It’s the first weekend of March.
You might be intimately familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Virginia, and you might be preparing to size up Kansas without Perry Ellis as the Jayhawks prepare to face Oklahoma. You might know various power-conference teams inside and out. However, what about a league such as the Atlantic 10? Is this a league full of giant killers, paper tigers, or something in between? The A-10 is one of those leagues which is not a mid-major conference, but it’s not an elite power broker in college basketball. It’s time to get acquainted with the teams in this conference. They may not all be household names, but that does not mean they can’t do some damage in the Big Dance.
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Conference-leading Dayton (tied with Davidson) might be one of the most interesting stories in the nation. With some early-season player dismissals, the Flyers found themselves in a situation where they did not have a player in the rotation taller than 6-6. This lack of size has never been an issue for Archie Miller’s squad, however, as it sits at 23-6 coming into Saturday’s regular season finale against La Salle.
While the lack of size could present an issue for Dayton, the Flyers have really not been fazed all season. Also, how many teams in the country have elite size other than Kentucky? The best answer is Texas, which is anything but assured of a tournament berth. Look for Dayton to be a fifth- or sixth-seeded NCAA team that can really make some noise and maybe even make another Elite Eight appearance.
Davidson, tied with Dayton, has put together a very strong campaign. After eviscerating VCU on Thursday night to take a big step toward NCAA tournament inclusion, the Wildcats have won eight in a row and 10 of their last 12 games. In this stretch, Davidson took its one battle with Dayton during the regular season. Davidson endured hard-fought losses to North Carolina and Virginia in non-conference play.
While the Wildcats are not vastly experienced up and down their roster, senior Tyler Kalinoski leads Davidson in points and rebounds, while being second in assists. Davidson could find itself in the Dance as a lower seed, but could certainly be an upset special with the right matchup.
While Rhode Island might currently be on the outside looking in, the Rams are just one tournament run away from going Dancing as well. In the past week, the Rams had an opportunity for a meaningful conference win against either Dayton or Davidson, but they fell in both contests.
With 20 wins currently, Rhode Island will likely be one of the final teams left out. The Rams have been good almost all year, but lack quality wins, their best one possibly being against Nebraska. They failed to beat any of the heavy hitters in conference and fell to Kansas by 16, Georgia Tech by three, and Providence by eight in non-conference play.
Currently tied for fourth in the A-10, Shaka Smart’s VCU squad has the most street cred of all of these teams, with the possible exception of Dayton. However, the Rams just have not been the same since Briante Weber went down for the season. While Weber’s numbers were not spectacular, he provided a considerable level of toughness for VCU.
While the Rams have been nationally ranked most of the season and own the most impressive wins in the conference, they will appear to be a squad primed to be knocked out early in the Dance. Since Weber went down, VCU is just 4-5.
Even Richmond, which will need a conference tournament miracle to get in, produced a solid season — just not a spectacular one. This campaign included a sweep of neighboring rival VCU. The Spiders make for an interesting squad in the NIT.
George Washington crafted a few noteworthy conference wins, putting the Colonials on the bubble for a bit. However, a string of tough losses and increasingly weaker performances in the conference likely has this team going to the NIT as well.
While it looks like three teams will get into the tournament from the A-10, it has been a very competitive season for the conference overall. Dayton, Davidson and VCU have the ability to go on a big run, because all three teams are dangerous. Power conference teams beware.
