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Atlantic 10 Roundup (1/10-1/16)
1/16/2013
The Atlantic 10 weekly roundup covers updates on all of the happenings within the conference, including big game results, updated standings, and more. It will run every Wednesday, covering the previous week.
The Musketeers, coming off a strong week in which they defeated Temple and George Washington, get a little bit of a break with St. Bonaventure and La Salle this week. With a road win Wednesday night, Xavier can improve to 3-0 in the conference. That would be a nice victory on the same day that Xavier found out Athletic Director Mike Bobinski is leaving for Georgia Tech.
Key Results from the Week that Was:
Xavier 57, Temple 52: The Musketeers suffocated Owls' star Khalif Wyatt, holding him to just five points and 2-11 shooting. Xavier survived the loss of point guard Dee Davis by dominating the glass (36-27) against a Temple team that was much larger.
Saint Louis 70, Massachusetts 62: Rob Lowe scored 20 points on 6-10 shooting and SLU cashed in at the free throw line (21-30) for a nice opening A10 victory. Jordair Jett also came off the bench to add 15 more points for the Billikens.
#14 Butler 79, Dayton 73: The Bulldogs dropped the Flyers to 0-2 in the conference, winning their 11th straight despite losing star guard Rotnei Clarke to a nasty neck injury. Khyle Marshall (12 points), Roosevelt Jones (16) and Andrew Smith (13) picked up the slack, as Butler shot 58.1% from the field on the road.
La Salle 71, Richmond 59: The Explorers got a much needed win over a semi-legit opponent, with four players breaking into double digits. Fifteen turnovers doomed the Spiders, who lost the opportunity at an early road win.
Temple 64, Saint Louis 54: The Owls rebounded from a difficult loss at the Cintas Center with a much better offensive performance. Temple shot 47.9% while suffocating the Billikens to the tune of 34.5%. Wyatt scored 24 (7-11) in a stronger performance than the one at Xavier.
Atlantic 10 Standings:
- Butler (14-2, 2-0)
- Charlotte (14-2, 2-0)
- Virginia Commonwealth (14-3, 2-0)
- Xavier (9-6, 2-0)
- Saint Louis (12-4, 1-1)
- La Salle (11-4, 1-1)
- Temple (11-4, 1-1)
- Massachusetts (11-4, 1-1)
- Richmond (11-6, 1-1)
- Saint Joseph's (9-5, 1-1)
- George Washington (7-8, 1-1)
- Fordham (5-12, 1-1)
- Dayton (10-6, 0-2)
- St. Bonaventure (7-8, 0-2)
- TDuquesne (7-9, 0-2)
- Rhode Island (5-10, 0-2)
Winner of the Week:
Xavier: The Musketeers won two games in three days, including a big win over one of the conference favorites, Temple. The best news for Xavier was winning without their point guard, and winning without playing particularly well. Things might be starting to come together for the annual conference power, with Brad Redford finding his stroke and Semaj Christon finding his confidence. With the strength of their defense as the backbone of the team, the Musketeers will be in almost every game they play. It's when they start getting offensive performances from people like Jeff Robinson (14 points against George Washington), that Xavier becomes really dangerous.
Loser of the Week:
Temple: The Owls missed an opportunity to put their foot down on Xavier's throat, instead giving them hope that they can compete in the Atlantic 10 this year. Worse, it's a bad road loss right now for Temple. The Musketeers aren't their usual power, already sporting home losses to Wake Forest and Wofford. In what should have been an easy win for a pretty talented team, the Owls were turned into a jump shooting team. Luckily for them, they earned a tough win over SLU on Saturday. A second loss in the week would have been crippling for Fran Dunphy's team.
Games to Watch this Week:
Richmond at #13 Butler, 1/16, 7:00
Dayton at La Salle, 1/16, 7:00
Saint Joseph's at #22 VCU, 1/17, 9:00 on CCS
La Salle at Xavier, 1/19, 2:00
Charlotte at Richmond, 1/19, 6:00
#8 Gonzaga at #13 Butler, 1/19, 9:00 on ESPN
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