The Atlantic 10 figures to get at least three teams into the NCAA Tournament, and a few other teams remain in the mix to earn an at-large bid if they deliver a strong performance in Atlantic City this week.
However, three of those bubble teams will need to take care of business at home Tuesday when the Atlantic 10 tournament opens at campus sites. Rhode Island, Charlotte and Dayton, seeded five through seven, respectively, will face teams likely playing their final game of the season if they don’t pull off the upset. So all three favorites will need to bring their best effort at home before they pack their bags for the boardwalk.
If the Atlantic 10’s bubble hopefuls get past the likes of Saint Joseph’s, Massachusetts and George Washington, they will face several dominant teams on the Jersey Shore. All four of the top seeds enter the conference tournament with fantastic finishes. Temple, the conference’s top seed, has won seven in a row and only lost to Charlotte and Richmond during the Atlantic 10 regular season. No. 2 Xavier also is on a seven-game winning streak and sports a 14-2 conference record. Dayton and Temple claim the Musketeers’ only two losses.
Richmond has its best team in years, and the Spiders won 10 of 11 games to close the regular season. The team’s three conferences losses came against Xavier, Charlotte and Saint Louis. The Billikens are the No. 4 seed and have won eight of their last 10 games. Saint Louis has the most losses of the four teams that earned a bye into the quarterfinals, including losses to Charlotte and George Washington.
Based on regular-season results, Charlotte would appear to be the underdog most likely to make a run to the conference championship because the 49ers have victories against three of the top four seeds. Interestingly, Dayton and Charlotte both have beaten the teams they would face in the quarterfinals in Atlantic City. If the Flyers and 49ers pull off the upset, they would meet in the semifinals in what could be a bubble elimination game.
Rhode Island faces one of the toughest roads to the NCAA Tournament because the Rams are 0-3 against Saint Louis and Temple, the two teams they would likely meet in the quarterfinals and semifinals. In addition, Rhode Island has sputtered in recent weeks, losing five of seven games, including bad losses to St. Bonaventure and Massachusetts.
If the top two teams meet in the Atlantic 10 championship game, Atlantic City might bear witness to an epic match up. Xavier lost a tight battle in Philadelphia in the teams’ only meeting during the regular season, and the Musketeers would be looking for revenge on a fairly neutral court. In that battle for first place in January, Xavier rallied from an eight-point first-half deficit to claim a one-point lead when Jordan Crawford hit a three-pointer midway through the second half. The Owls answered immediately with a three-pointer from Juan Fernandez, who sparked an 11-2 decisive run.
The Atlantic 10 has enjoyed one of its best seasons in recent years, with six legitimate NCAA Tournament contenders. However, late-season struggles will likely limit the conference to three or four tournament bids, with the others likely to receive NIT invitations. But first, 12 Atlantic 10 teams prepare for four days of intense basketball that will decide their post-season destinies.
Go flyers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!