured this is a team with the ability to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

Top Three Games

1. Arizona 86, USC 84 (2OT) It was only fitting that Nic Wise would be the one to hit the game-winner for the Wildcats on Senior Day. His shot gave Arizona the victory but if not for Kyle Fogg hitting three free throws with two-tenths of a second remaining in regulation things never get to that point.

2. Notre Dame 63, Marquette 60 (OT) Carleton Scott came up big for the Irish at the end of regulation, knocking down a three off of a scramble situation just as time expired. That allowed Notre Dame to win in the extra session and lock up a first round bye in the Big East Tournament, as well as give them a solid win for NCAA Tournament purposes.

3. West Virginia 68, Villanova 66 (OT) Da'Sean Butler's shot with 5.8 seconds left in overtime gave the Mountaineers an important road win going into the Big East Tournament. Butler led all scorers with 24 points while also grabbing ten rebounds.

Three Notable Performances

1. C Patrick Sullivan (Southeast Louisiana St) Sullivan ended his regular season in grand fashion, scoring 24 points while also grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking five shots in the Lions' 86-77 win over Northwestern State.

2. F Gilberto Clavell (Sam Houston St) Clavell scored 35 points and grabbed ten rebounds in the Bearkats' 101-97 overtime loss to Texas State.

3. G David Gonzalvez (Richmond) The senior helped lead the Spiders to the 89-84 overtime win at Charlotte with 29 points and 10 rebounds.

Poll: How Many A-10 Bubble Teams Will Make the Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:44:43 -0500

Bracketology: Now Tuesday & Friday

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:08:28 -0500

The Bracketology field is based on how the tourney looks "as of this moment." The field below is not based on who I think deserves to be in, but a prediction of what the committee would do as things stand. Beginning this week, I'll be posting Bracketology updates every Tuesday & Friday. In late February, I release Bracketology updates daily as the season approaches crunch time.

Why should you care what I have to say? In 2007 & 2008, I was considered to have one of the Top 2 or 3 brackets amongst 53 national experts including Joe Lunardi, Gary Parrish and the like. (Admittedly my 2009 final bracket was rather weak.. not sure what happened. Can't win 'em all.)

Notes:

Arrows indicate movement by seed. Green indicates new to the field this week. Conference champions are not my end of season predictions, but current leaders. (Ties atop conference standings go to the higher RPI team).

ONE

Kansas**

Syracuse**

Kentucky**

Villanova

TWO

Duke**

THREE

FOUR

Vanderbilt

Gonzaga

FIVE

Ohio St

Temple

Texas

Butler**

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

Cornell**

TEN

ELEVEN

Siena**

Florida

Clemson

UTEP**

TWELVE

Oklahoma St

Old Dominion

Illinois

Wichita St

THIRTEEN

Utah St**

Northeastern**

Murray State**

Kent St**

FOURTEEN

Charleston**

Oakland**

Weber St**

Pacific**

FIFTEEN

Sam Houston St**

Coastal Carolina**

Morgan St**

Arkansas St**

SIXTEEN + ONE

Stony Brook**

Belmont**

Robert Morris**

Lehigh** / Jackson St**

** = Automatic Bid

League Leaders/Winners (31)

- Leaders throughout the season are merely the first place team in the standings as of the update, and not projected winners. Ties go to the higher RPI team. New teams this week in green.

America East - Stony Brook

A-10 - Charlotte

ACC - Duke

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

Big 12 - Kansas

Big East - Syracuse

Big Sky - Weber St

Big South - Coastal Carolina

Big Ten - Michigan St

Big West - Pacific

CAA - Northeastern

Conference USA - UTEP

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Cornell

MAAC - Siena

MAC - Kent St

MEAC - Morgan St

MVC - Northern Iowa

MWC - New Mexico

Northeast - Robert Morris

Ohio Valley - Murray St

Pac-10 - California

Patriot - Lehigh

SEC - Kentucky

Southern - Charleston

Southland - Sam Houston St

SWAC - Jackson St

Summit - Oakland

Sun Belt - Arkansas St

WAC - Utah St

WCC - St Mary's

*** = Locked Up Automatic Bid

Last In: Oklahoma St, Old Dominion, Illinois, Wichita St

Last Out: Dayton, Marquette, Virginia Tech, Washington, Cincinnati

Further Four: South Florida, Notre Dame, Virginia, Northwestern

Dropped Out Of Field (at-large): Arizona, Cincinnati, Mississippi St

Post your thoughts on this week's field below:

A Night in The A-10: Majerus, Cheerleaders, Beer, and the MVC

Bill Kintner — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:57:45 -0500

ST. LOUIS – Tonight’s adventure takes place on the western frontier of the Atlantic 10 Conference on the campus of Saint Louis University in the brand-spanking new Chaifetz Arena.

