{"id":4711,"date":"2014-03-16T12:03:28","date_gmt":"2014-03-16T16:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=4711"},"modified":"2014-03-16T12:08:30","modified_gmt":"2014-03-16T16:08:30","slug":"2014-ctc-the-atlantic-10-312","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=4711","title":{"rendered":"2014 CTC: The Atlantic 10 (3\/16)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"What a job this year around the league in the A-10.\u00a0 If I had told you at the end of last season that Temple, Xavier, and Butler would all leave the league, and that LaSalle and Richmond would have disappointing seasons, how many bids do you think the A-10 would be in line to get?\u00a0 Two?\u00a0 Three, at most?\u00a0 Try six.\u00a0 That is what the A-10 is staring at right now.\u00a0 A potential 6 bids\u00a0if everything falls right.\u00a0 They are ensured of getting 4, and it would be very unlikely that they don’t get 5.\u00a0 That’s fantastic for this league – a league where my heart still resides, even if my team doesn’t anymore.<\/p>\n

Most of the championship support is among the top two seeds, as only UMass (4) was picked by anyone as an A-10 champ.\u00a0 George Mason is a big sleeper for a couple of people.\u00a0 Bry, Doogan, and Stumpf all tied for the 2013 A-10 CTC championship.\u00a0 Bry and WaTers both have a pair of A-10 titles on their mantles and are looking for a shiny new one.<\/p>\n

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 54 points)<\/h1>\n

#2 VCU vs #4 Saint Joseph’s<\/strong>
\nGod, I can’t wait for more facetime for the intolerable Phil Martelli.\u00a0 Either way, though, he has the Hawks playing really well and will have them playing in next week’s tournament no matter what happens here.\u00a0 How about Kanesevich going for 26 & 17 against the Bonnies?\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 But, you know who else is playing well?\u00a0 The Havoc.\u00a0 VCU beat GW (in a game that was a lot closer than the final score) and has its defense running on all cylinders at just the right time.\u00a0 This team is going to be\u00a0a tough out in any tournament they play in.<\/p>\n

No one has the Hawks here, but 10 people (Alexi, Becks, Bry, Doogan, GrossSr, Lohse, Stri, Stumpf, Teddy, WaTers) have VCU.\u00a0 Stri has clinched the 2014 A-10 CTC title – his first A-10 trophy.<\/p>\n

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 36 points each)<\/h1>\n

#4 Saint Joseph’s vs #9 Saint Bonaventure<\/strong>
\nIs this 2012 all over again?\u00a0 St. Bonaventure had an amazing run to the 2012 A-10 tournament title.\u00a0 But, at least then they were the 4-seed.\u00a0 They had no shot at an at-large, but this one would be much less expected.\u00a0 Jordan Gathers hit a game-winning three to knock out #1-seed Saint Louis in the quarterfinals on Friday afternoon.\u00a0 A little more than two hours later, Langston Galloway hit a game-winner for St. Joe’s to get past Dayton.\u00a0 Now, they face off in Saturday’s semifinal for the right to play a title game on Selection Sunday.\u00a0 This has really opened up for St. Joe’s, who will probably play themselves off the bubble and into the tournament with a trip to the finals.<\/p>\n

Dave, GrossSr, Stri, and WaTers are the only\u00a04 with any shot at points here, as they all have St. Joe’s.\u00a0 None of them have the Hawks winning the title.\u00a0 Obviously, no one has the Bonnies in this one.<\/p>\n

#2 VCU vs #3 George Washington<\/strong>
\nWith the top-seeded Bilikens out of the tournament, the winner of the second semifinal will be wearing the home whites in the championship game on Sunday.\u00a0 VCU dominated Richmond in the quarters, while GW took care of UMass without any real trouble.\u00a0 This should be a really good game between two teams that split a pair in the regular season.<\/p>\n

Gersh and RDoc are the only two with GW winning this one.\u00a0 7 people (Caleb, Dave, J, Lazarow, Lynch, Mac, Scoot) have already lost this one.\u00a0 The other 16 all have VCU, including 10 (Alexi, Becks, Bry, Doogan, GrossSr, Lohse, Stri, Stumpf, Teddy, WaTers) who have the Rams winning the whole thing.<\/p>\n

