Postseason position was solidified for women’s basketball in the Atlantic 10 Conference, as the teams competed in the final week of the regular season.
Every week, The Good Five Cent Cigar sports staff ranks the 15 teams in the conference.
For the final time, here is how the rankings turned out as of March 3:
15th Place: St. Bonaventure University Bonnies (6-23, 2-16) (-1)
After earning their second conference win against La Salle University on Feb. 22, the Bonnies ended their regular season with two straight losses, trading spots with the Explorers in our rankings.
The Bonnies’ opponent in the postseason, Saint Louis University, is the only team below them in the conference’s defensive rankings. It will take an offensive performance greater than their average of 53.2 points per game to conquer the Billikens in the first round.
14th Place: La Salle University Explorers (9-22, 3-15) (+1)
The Explorers ended their season with a 61-60 win over Virginia Commonwealth University, the same team they will face in the first round of the A-10 Tournament.
Overcoming an 11-point deficit in the second half, the Explorers, led by second-year guard Aryss Macktoon, took the lead from VCU with under three minutes to go. The contest came down to the final possession, but ultimately the Explorers’ defense held strong and earned them the win, setting up an interesting postseason matchup.
13th Place: Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (12-18, 6-12) (-2)
Dropping spots for the second straight week, VCU will head into postseason play with something to prove following the close loss to La Salle.
On top of its tight-knit matchup with La Salle, VCU also dropped a competitive contest against Loyola University Chicago 52-50 on Feb. 26. With two losses to bottom-three conference opponents, the Rams have some work cut out for them before the first round.
12th Place: Loyola University Chicago Ramblers (13-16, 5-13) (+1)
Finishing the conference’s regular season by winning two consecutive games for the first time all year, the Ramblers will face off against George Washington University with momentum.
The Ramblers took down SLU 63-62 in come-from-behind style, where the lead changed 11 times in the final quarter. Despite the high note Loyola Chicago ended on, so did GW.
11th Place: Duquesne University Dukes (18-11, 9-9) (-1)
Claiming the final single-bye seed for the A-10 Tournament, the Dukes look to be in solid shape after splitting their final two regular season games. Yes, it’s the third straight week the Dukes have slipped in our rankings, but no one favored them to win against No. 2 seeded George Mason University on the road on Saturday.
Their final home game, on the other hand, was a dominant 74-48 win over the Bonnies on Feb. 26. In order to take down Fordham University on Thursday, who the Dukes lost to 56-53 on Feb. 19, their top-three offense in the conference will need to make up for their bottom-five defense.
10th Place: Fordham University Rams (15-14, 9-9) (-1)
Similarly to the Dukes, Fordham split its final two games, but they weren’t expected to take down No. 3 seeded Davidson College on the road after claiming victory over La Salle on Feb. 26.
It’s been back-and-forth wins and losses for the Rams since early February when they snapped a four-game skid. Outside of their 72-51 win over La Salle, the Rams have not won by more than eight points in conference play this season. If they pull out the victory over Duquesne, it will surely be in tight fashion.
9th Place: Saint Louis University Billikens (13-18, 7-11) (-1)
The Billikens are set to take on the Bonnies in the first round of the A-10 Tournament, a rematch of their contest on Jan. 8 in which they fell 68-66.
Although the Billikens dropped their final regular season game to the Ramblers, they earned a 67-63 win over the University of Rhode Island on Feb. 26. Not only did the Billikens take down the No. 5 seeded team, but they led for the majority of the contest after building a lead in the second and third quarters.
8th Place: George Washington University Revolutionaries (12-17, 5-13) (+4)
The final team in our rankings that will compete in the first round, GW, made a leap this week with one singular win, a 54-46 victory over URI. This win snapped its four-game skid that was topped off by a 61-55 loss to the University of Massachusetts on Feb. 26.
However, the concerning pattern with the Revolutionaries is their inability to score more than 60 points in a game, with the last time being Feb. 4. If GW finds success in the postseason, it’ll be a credit to its defensive play.
7th Place: University of Rhode Island Rams (16-15, 11-7) (-4)
On the opposite side of the spectrum, URI has fallen in our rankings this week after dropping its final two regular season games due to lackluster offensive performances.
The 3-5 seeds were a tight bunch where anyone had a shot at taking the final two double-bye positions. Unfortunately for Rhody, their losses had them miss out, finishing fifth in the standings. URI still holds the top spot for defense in the conference, allowing an average of 55.8 points per game. This is the statistic that will need to hold steady into the postseason, as it’s clear the offense has a problem with inconsistency.
6th Place: University of Massachusetts Minutewomen (16-13, 11-7) (-)
The first team in our rankings to not move, the Minutewomen only played once this week and are set to play the winner of the Bonnies and Billikens eight days after their regular season finale.
If the Minutewomen’s recent loss against URI says anything about the postseason ahead of them, it’s that every game is a clean slate, and a team one day might look completely different the next. As a middle-of-the-pack team, the Minutewomen will need to put their best foot forward to extend their season.
5th Place: Saint Joseph’s University Hawks (21-8, 12-6) (-1)
Although the Hawks claimed the final double-bye spot in the A-10 Tournament, they were bested 74-65 by the University of Dayton on Feb. 26, and were taken down by top-seeded University of Richmond 73-65 on Saturday.
The Hawks’ reign as the third seed in the conference standings is long gone despite their recent win over George Mason. After going on an eight-game winning streak, the Hawks have lost four of their last five games.
4th Place: University of Dayton Flyers (17-12, 11-7) (+3)
The Flyers handled their final two opponents in the regular season to take the six seed in the A-10 tournament, with their statement win against SJU giving them an extra boost of momentum.
Following the first quarter against SJU, the Flyers took control, proving they can compete with double-bye teams. Relying on the star power from fourth-year guard Ivy Wolf and fourth-year forward Arianna Smith, the Flyers can make a legitimate run in this postseason.
3rd Place: George Mason University Patriots (24-5, 14-4) (+2)
The Patriots are back in their rightful place in the top three with a redeeming 86-63 win over Duquesne on Saturday to end the regular season.
While the previous week’s two losses are still a concerning skid so late in the season, as they were by margins of 14 and 16 points, the Patriots are still the best team in the conference with an average margin of +16.8.
2nd Place: Davidson College Wildcats (18-12, 13-5) (-)
After having their seven-game winning streak snapped by Richmond on Feb. 26, the Wildcats took down Fordham 64-52 on Saturday. Slowly but surely, the Wildcats have solidified their position in the top three, earning the No. 3 seed in the A-10 Tournament.
While the loss against Richmond may prove to be troublesome in the long run, the Wildcats have proved to be a threat to whichever team will prevail to face them on March 7.
1st Place: University of Richmond Spiders (26-5, 17-1) (-)
The Spiders still haven’t faltered in 16 straight games, and they will be the team to beat with the No. 1 seed in this year’s A-10 Tournament.
Richmond is coming in with added confidence from its last two wins being against two of its fellow double-bye opponents. To either Fordham or Duquesne, whichever team comes out of the second round to face the Spiders, good luck.