Before coming back to campus they played in a hockey arena called the Keil Center, then re-named the Savvis Center and later the Scottrade Center. It was too big, not on campus and the fans had to pay NHL prices for food and parking. A crowd of 7000 looked small in that 20,000 plus seat professional arena. Now the Billiken fans are kicking back in a comfortable 10,600 seat arena, with good food, beer and plenty of parking nearby.

It is a mild winter evening outside, but in the Chaifetz Arena which opened last year, the band is loud, the student section is rowdy and the cheerleaders are pretty.. and no male chearleaders either! They have a big squad, I counted 20   cheerleaders, all with a wholesome look, like I would expect from a good Catholic school, plus they had big smiles and no tattoos.

On the flip side St. Louis coach Rick Majerus is still over-weight and dressed like an aging bouncer at a union hall, wearing a black mock turtle neck and grey slacks that are big enough to provide shelter for a family of Haitians. But the fans don’t care how much their beloved coach weighs or what he wears, as long as he the Billikens win and this year they are winning with an 11-6 record coming into tonight’s game.

I did notice as the Billikens exited the court at halftime and after the game, the fans in the courtside seats near corner near where they exit, put their pop corn under their seat and secure their hot dogs and beer with both hands as coach Majerus walked by.

All is right the college basketball world here in the Midwest. The Billikens seem to be on the right track, the fans are loving their new arena and the Atlantic 10 is having a banner year. The A-10 has an unbelievable six teams ranked in the top 31 of the RPI and 17 wins against BCS opponents. Temple is ranked 17th in the AP Poll.

In tonight’s game St. Louis rolled the Rams 75-48. Fordham (2-15, 0-5) was never in the game.   Fordham dumped coach Derek Whittenburg on December 3rd and he was replaced by 29 year old assistant coach Jared Grasso. It will be at least a year or two before Fordham becomes competitive in the A-10.

After the game the funs starts because that is when you get to hear coach Majerus talk about the game, basketball and life. After about 15 minutes of taking questions the sports information director Chuck Yahng said, “one more question.”   Majerus answered it and talked for another 10 minutes. He is not quite as funny as Miami coach Charlie Coles, but is every bit as interesting and incredibly blunt.

He said he would give his players a day off to catch up on their school work because the four and five day trips to Virginia, Philly and the East Coast really make it hard for his players to keep up with their academics.

That comment brought him around to two of his favorite subjects which are: St. Louis joining the Missouri Valley Conference and food.

“Who are our natural rivals in the A-10? I can’t really think of any,” said Majerus. When some writers named Dayton and Xavier as possible rivals, he said that Dayton brings fans to St. Louis mostly because it is relatively close and an interesting city to visit.

He said trips to Bradley, Evansville and Indiana State would cost a lot less than going to Philadelphia, New York and DC. The cost for food, buses and rental cars are really high compared to going to cities in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“You can take your whole team to Peoria and feed then BBQ for almost nothing compared to big the A-10 cities,” explained Mejerus. “If you care about academics and money then the Missouri Valley makes sense. Everything is about money, do you want to go to New York, Philly, Charlotte and Rhode Island or go to Bradley, Southern Illinois and Indiana State?”

He also managed to get the subject of racism in too, claiming that the TSA and NCAA single out his Black players to be searched and take drug tests. Majerus speaks his mind and it is refreshing.

I don’t know if Saint Louis is going to end up in the Missouri Valley or stay in the Atlantic 10 Conference but with the beautiful Chaifetz Arena they are positioned to provide their fans with a lot of fun winter nights in the years to come.

Poll: How Many Atlantic 10 Teams Will Make NCAA Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:38:00 -0500

Atlantic 10 Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:23:49 -0500

Dayton and Xavier have legitimate Top 25 hopes, while usual standard-bearers like St. Joseph's and Temple may have to make way for up-and-coming programs like Duquesne, La Salle, and Richmond.

