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Atlantic 10 Roundup (2/13-2/19)
2/20/2013
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 wild ride that has become the Atlantic 10 continued this week. Whether this is an elite conference or not is going to be heavily debated. Regardless, there are nearly four locks for the NCAA tournament, with Saint Louis, Butler, VCU and La Salle all practically guaranteed, as of now. Other squads, like Temple, UMass, Xavier and Charlotte sit on the very edge, but could move into position by making hay in their final games.
For the Musketeers, their ending stretch will be critical, with must win games coming up against Rhode Island and later UMass. Sprinkled in are home games versus Memphis, SLU and VCU and a trip to Indianapolis to play Butler. Split those four or take three of them, win a game or two in the Atlantic 10 tournament and Xavier could sneak in. The odds of that? Not quite slim and none, but it's close. Especially after the let down in Dayton.
Key Results from the Week that Was:
Charlotte 71, #11 Butler 67: The signature victory that Alan Major's squad has been looking for all year came against the presumed best team in the Atlantic 10. Pierria Henry scored 17 points, including two late free throws, for a shocking victory against a Bulldogs squad that had won 12 straight on its home court.
VCU 86, Massachusetts 68: The Rams outscored the Minutemen by 23 in the second half en route to a blowout. Per usual, Shaka Smart's havoc defense forced 24 turnovers with 15 steals in their stellar defensive effort.
Dayton 70, Xavier 59: A big game only because it was one Xavier absolutely needed and failed to show up. They kept it reasonably close until Dayton pulled away midway through the second half. The Musketeers failed to control the boards or play the same tenacious defense they did in the Cintas Center.
La Salle 76, Saint Joseph's 64: The Explorers continue to roll along in what has been an impressive year. They move to 8-3 in the conference on the strength of Tyreek Duren's 29 points on 9-12 shooting (5-6 from three).
Temple 83, Massachusetts 82: The middle of the conference continues to remain tough to figure out, with these two teams sitting at 6-5. The Owls have played five straight one point contests, winning three of them. This was a must win after a brutal loss at home to Duquesne, who was previously win-less in the conference.
Saint Louis 76, #24 VCU: The cream may have risen to the top. Despite road games at Butler and at Xavier and a home contest versus La Salle remaining, the Billikens look like the class of the Atlantic 10. They dismantled a terrific defense by shooting over 55% and not turning the ball over (just eight times). Tough to imagine anyone topping SLU now. But they did lose to Rhode Island on their own home floor earlier this year. Stranger things have happened.
Atlantic 10 Standings:
- Saint Louis (20-5, 9-2)
- Butler (22-5, 9-3)
- Virginia Commonwealth (21-6, 9-3)
- La Salle (18-6, 8-3)
- Xavier (14-10, 7-4)
- Charlotte (18-7, 6-5)
- Temple (17-8, 6-5)
- Massachusetts (16-8, 6-5)
- George Washington (11-12, 5-5)
- Saint Joseph's (14-10, 5-6)
- Richmond (15-11, 5-6)
- Dayton (14-11, 4-7)
- St. Bonaventure (11-13, 4-7)
- Rhode Island (8-16, 3-8)
- Fordham (6-20, 2-9)
- Duquesne (8-18, 1-11)
Winner of the Week:
Saint Louis: They've established themselves as the team to beat, with dominating wins over Butler and VCU. Even with a difficult schedule left down the stretch, the Billikens should be a lock for the NCAA tournament and one of the top two seeds in Brooklyn.
Loser of the Week:
VCU: Tough to call a team that is 9-3 in the conference a loser, but VCU failed to show up against SLU. Question: when was the Rams' last really good win? Answer: in November against Memphis. They competed against Duke and Missouri, but lost both. They lost a big game to La Salle and now SLU. The rest of their wins are over the bottom feeders or middle of the Atlantic 10, which although impressive in debt, is short on convincing play. Don't be surprised if they slip down the stretch with two or three more losses.
Predicted Byes in Brooklyn:
Let's just say this is my guess of the seeding, for byes at least, come Atlantic 10 time. Not saying it will happen, but if I put money down, it would be these four teams, based on their play right now.
- Saint Louis
- Butler
- La Salle
- VCU
Games to Watch this Week:
La Salle at Temple, 2/21, 7:00 on CBSS
Saint Louis at #15 Butler, 2/22, 7:00 on ESPNU
#24 VCU at Xavier, 2/23, 2:00 on CBSS
Temple at Charlotte, 2/24, 4:00
#21 Memphis at Xavier, 2/26, 7:00 on ESPN2
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