The Atlantic 10 Conference’s regular season has officially ended, and the University of Rhode Island and George Mason University were crowned co-champions, earning the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively.
Each week, The Good Five Cent Cigar Sports Staff votes on all 14 A-10 teams.
Here are the rankings as of March 2, as tournament play starts soon:
14th Place: Saint Louis University Billikens (11-20, 5-13) (-3)
It’s hard to imagine a worse ending to a season for the Billikens than a 10-game losing streak with seven being by double-digits, and scoring less than 65 points in each game during the streak.
The only positive that can be taken away is first-year Alyssa Koerkenmeier has won five of the last eight A-10 Rookie of the Week awards, as she finishes the regular season averaging 11.6 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game. The Billikens will need her to continue this dominance if they want to snap this streak when they take on Fordham University on Wednesday in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
13th Place: Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (8-22, 4-14) (+1)
VCU heads into Henrico, Va, with an eight-game losing streak as it continues to search for its first win since former head coach Beth O’Boyle was fired on Feb. 2.
Every loss during the streak has been by double digits as the league’s second-worst offense in terms of points per game, 56.9, hasn’t scored above 65 since the Rams’ last win on Jan. 28 v. Fordham. The Rams will take on Duquesne University on Wednesday in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
12th Place: Fordham University Rams (10-19, 2-16) (-1)
Fordham has won one game out of its last 11 with a 42-39 victory over the Billikens. Since then, the Rams have lost four straight, and it’s hard to pick just one reason as to why they continue to struggle.
It’ll be a pillow fight between the Rams and the Billikens on Wednesday as one team’s losing streak will be snapped. Will the rematch be another low-scoring game, or will we see one of these teams’ offenses finally wake up? It probably won’t matter as the winner will have to face a surging La Salle University team in the next round.
11th Place: Duquesne University Dukes (11-18, 4-14) (-)
Duquesne headed into the final game of the season on a two-game winning streak, albeit against VCU and SLU, but any momentum they may have had was quickly quelled when George Mason beat them 65-48 on Saturday to claim a share of the A-10 regular season championship with URI.
The Dukes look to be the strongest of the four teams playing in the first round, but that’s more by process of elimination rather than based on actual performance. A win over VCU would pit them against Saint Joseph’s University, which has lost two straight. So, who knows what could happen as the calendar has finally turned to March.
10th Place: St. Bonaventure University Bonnies (16-14, 7-11) (-)
The first team in our rankings that isn’t heading into Henrico on a loss is the Bonnies, who beat Fordham on Saturday, 77-69.
St. Bonaventure is a very confusing team heading into the tournament, as most of their conference wins have come against teams ranked below them in our rankings, but two of them are against St. Joe’s and Davidson College. So, the Bonnies have proved they can beat some of the top half teams. Expect a very close game between them and Loyola University Chicago, with the winner having the unfortunate pleasure of facing URI in the quarterfinals.
9th Place: George Washington University Revolutionaries (15-16, 7-11) (-1)
George Washington was unable to pull off a second upset of a top-three team in the A-10 as they fell 72-48 to URI on Saturday.
The Revolutionaries’ conference schedule can best be described as a roller coaster as they alternated between winning and losing streaks. The question is if George Washington’s roller coaster ride is building up another winning streak or free-falling when it takes on a University of Dayton team it’s already beaten twice this season.
8th Place: Loyola University Chicago Ramblers (13-16, 9-9) (-1)
The Ramblers have lost five of their last six games after entering mid-February on a six-game winning streak and looked to be in serious competition for the double-bye.
The Ramblers’ last win came against their second-round opponent, St. Bonaventure, on Feb. 21. So, will we see the Ramblers defeat the Bonnies for a third time, or will they finish the season as losers of six of their last seven games?
7th Place: University of Dayton Flyers (16-13, 9-9) (+2)
At the halfway point of our rankings, we finally get our first team with a multi-game winning streak to end the regular season. Dayton finished the season with two straight wins over VCU and Loyola Chicago.
The Flyers will look to overcome their kryptonite this season when they take on a George Washington team that has beaten them twice this season, with both being by double-digits. It could end up being a tiring and physical game for both teams, with the winner having to face a well-rested George Mason team in the quarterfinals.
6th Place: Saint Joseph’s University Hawks (19-10, 10-8) (-2)
The reprieve from teams on losing streaks only lasted one team, as St. Joe’s falls two spots in our rankings this week following losses against George Mason and the University of Richmond.
The Hawks won’t know who they play in the second round until Wednesday afternoon. Will that be a disadvantage that ends up cutting their time in Henrico short? Probably not, as the Hawks are a combined 3-0 this season against VCU and Duquesne, each by double-digits.
5th Place: La Salle University Explorers (17-12, 10-8) (+1)
The Explorers continue to move up our rankings as they’ve won five of their last six games, including handing Rhody their first conference loss of the season on Feb. 18.
The Explorers look like a very dangerous team with this recent winning streak. With a potential rematch against Richmond looming in the quarterfinals, it’s hard to write off this team pulling off an upset that would completely change the trajectory of the tournament.
4th Place: Davidson College Wildcats (20-11, 12-6) (-)
Davidson will be the No. 4 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, getting a well-earned double-bye, as they ended the season on a four-game winning streak.
It should be noted that three of the Wildcats’ four losses were against teams that will play in the first round, but momentum is momentum no matter how you get it. Also, Davidson’s three-game losing streak in the middle of A-10 play should be concerning to fans, as it can be hard to predict which Davidson team we may see when the Wildcats play on Friday.
3rd Place: George Mason University Patriots (21-8, 16.2) (-1)
It must be hard to imagine why a team that is currently on a five-game winning streak and just won a share of the Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship moves down in our rankings, but the answer is quite simple.
They have one impressive win heading into tournament play, a 46-37 win over Richmond on Feb. 16. You could potentially add an asterisk to that win, as the game was played at a later date than originally scheduled due to a snowstorm. This forced the Spiders to play their second away game in three days, and would explain their sudden drop in offensive performance.
All that said, this team is viewed as a top contender for a reason, and it will be must-watch TV if the Spiders and Patriots meet up in the semifinals.
T-1st Place: University of Richmond Spiders (25-6, 15-3) (+2)
The Spiders have won three-straight games, all against teams in the top half of our rankings, and continue to prove why they are the league’s top offense in terms of points per game.
Many experts view Richmond as one of the first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament, so the Spiders will likely need to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament if they want to continue playing in March. It won’t be an easy path, as they will almost certainly need to face George Mason in the semifinals, and then most likely URI in the final. If any team can do it, though, it’s the Spiders, led by two-time A-10 Player of the Year, fourth-year Maggie Doogan.
T-1st Place: University of Rhode Island Rams (25-4, 16-2) (-)
The Rams are once again the top team in our rankings as they were crowned A-10 regular season champions in front of their fans following a 72-48 win over George Washington on Saturday.
Rhody earned the No. 1 seed for the Atlantic 10 Tournament and not only earned the coveted double-bye, but also avoided having to play Richmond or George Mason until the final. One question that rings through Rams fans’ minds is whether the team will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if they are unable to win the conference tourney. Certainly a valid question, but as head coach Tammi Reiss often preaches in her post-game press conferences, the team will need to take it one game at a time.