Conference Rank: 7th

10 year average: 8th

Conference Page

All-Atlantic 10 Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Kevin Anderson	Richmond	Jr
G	Ricky Harris	UMASS	Sr
G	Rodney Green	La Salle	Sr
F	Andrew Nicholson	St. Bonaventure	So
F	Chris Wright	Dayton	Jr

Player of the Year - Chris Wright Freshman of the Year - Aaric Murray (La Salle)
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
All-Americans Chris Wright High-Major All-Americans Chris Wright (1st Team) Kevin Anderson (2nd) Ricky Harris (2nd) Andrew Nicholson (2nd) Lavoy Allen (3rd) Jordan Crawford Rodney Green All-Freshman Team Aaric Murray		Points: Ricky Harris 18.2 Rebounds: Lavoy Allen 9.0 Assists: DiJuan Harris 7.2 Team Points: Duquesne 78.9

A10 Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

16	Dayton	A-10	1	NCAA
24	Xavier	A-10	2	NCAA
55	La Salle	A-10	3	NIT
61	Richmond	A-10	4	NIT
69	Duquesne	A-10	5	NIT
91	Saint Louis	A-10	6	CBI/CIT
95	St. Joe's	A-10	7	CBI/CIT
115	Temple	A-10	8	CBI/CIT
126	Charlotte	A-10	9
134	Rhode Island	A-10	10
168	Massachusetts	A-10	11
202	St. Bonaventure	A-10	12
245	George Wash	A-10	13
252	Fordham	A-10	14

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Atlantic 10?

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Best Non-BCS Conference in 2009-10?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:05:41 -0500

Dayton Basketball Preview: #16

Joel Welser — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:20:00 -0400

Overall Rank: #16

Conference Rank: #1 Atlantic 10 Conference

2008-09: 27-8, 11-5

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Brian Gregory (125-68 at Dayton, 125-68 overall)

In the 2009 NCAA Tournament Coach Brian Gregory and his Dayton squad knocked off West Virginia in the first round before running into a tough Kansas team. With just one impact player gone, the Flyers will look towards the Sweet Sixteen or even better this time around. And they certainly have the weapons to make such a deep run in March.

Key Losses: F Charles Little

Key Newcomers:

The now departed Charles Little averaged 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds during his senior season. He is the only player that the Flyers need to replace. A few returning players will be in the mix, but so will a couple newcomers. Josh Benson was a very highly touted recruit coming out of high school, but missed all of last season with an injury. Benson is healthy now after a relatively long rehab process and should turn into the player everybody expected as long as he can stay healthy. The lone incoming freshman is another big man. Matt Kavanaugh is physically ready to play against anybody which is rare for a young player. If he can remain poised, he should be in regular rotation.

Backcourt:

This is a backcourt that has an amazing amount of weapons. Marcus Johnson is the most consistent scorer who can do damage inside and out. Chris Johnson lacked consistency during his freshman campaign, but the 6-6 wing is a great rebounder and should turn into a better scorer as his career progresses. Like Chris Johnson, Rob Lowery also spent much of the year coming in off the bench. Lowery was fourth on the team in scoring, but it is his ability to find his teammates that makes him so dangerous. Add the versatile Mickey Perry and Paul Williams, who struggled with injuries as a freshman, to the mix and Dayton will never be lacking in weapons on the perimeter.

Frontcourt:

But despite all those talented weapons on the perimeter, it is forward Chris Wright who makes this team so special. The 6-8 junior led the squad with 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Wright started at the small forward position last year, but he certainly has the size and skill to run the floor at the four spot if replacing Little becomes a problem. However, Dayton hopes the newcomers and promising sophomore Luke Fabrizius and the more experienced Devin Searcy can handle most of the minutes at the four spot. There are no questions about the center position. Kurt Huelsman rarely puts up big numbers, but the 6-10 senior has spent the last three years doing the dirty work under the basket for this team and his importance may go unappreciated, but he is the glue guy on this team.

Who to Watch:

And it is London Warren who is the guy who makes this team go. Warren will not score very much, but he does not need to on this team. He needs to find his teammates and play great defense and that is exactly what he has done and will continue to do. Last year he dished out 4.4 assists per game and only turned the ball over 1.9 times. He was also named to the conferences All-Defensive Team.

Final Projection:

If there is a year that Dayton is going to beat out Xavier for the A-10 crown, this is it. The conference is good enough for both teams to make the NCAA Tournament, but the Flyers are the most experienced and deepest team in the conference and they want to show the nation that they are here to stay. A conference title and a run to the Sweet Sixteen should prove it.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

London Warren, Senior, Guard, 4.1 points per game

Marcus Johnson, Senior, Guard, 11.8 points per game

Chris Wright, Junior, Forward, 13.3 points per game

Josh Benson, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

Kurt Huelsman, Senior, Center, 3.6 points per game

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College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews