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Atlantic 10 Roundup (2/6-2/12)
2/13/2013
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.
Xavier recovered from a difficult loss to the Richmond Spiders with a win over Duquesne, who has lost 11 straight and is 0-9 in the conference. It was a must-win (or can't-lose, depending on how you view it) for the Musketeers. They rallied from a 10 point deficit in the second half for the victory, improving to 6-3 in the conference.
Though not a pretty or a good win, it was one Xavier needed. It won't build a resume, but it could have killed one with a loss. As is Xavier remains alive, as long as they continue to win. Now's the time to do that, with imminently winnable games on the horizon, before the big boys (VCU, SLU) start rolling into Cintas.
Key Results from the Week that Was:
Temple 89, Charlotte 88: In an enormous game for both teams, Charlotte missed its opportunity to climb up towards the top of the conference. Instead, they have begun to be exposed as a pretender. Temple, however, might be righting itself after a poor start. Jake O'Brien came off the bench to score 22 points, to go along with Khalif Wyatt's 25, to lead the Owls to victory.
Dayton 60, Saint Joseph's 54: In a game that will ultimately mean more to the Hawks than the Flyers, St. Joe's let a road game slip away. Kevin Dillard scored 23 on 8-13 shooting to lead all scorers.
Temple 72, Dayton 71: A pair of one point victories for the Temple Owls this week, which might strengthen the team's resolve after a poor start. Like Xavier, it isn't about style points right now for Fran Dunphy's squad. They need to rack up as many wins as possible. This game was wild to the finish, featuring six consecutive missed free throws by the Owls and Flyers combined. Josh Benson missed a pair with under two seconds to go to seal Dayton's fate.
Saint Louis 56, Richmond 46: A classic Billikens game, showcasing why they have moved towards the top of the conference over the last two years. They dominated the pace of this game with defense (the Spiders shot 23.3%) and owning the boards (outrebounded Richmond 42-27).
Massachusetts 80, Saint Joseph's 62: A pair of teams heading in opposite directions here. The Minutemen shot over 50% for the game and stifled the Hawks. With the victory, UMass moved into a tie for second place in the conference, while dropping once time conference favorite St. Joe's to 4-5.
VCU 68, Charlotte 61: Road wins have become difficult to come by in the Atlantic 10 this season. VCU got a big one on Saturday night at Halton Arena. Both teams shot the ball well and the 49ers controlled the boards 34-17. But 12-22 from the line and a ghastly 17 turnovers did them in.
Atlantic 10 Standings:
- Butler (20-4, 7-2)
- Virginia Commonwealth (19-5, 7-2)
- Saint Louis (18-5, 7-2)
- Massachusetts (16-6, 6-3)
- La Salle (16-6, 6-3)
- Xavier (13-9, 6-3)
- Charlotte (17-6, 5-4)
- Temple (16-7, 5-4)
- George Washington (11-11, 5-4)
- Saint Joseph's (13-9, 4-5)
- Richmond (14-10, 4-5)
- St. Bonaventure (11-11, 4-5)
- Dayton (13-10, 3-6)
- Fordham (6-18, 2-7)
- Rhode Island (6-16, 1-8)
- Duquesne (7-16, 0-9)
Winner of the Week:
Temple: The Owls aren't home free, yet. Anything less than an NCAA tournament appearance would be a disappointment for a program that has established itself on a national stage of late. But a pair of one point victories will go a long way to establishing some confidence in a team that has seemed rattled ever since their loss at Cintas. They're still clearly a bubble team, but with a conference player of the year candidate in Khalif Wyatt, a solid core and a great coach in Fran Dunphy, they have a fighting chance to run the table the rest of the way.
Loser of the Week:
Charlotte: They played two of the better programs in the conference this past week (VCU and Temple) and lost both of them. What has to hurt most is that the Temple loss was by one on the road, while they gave away the VCU game with turnovers. Turn those losses into wins and Charlotte is tied for first in the conference. Instead, they sit a middling 5-4, having looked exposed as a pretender.
Games to Watch this Week:
Charlotte at #11 Butler, 2/13, 7:00
Massachusetts at VCU, 2/14, 9:00 on CBSS
Xavier at Dayton, 2/16, 12:00 on ESPN2
Saint Joseph's at La Salle, 2/16, 2:00 on NBCS
Temple at Massachusetts, 2/16, 6:00 on CBSS
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