A new champion has been crowned at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship in Henrico, Va.
Each week, The Good Five Cent Cigar Sports Staff votes on all 14 teams in the conference.
Here’s how the final ranking turned out as of March 9:
14th Place: Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (8-23, 4-14) (-1)
Finishing their season with nine straight losses, it’s hard to believe this is the Rams team that only lost by five points to the University of Rhode Island on Jan. 14.
Less than two weeks after the Dukes took the Rams down by a 72-61 score, Duquesne University ended the Rams’ season in the first round of the A-10 Tournament, 60-52. After going on a 17-0 scoring run in the third quarter, the Dukes were able to surpass the Rams.
13th Place: Fordham University Rams (10-20, 2-16) (+1)
A first-round matchup with Saint Louis University was one of the best opportunities for the Rams, as the Billikens were one of the two conference wins the Rams earned in the regular season. However, in a game that contained nine lead changes, the Billikens came out on top.
The Rams finished their season with the least amount of conference wins, and in that span, they scored an average of 49 points per game. Ending things on a high note, the Rams finished with 69 and 60 points, respectively, in their final two games.
12th Place: Saint Louis University Billikens (12-21, 5-13) (+2)
After earning their first win in 10 games over Fordham in the first round, the Billikens fell to La Salle University in round two, 59-51.
After starting their three-game winning streak on Jan. 14 with a 66-57 win over the Explorers, the Billikens lost their remaining 11 of 12 games. One bright spot? First-year center Alyssa Koerkenmeier finished the year with her 13th double-double.
11th Place: Duquesne University Dukes (12-19, 4-14) (-)
A win over VCU on Feb. 21 came in handy in the postseason as the Dukes advanced to the second round, but they were no match for Saint Joseph’s University.
The Dukes’ offensive woes from the first half of their season made a reappearance in their 66-45 loss to the Hawks. Turning the ball over 20 times, the Dukes did not do themselves any favors.
“You can’t be undisciplined and play a poor game against St. Joes,” Duquesne Head Coach Dan Burt said.
T-9th Place: St. Bonaventure University Bonnies (16-14, 7-11) (+1)
Considering that the Bonnies’ quarterfinal opponent would’ve been URI, maybe it’s a good thing their season ended at the hands of Loyola University Chicago.
By no means should the Bonnies hang their heads after the 61-59 loss, as it was a last-minute surge by the Ramblers that had them come out on top. This matchup was destined to be tight-knit, as these two teams met twice in the regular season, with the Ramblers winning by just eight and three points, respectively.
T-9th Place: George Washington University Revolutionaries (15-17, 7-11) (-)
It was the un-luck of the draw that the Revolutionaries’ final regular season game was against URI, and the lack of momentum showed in their 62-54 loss to the University of Dayton in the second round of the A-10 Tournament.
Inconsistency has been the Revolutionaries’ biggest fault this season, highlighted by the fact that they had beaten the Flyers twice in the regular season before losing in the postseason.
8th Place: Loyola University Chicago Ramblers (14-18, 9-9) (-)
It was a battle between the second-best and worst offense in the conference, but the Ramblers put up a valiant effort in their quarterfinal matchup with URI.
Ultimately falling 71-64, there were six different lead changes in the contest, with a combination of seven double-digit scorers from both teams. Finishing .500 in conference play feels fitting for this streaky team.
7th Place: La Salle University Explorers (18-12, 10-8) (-2)
The Explorers did not trail in their second-round win over Saint Louis, but it was a different story in their 70-51 loss to the University of Richmond in the quarterfinals. Richmond had the lead the whole way, led by A-10 Player of the Year fourth-year forward Maggie Doogan with 13 points.
The scary part? Doogan didn’t even play in the final quarter, as Richmond opted to play some of its younger players.
6th Place: University of Dayton Flyers (17-13, 9-9) (-1)
In the only overtime game of the A-10 Tournament, the Flyers took the eventual runners-up of the A-10 title down to the wire. It was third-year forward Louis Volker’s buzzer-beater layup that advanced George Mason University.
In a thrilling 87-85 contest, the Flyers had five players in double figures. Unfortunately, if the Flyers didn’t have the worst defense in the conference, they certainly wouldn’t have finished .500 in conference play.
5th Place: Saint Joseph’s University Hawks (20-10, 10-8) (+1)
A battle between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds was destined to be entertaining, as the Hawks had taken down Davidson College by a 59-51 score on Feb. 1.
The Hawks took brief leads in the second half, but going the final 3:17 without scoring killed all momentum in the contest. With a winning record in conference play, the Hawks should call this season successful.
4th Place: Davidson College Wildcats (21-12, 12-6) (-)
As the No. 4 seed, sitting in fourth place is a fitting end for the Wildcats’ final ranking. The Wildcats were up to the challenge that the Rams presented, leading 29-25 after the first half.
Rhody’s offense came to life in the second half, as they took home a 55-46 win over the Wildcats. All-Conference First Team fourth-year guard Charlise Dunn led the Wildcats with 15 points.
3rd Place: University of Richmond Spiders (26-6, 15-3) (-2)
We’ll have to wait until Sunday to see if the Spiders will receive an at-large bid to March Madness, but hats off to the Spiders for a great season nonetheless.
The Spiders fell in the semifinals to George Mason 60-45, their second-worst offensive performance of the season, only behind the 46-37 loss they took to the Patriots on Feb. 16. As the top offense in the conference, with an average of 72.6 points per game, the Spiders would be a solid selection to “The Big Dance.”
2nd Place: George Mason University Patriots (22-8, 16-2) (+1)
In a rematch of their Feb. 14, 79-63 loss to the Rams, the Patriots did not complete back-to-back A-10 Championships, coming up just short in a 53-51 loss to the Rams.
It was a fight to the very end, as fourth-year guard Jada Brown knocked down a three-pointer to make it a one-possession game. Two Patriots, third-year guard Kennedy Harris and fourth-year forward Zahriah Walton, were named to the A-10 All-Championship Team.
1st Place: University of Rhode Island Rams (28-4, 16-2) (-)
For the first time in program history, the Rams are A-10 Champions! It’s been 30 years since the Rams made an appearance in March Madness, but this Tammi Reiss-coached team is ready for the spotlight.
With a combined 44 points in the tournament, second-year center Albina Syla earned Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Syla, along with fourth-year guard Brooklyn Gray and third-year guard Sophia Vital, filled out the remainder of the A-10 All-Championship Team. Finally, the Rams get to go dancing.