QUARTERFINALS (March 14th – 18 points each)<\/h1>\n

#1 Saint Louis vs #9 Saint Bonaventure<\/strong>
\nFor most of the season, the story of the St. Louis Bilikens may have been the most underreported, underrated story in all of college hooops.\u00a0 As recently as Feb 26, the Bilikens had lost two games all year – a 6-point loss to Wisconsin and a 5-point loss to Wichita State.\u00a0 Other than that, they were a perfect 25-0 including 12-0 in a conference that might get 6 teams to the tournament.\u00a0 But, that all changed on Feb 27, when the lowly Duquesne Dukes came into SLU and beat the Bilikens on their home floor, ending 19-game winning streak in the process.\u00a0 SLU then lost at VCU two days later and Dayton at home four days after that.\u00a0 They were stumbling through a 3-game losing at the worst possible time.\u00a0 They righted the ship with a very nice win at UMass to end the regular season, but this team that looked so steady – with so many seniors – is, all of a sudden, showing question marks.\u00a0 They are still a special team, but are they still to be trusted?\u00a0 They open with a St. Bonaventure team that ended LaSalle’s season on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Everyone except GrossSr and Lohse (who had LaSalle here) have SLU winning this game.\u00a0 No one has the Bonnies.\u00a0 Most of the field has SLU in the finals, with 11 people (Caleb, Chris, Colton, Gersh, Grossjr, Lazarow, PapaCim, Primm, RDoc, Scoot, Stritts) taking the Bilikens to win this tournament.<\/p>\n

Saint Bonaventure 71 – Saint Louis 68<\/em><\/p>\n

#4 Saint Joseph’s vs #5 Dayton<\/strong>
\nThis is possibly the most interesting game in the Barclay’s Center today, as two bubblicious teams battle it out in the conference quarters.\u00a0 Dayton took care of business against Fordham on Thursday and has to feel pretty good about its chances of being in the field, though a win here would go a long way.\u00a0 Saint Joe’s is squarely on the bubble and, after finishing the season with back-to-back losses at GW and home to LaSalle, might need this game a little more than the Flyers.\u00a0 The Hawks are led by an incredibly inconsistent guard in Langston Galloway, who can be sensational at times and disappear at others.\u00a0 Look at Galloway’s last 6 games as a perfect example.\u00a0 After only scoring 6 against Rhode Island, he dropped 33 on Fordham, then 7 against Dayton before 27 against the Bonnies then 10 against GW before finishing with 27 against LaSalle.\u00a0 He’s a special player, but he needs to always be there for the Hawks to make a run in these one-and-done tournaments.\u00a0 The strength of this St. Joe’s team, though, is its interior defense.\u00a0 They rank are the 8th best team in the nation at blocking shots and that is with their tallest player at just 6’8″.\u00a0 They face a Dayton team without a ton of height, so it’s a decent matchup for the Hawks, who swept the Flyers in the regular season, including 79-53 beatdown on Hawk Hill two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

This game is a huge CTC game.\u00a0 Primm has lost this game already with Mason, but the other 24 people are exactly split 12 and 12 on either side of this one.\u00a0 And, even more intriguing is that 4 people on each side have their winner winning again in the semis.\u00a0 Dave, GrossSr, Stri, and WaTers all have St. Joe’s in the finals.\u00a0 J, Lohse, Lynch, and Stumpf all have Dayton in the finals.\u00a0 Becks, Caleb, Doogan, Gersh, GrossJr, Lazarow, Scoot, and Teddy are the other 8 with Dayton here.\u00a0 This could be big.<\/p>\n

Saint Joseph’s 70 – Dayton 67<\/em><\/p>\n

#2 VCU vs #7 Richmond<\/strong>
\nShaka Smart’s Rams have no bad losses (worst loss at UNI is a tough place to play) and quite\u00a0a few solid wins.\u00a0 They have a very deep, veteran-laden team that plays that “havoc” style that lives up to its name.\u00a0 So, why are they so ignored nationwide?\u00a0 That’s a hard one to answer, but they are.\u00a0 They are currently staring at a potential 8-seed, and I will say right now, that I would NOT want to be the 1-seed in that region.\u00a0 This team can beat anyone in the country and I think they are poised to make a serious run in this tournament and the next.\u00a0 Their first test here is a tough one.\u00a0 Richmond, who might have an outside shot to play their way back on the bubble, is assuredly NIT-bound with a loss here.\u00a0 They stayed alive by handling Duquesne on Thursday, but this is a whole other animal here.<\/p>\n

All 25 people have VCU here, including 10 (Alexi, Becks, Bry, Doogan, GrossSr, Lohse, Stri, Stumpf, Teddy, WaTers), who have them winning it all.\u00a0 A slew of other people have them in the finals, so this would bust a ton of brackets were Richmond to pull the upset here.<\/p>\n

