With the Atlantic 10 picture still a bit unclear, teams from around the Conference await tonight’s slate of games hoping to gain a much better perspective on things to come.
Photo Courtesy of Duquesne Sports Information
Fighting for the number four seed and a first round bye in the A10 Tournament, Duquesne hosts the University of Rhode Island. After falling Saturday at home to UMass, URI (7-5) needs a win over the Dukes (9-3) to pull within a game of the coveted fourth seed, with the tiebreaker on its side.
Even with a win, however, Rhody will need some help in the form of one more DU loss, assuming the Rams can run the table against Fordham, George Washington and St. Bonaventure. Duquesne still needs to travel to the Robins Center and play Richmond on its home floor, where the Spiders are 11-3 this season. So if the Dukes fall to the Rams then the Spiders, Rhode Island controls its own destiny.
Also maintaining an outside shot at earning the fourth seed in the A10 is George Washington. More realistic for G.W., however, is the fifth seed, currently occupied by the Rams, whom the Colonials will face on March 2.
As for this Wednesday, G.W. hosts Charlotte in a potential A10 Tournament first-round preview. While the Colonials look to improve in the standings, the 49ers simply look to stay in the A10 tournament picture. A loss at George Washington would drop Charlotte, currently occupying the 12th seed in the A10, to 2-11.
That development would add great relevance to Saint Joseph’s game at UMass, also set for Wednesday night, as the Hawks could improve to 3-10 with a win over the Minutemen. At this point, 3-10 would be good enough to award Joe’s with the 12th seed, the final seed to be invited to the A10 Tournament, as the 13th and 14th seeds are forced to watch at home.
While the 12th seed seems to be a race between Saint Joe’s and Charlotte at this point, even winless Fordham still stands a chance. The Bronx Rams travel to St. Bonaventure this Wednesday with a last-minute opportunity to make a push toward earning an invite to the A10 Tournament.
The game will likely prove more significant for the Bonnies, however, as Mark Schmidt’s club continues to fight for a first-round home game in the Conference Tournament. St. Bonaventure currently stands at 6-6 in A10 play, tied with Massachusetts with the tiebreaker favoring the Minutemen. As it stands now, the Bonnies would be a 9 seed come tournament time.
Obviously, tons of questions remain regarding the A10 race. It seems clear that Xavier and Temple, to no real surprise, will occupy the top two seeds come Atlantic City time. After that, however, seeds three all the way down to 12 remain fuzzy, with this Wednesday’s schedule sure to shed some light on the postseason picture.
- Matt Swiss
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