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Atlantic 10 Roundup (1/16-1/23)
1/23/2013
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 survived a tough road game last Wednesday at St. Bonaventure, and then erased an 11 point deficit in the first half against La Salle. Now, Xavier, Butler and VCU stand as the only undefeated teams left in the conference. That's about as sweet as it gets for all three teams. As newcomers, VCU and Butler entered a highly rated conference and have proven themselves well. And as the conference bully, Xavier has reasserted itself as a team to be reckoned with after some difficult lumps in the non-conference schedule.
Key Results from the Week that Was:
#13 Butler 62, Richmond 47: Even without Rotnei Clarke, the Spiders still could not handle the Bulldogs. Roosevelt Jones finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds, coming up huge for Butler. That wouldn't be the only time he would make an impact this week, though.
La Salle 72, Dayton 70: A devastating road loss for the Flyers, who fell to 0-3 in the conference and could be staring a 2-4 start (or worse) in the face. Dayton's rebounding margin was in double digits, but they couldn't hang onto the ball, turning it over 24 times. La Salle took advantage, forcing 15 of those on steals en route to their best win of the year to date.
#22 VCU 92, Saint Joseph's 86 OT: This game showed the kind of talent the Hawks have, and why they could be dangerous come March. With four players averaging double digits, it's easy to see how they could get hot and take the conference by storm -- whether that's in the next two months, or in four days come tourney time. Treveon Graham scored 25 for the Rams, who turned it over just six times to St. Joe's 19 in a huge conference victory.
Xavier 70, La Salle 63: The Explorers had an 11 point lead at one point on the Musketeers, and then watched things unravel. They went without a field goal for a 10 minutes stretch between the first and second half, and never fully recovered. This game wasn't as close as the score would indicate -- Xavier was up 18 with under two minutes to go, when La Salle cut into the lead with the Musketeers' walk ons in the game. As the Explorers found out, Xavier is still a monster to deal with in the Cintas Center.
Richmond 81, Charlotte 61: This game was fascinating, not because Richmond might be a contender, but because Charlotte might be a pretender. Their 15 wins coming in, along with a 3-0 conference record, might have had some believing in the 49ers in their final season of A10 play. Instead, the Niners walk away with a bad loss. It wouldn't have been a signature win, but it would have looked better than a 20 point road loss to a mediocre conference team. Chris Braswell was limited to just 10 points and the Spiders made 12-27 threes in the victory.
#13 Butler 64, #8 Gonzaga 63: If you haven't seen the finish to this game yet, you live under a rock. Roosevelt Jones came up with a steal with less than three second left and hit a runner just outside of the lane to beat the buzzer. Brad Stevens' crew has won 13 in a row since the loss to Xavier, and the Bulldogs are looking like a Final Four threat, once again.
Atlantic 10 Standings:
- Virginia Commonwealth (16-3, 4-0)
- Xavier (11-6, 4-0)
- Butler (16-2, 3-0)
- Charlotte (15-3, 3-1)
- La Salle (12-5, 2-2)
- Temple (12-5, 2-2)
- Massachusetts (12-5, 2-2)
- Richmond (12-7, 2-2)
- George Washington (8-9, 2-2)
- Saint Louis (12-5, 1-2)
- Saint Joseph's (10-6, 1-2)
- Rhode Island (6-10, 1-2)
- Fordham (5-13, 1-2)
- St. Bonaventure (8-9, 1-3)
- Dayton (10-7, 0-3)
- Duquesne (7-11, 0-4)
Surprise Team at the Quarter Pole:
Xavier: Hard not to go with Coach Mack's team, after being picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the A10 to begin the season. A quarter of the way into the season and the Muskies are in prime form, sitting at 4-0 and atop the conference with VCU and Butler. The rest of the way won't be easy, but the Musketeers actually aren't too far away from contending for an at large bid in the NCAA tournament. Twelve or 13 wins plus a win in their final non-conference game against Memphis should do it. Another win or two in the A10 tournament would seal it. This team could be capable of it, especially the way Redford and Christon are playing, and how the defense is capable of suffocating the opponent every night.
Disappointing Team at the Quarter Pole:
Saint Joseph's: One of the conference favorites, the Hawks have flopped so far in conference play. Expect them to turn it around, if only because of their veteran core. Tay Jones and Langston Galloway are too good to allow Phil Martelli's squad to continue to slip. It will be an uphill climb the rest of the way, but this is still a talented team. A lousy 10-6 start and 1-2 conference record stick out like eyesores, but they aren't representative of how good they can be. They showed flashes of that against VCU last Thursday.
Winner of the Week:
Butler: Nationally televised win over a top 10 Gonzaga squad? Easy pick. Doing it with out leading scorer Rotnei Clarke? Even easier. Butler continues to do what Butler does, win. It's uncanny the roll that Brad Stevens has been on for the past four years in Indianapolis. After owning the Horizon League and finishing as National Runner-Up in back to back years, the Bulldogs are set to take the A10 by storm.
Loser of the Week:
Saint Louis: An overtime loss at home to Rhode Island? Ouch.
Games to Watch this Week:
#9 Butler at La Salle, 1/23, 7:00
Xavier at Charlotte, 1/23, 7:30, FSOhio
#19 VCU at Richmond, 1/24, 7:00, CBSSN
Temple at #9 Butler, 1/26, 6:00, ESPN2
Xavier at Saint Joseph's, 1/26, 6:00, CBSSN
La Salle at #19 VCU, 1/26, 8:00, CBSSN
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