VCU 71 – Richmond 53<\/em><\/p>\n

#3 George Washington vs #6 Massachusetts<\/strong>
\nUMass trailed for most of their opening round game against Rhode Island, but pulled it out setting up an excellent nightcap to a great day in Brooklyn.\u00a0 The resurgence in Washington is a welcome sight for true fans of the A-10 that loves to see charter members (like both of these schools) back in the limelight.\u00a0 GW, at 24-7, has no bad losses this year and boasts wins over VCU and Creighton.\u00a0 Led by two senior transfers – Isaiah Armwood (Villanova) and Maurice Creek (Indiana) – and an unconventional point guard from Argentina (Patricio Garino), this GW team is going to be really tough in any tournament.\u00a0 It will be interesting to see Garino try to check Chaz Williams, a matchup that might decide the outcome in this one.<\/p>\n

Only 7 people (Chris, Gersh, GrossSr, RDoc, Stri, Stumpf, Teddy) went with GW, despite the higher seed and the bye.\u00a0 Gersh and RDoc have the Colonials in the finals, so this is big for them to get back into contention.\u00a0 The other 18 all have UMass\u00a0here, including Dave, J, Lynch, and Mac, who went out on a limb and took this 6-seed to win 4 games in 4 days and take the A-10 title.\u00a0 Caleb, Lazarow, and Scoot all have the Minutemen reaching the finals.<\/p>\n

George Washington 85 – Massachusetts 77<\/em><\/p>\n

SECOND ROUND (March 13th – 9 points each)<\/h1>\n

#8 LaSalle vs #9 Saint Bonaventure<\/strong>
\nWhat an incredibly disappointing year up on North North Broad.\u00a0 After a surprising Sweet Sixteen trip a year ago, the Explorers returned just about everyone and just couldn’t get anything going this year in the noncon or conference play.\u00a0 They are still dangerous, but I guess Ramon Galloway was more important than we thought.\u00a0 They still have the underrated Duren and the overrated Garland in the backcourt and a decent frontcourt of Wright and Zak, but there really isn’t any depth on this team, and it has hurt them.\u00a0 By the way, I saw a stat the other day – coming into this season, there had only been\u00a03 players in Big Five history to score 1,500 points, dish out 500 assists, and get 200 steals.\u00a0 Tyreek Duren became the 4th this year.\u00a0 What a great career.\u00a0 The Explorers will try and keep their season going at noon against a very experienced Bonnies team that doesn’t beat themselves.\u00a0 They aren’t incredibly talented, but they could give a team like LaSalle fits (like they did in Olean on Jan 22).\u00a0 The winner of this game will move on to face #1 Saint Louis on Friday.\u00a0 The rest of the A-10 would probably rather see the Bonnies win here and just be done with a LaSalle team that is still awfully dangerous in a one-and-done scenario.<\/p>\n

8 people (Alexi, Becks, Bry, Caleb, Dave, Doogan, J, Teddy) have the Bonnies in a minor upset here, though none of them have them beating SLU.\u00a0 GrossSr, Lohse, and WaTers all have enough faith in LaSalle to have them going to the semis.<\/p>\n

Saint Bonaventure 82 – LaSalle 72<\/em><\/p>\n

#5 Dayton vs #13 Fordham<\/strong>
\nThe Fordham Rams upset George Mason on Wednesday night to join the A-10 second round party on Thursday.\u00a0 They are welcomed by a Dayton Flyer team that probably only needs to avoid a bad loss like this one to get in the Dance.\u00a0 Interestingly, if they are to win today, but lose tomorrow, they are definitely on the bubble, which means that they could easily end up in the First Four, which happens to be played – on their home court.\u00a0 That would be interesting, for sure, particularly since Dayton has a notoriously good homecourt advantage.\u00a0 I’m not saying it’s unfair – the other team shouldn’t be in that position.\u00a0 Anyway, the winner of this one takes on #4 St. Joe’s and their insanely overrated and so subtley arrogant head coach in the quarters.<\/p>\n

No one has Fordham here, but GrossSr, Primm, and RDoc all had Mason, so they have already lost this one.\u00a0 The other 22 have Dayton, including 4 (J, Lohse, Lynch, Stumpf) that have the Flyers going all the way to the finals.\u00a0 8 others (Becks, Caleb, Doogan, Gersh, GrossJr, Lazarow, Scoot, Teddy) have them beating St. Joe’s in the quarters.<\/p>\n

