Atlantic-10 Conference Notebook
by Stephen Dahl
Hawks Steamrolling Through Competition
St. Joseph’s, which is ranked 6th in the Hoopville top 25, could very well be the 2nd Atlantic-10 member to make the Final Four. At 13-0 and 3-0 in the conference, the Hawks could legitimately go undefeated heading into conference play. The only competition they may face is Xavier this weekend, Rhode Island and their meeting with Dayton. It also helps to have this week’s player of the week Jameer Nelson on your team.
Where Are They Now…Xavier?
Head Coach Thad Matta must be scratching his head and wondering if the last two years were but a dream. The Musketeers who are 9-5 and could be 9-6 after this weekend’s match with St. Joseph’s, has got to be wondering what is going on. Senior forward Romain Sato is holding up his end of the bargain, averaging 16 points a game, but even with that, they dropped a decision to Duquesne to give them their 1st conference loss.
Need A Defibrillator for Dayton Fans
Flyer fans must have had more heart attacks in the last two weeks than those on Bill Swerski’s Super Fans. Sure they’re 3-0 in A-10 play and 13-3 overall, but those victories have all been by five points or less and those decisions weren’t final until the last minute. Despite the closeness of the games, sophomore forward Monty Scott was named A-10 Rookie of the Week with a 20 point performance against Temple.
Rams Hit A Wall
Remember how people were slowly jumping on the Rhode Island bandwagon. Those people are flinging themselves off just as quickly as they got on. The Rams, who finished the non-conference season 11-3, were blown out at home by Xavier and dropped a decision to Temple. Not to mention during the Xavier matchup, Brian Woodward punched forward Justin Doellman. That earned Woodward a one game suspension.
Will The Real LaSalle Please Stand Up?
The Explorers, who we at Hoopville are now regretting even mentioning that they were going to be a force, can’t make up their mind which team should show up. One team has done poorly in the non-conference schedule, including a loss to fellow Big-5 member, Penn. The other team is 2-0 in their conference with two convincing wins over UMass and Richmond. Maybe the only way to settle which team plays is with a battle rap.
