The Atlantic 10 tournament tips off on Tuesday, March 7 and this conference has been disappointing to say the least. What is normally a multi bid league has turned into just one, which is good news for fans because that will make this tournament one of the most exciting of champ week. It is anyone’s tournament, so who are the contenders to punch a ticket to the big dance?
Contenders- SLU, VCU, Dayton
Dayton and SLU were two teams that had NCAA tournament aspirations entering the season and have been unable to reach the heights they hoped for. Everything SLU does runs through their star point guard Yuri Collins. If Javonte Perkins can keep scoring at a high clip they can make a run at the title.
Dayton has not won the tournament since 2003, but star big man DaRon Holmes II will be looking to change that. Holmes comes in averaging 18 points and 7.9 rebounds a game and will surely be a matchup nightmare against whatever team the Flyers come up against.
VCU has easily been the top dog in this conference, winning the regular season title and going 15-3 in the process. The Rams get contributions from all over, but Adrian Baldwin Jr. is what the offense goes through. The point guard is averaging 12.6 points per game and 5.8 assists per game. What makes this team truly dangerous is their defense. They are ranked 21st in the country for defensive efficiency according to KenPom. If the Rams can play good defense, no team in this conference stands a chance.
Dangerous- Fordham, Duquesne, George Mason, George Washington, Richmond
Fordham had a huge bounce back season this year.
The Rams finished third riding the coattails of Darius Quisenberry, who averaged 17 ppg this season.
Richmond won this tournament last year and still has the best player from last year’s team. The always dangerous Tyler Burton is averaging 17.6 ppg on 44.6% from the field along with 7.5 rebounds per game.
There is always next year- La Salle, Rhode Island, Loyola Chicago, Davidson, Saint Josephs, Saint Bonaventure
These teams have all had below average to bad seasons, but the worst of them all has been Loyola Chicago. There were big expectations for the Ramblers for their first year in the conference, but they went 4-14 in conference and 10-20 for the season. After losing multiple players and making the jump to a more competitive conference, it proved to be a bad recipe for Sister Jean’s Ramblers.
Picks:
Winner: St. Louis
Player of the Tournament: Yuri Collins
All tournament team: Yuri Collins, Gibson Jimmerson, Darius Quisenberry, Daron Holmes II, Tyler Burton
The Billikens big three of Collins, Jimmerson, and Perkins were finally hitting on all cylinders in the regular season finale against Dayton and we expect more of the same in the tournament. The Billikens when clicking are the best team offensively in the conference. Strong shooting and as always assists from Collins will spur them to the NCAA tournament.