Dayton 87 – Fordham 74<\/em><\/p>\n

#7 Richmond vs #10 Duquesne<\/strong>
\nThe Spiders were in really good at-large shape for most of the season, especially after a Feb 22 win over LaSalle put them at 8-4 in a conference that looks to get anywhere from 5-7 bids.\u00a0 Then the bottom fell out.\u00a0 Four straight losses starting with bottom-feeders George Mason and Rhode Island essentially popped Richmond’s bubble.\u00a0 Now, they need a big-time run in this tournament to even get back in the discussion.\u00a0 That would have to start with Duquesne on Thursday.\u00a0 The Dukes – a surprising 10th-seed – finished up very impressively, beating Saint Louis on the road, then nearly beating UMass, before finishing up the regular season with an 81-69 win at George Mason to clinch a bye.\u00a0 Two teams going in opposite directions, but the one falling was much higher to begin with, so this should be interesting.\u00a0 The winner takes on 2nd-seeded VCU on Friday.<\/p>\n

Bry, Doogan, Grossjr, Scoot, and Stri have the Dukes in an upset here.\u00a0 The other 20 all have Richmond.\u00a0 No one has either of these teams beating VCU on Friday.<\/p>\n

Richmond 76 – Duquesne 64<\/em><\/p>\n

#6 Massachusetts vs #11 Rhode Island<\/strong>
\nUMass was the talk of the town for much of the A-10 season, but hit a skid in the middle which included losses to George Mason and Saint Bonaventure.\u00a0 They should be locks for the Dance, though, but it might be a good idea to win here so that they don’t give the Committee too much to think about.\u00a0 They did sweep URI in the regular season, but both games were close, hard-fought wins, including a 3-point win on Feb 26.\u00a0 The Rams enter the tournament having won 3 of their last 4 to earn the bye.\u00a0 They will have to slow down one of the most exciting players in the country, though in Chaz Williams.\u00a0 The UMass team very vaguely reminds me of the 2000 76ers, with Williams playing a poor man’s Iverson (though he dishes more than AI did) and the rest of the team playing hard-nosed defense and hitting the glass very hard.\u00a0 The winner here takes on #3 GW in the quarters on Friday.<\/p>\n

Stri is all alone with a URI upset pick here, so he could pick up a free and clear 54 points on the field with a Rams win here.\u00a0 And, maybe even more significantly, many, many brackets would be busted.\u00a0 Dave, J, Lynch, and Mac all have UMass winning this tournament.\u00a0 Caleb, Lazarow, and Scoot have them going to the finals.\u00a0 And,\u00a0everyone esxcept Chris, Gersh, GrossSr, RDoc, Stri, Stumpf, and Teddy have them beating GW in the quarters.<\/p>\n

Massachusetts 65 – Rhode Island 61<\/em><\/p>\n

FIRST ROUND (March 12th – 4.5 points)<\/h1>\n

#12 George Mason vs #13 Fordham<\/strong>
\nWhat\u00a0a tough luck season as their first in the A-10 for Mason.\u00a0 They lost 3 overtime games in conference (including 2 against league champion, Saint Louis).\u00a0 They also were within 2 possessions of St. Joe’s, UMass, and GW.\u00a0 I would not want to face this team in this tournament.\u00a0 And, no one might have to because Mason also had a habit of losing to bad teams, like Forham, who beat them 76-70 on Jan 22.\u00a0 The winner will join the regular 12-team tournament on Thursday with a game against #5 Dayton.<\/p>\n

5\u00a0people (Becks, GrossJr, Lohse, Mac, Stri) went with Fordham here in a mild upset.\u00a0 GrossSr, Primm, and RDoc all have Mason beating Dayton in the second round.\u00a0 Primm has them winning again over St. Joe’s in the quarters.<\/p>\n

Fordham 70 – George Mason 67<\/em>
\nTypical for the 2013-14 George Mason Patriots.\u00a0 They played good teams tough, but lost, and played bad teams tough, and lost.\u00a0 Well, Fordham is a bad team, so Mason played them tough and lost.\u00a0 24 offensive rebounds enabled the Rams to overcome poor shooting and move on to the second round against #5 Dayton.<\/span><\/p>\n

Becks, GrossJr, Lohse, Mac, and Stri hit this mild upset.\u00a0 GrossSr and RDoc lose a quarterfinalist.\u00a0 Primm loses a semifinalist.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

CTC UPDATE<\/h1>\n

Championship Picks<\/strong><\/p>\n