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2015 NCAA Tournament: Atlantic 10 Conference Bids

By Mike Marteny

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Jan 7, 2015; Richmond, VA, USA; Davidson Wildcats head coach Bob McKillop (middle) talks to his team in the huddle against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams in the second half at Stuart Siegel Center. The Rams won 71-65. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Here we are. March. This is the month that provides so many things for sports fans. The NHL and NBA are jockeying for playoff spots. The official beginning of the NFL “year” is here, and so are the cuts and trades that will form next year’s championship landscape. The Cubs have hopes of ending their championship drought. And the 2015 NCAA tournament is just a little less than a week away.

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Here at Fantasy CPR, we will keep you up to date on which teams are fighting for a tournament berth, which teams are in, and which teams should be in. We will go conference by conference for the major conferences. The traditional one bid conferences will all get their day in print as well. Follow along as we unveil our projected teams up until Selection Sunday!

The Atlantic 10 has seen many teams come and go in recent years. Now they boast many of the tournament darlings of yesteryear including Massachusetts, Davidson, Rhode Island, George Washington, Virginia Commonwealth, and of course, George Mason. Where do these teams fit into this year’s tournament? Let’s take a look!

In case you missed any:
ACC

LOCKS:

Davidson (22-6, 14-4 A-10, RPI: 34, SOS: 110)

Big Wins: vs. (33)Dayton 77-60, vs.(21)Virginia Commonwealth 82-55

Bad Losses: at (170) St. Joseph’s 70-75, vs. (121)St. Bonaventure 61-62

Back to back losses to the A-10 “saints” at the end of January are the only bad losses. The Wildcats hung with ACC heavyweights Virginia and North Carolina before fading at the end. They have no big out of conference wins to speak of. The strength of the top of the A-10 keeps them in the hunt for a decent seed.

Steph Curry is no longer here, but the same formula for success still applies. The Wildcats like to run the court, and are fourth in the nation in scoring at 80.6 points per game. They failed to score over 70 points just three times on the entire season! They shoot very well from the outside, and from anywhere, really. They also distribute the ball well, averaging 17.4 assists per game which is third in the nation.

Their weakness is the middle. Their two leading rebounders are both 6’4″, and teams with size in the middle can give them issues. However, they prove to be tough to match up with because they often play four guards on the floor at once.

Davidson won the A-10 regular season crown by winning nine straight to close out the season. They are in the tournament regardless of what happens in the conference tourney. A loss to LaSalle could cost them a seed slot, but not a berth.

Projected seed: 8

Feb 28, 2015; Richmond, VA, USA; Dayton Flyers forward Dyshawn Pierre (21) celebrates with Dayton Flyers guard Jordan Sibert (24) after defeating the Virginia Commonwealth Rams 59-55 at Stuart Siegel Center. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Dayton (23-7, 13-5 A-10, RPI: 33, SOS: 111)

Big Wins: vs. (49)Mississippi 78-74, at (21)Virginia Commonwealth 59-55

Bad Losses: at (219)Duquesne 73-83

The loss to Duquesne is the only black eye for the Flyers. They also beat two SEC teams out of conference in Texas A&M and Mississippi. Losses to Connecticut and Arkansas won’t hurt. A 17 point loss at Davidson on January 20th cost them a shot at a regular season conference title.

Forward Dyshawn Pierre is a do-everything guy for Dayton. He is second on the team in scoring, first in rebounds, and second in assists. They rely on a guy who is certain to be an announcer favorite in Scoochie Smith to orchestrate the offense. They take good shots and play good defense, but like Davidson, they lack size. Pierre is more like a small forward than a power guy, and Devon Scott will prove to be a little undersized against power conference teams.

I also think that Dayton is in no matter what happens in the A-10 tourney, though a loss tonight to St. Bonaventure could have them a little jittery on Sunday. Their out of conference slate was also better than Davidson’s, so if they outlast the Wildcats in the conference tournament, they could take their eight seed.

Projected seed: 9

Mar 7, 2015; Richmond, VA, USA; Virginia Commonwealth Rams guard/forward Treveon Graham (21) carries injured Rams guard Briante Weber (2) off the court as Rams forward Jarred Guest (23) follows on Senior Night after the Rams

Virginia Commonwealth (23-9, 12-6 A-10, RPI: 21, SOS: 13

Big Wins: vs. (29)Oregon 77-63, vs. (12)Northern Iowa 93-87, at (32)Cincinnati 68-47, vs. (34)Davidson 71-65

Bad Losses: at (121)St. Bonaventure 71-73

VCU played a tough out of conference schedule, and racked up some pretty good wins along the way. They ousted Toledo, Oregon, Northern Iowa, and Cincinnati. Not to mention an SEC foe in Tennessee and a conference champion in Belmont. That said, they got destroyed by Villanova and Virginia, and haven’t had a big win since January 7th. They are not a good shooting team, so if their shots aren’t falling, they are vulnerable. That happened quite a few times in conference games.

The Rams rely on good defense and Treveon Graham, one of the best players in the conference. The Rams have hit the skids a little lately, losing six games since February 1st, and falling all the way to a five seed in the A-10 tournament. They will likely get in based on their out of conference merits alone, but a loss to Richmond today could knock them into a play-in game.

Projected seed: 10

Next: Who Will Be Sweating On Sunday?

Feb 25, 2015; Richmond, VA, USA; The Richmond Spiders players celebrate from the bench after scoring in overtime against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams at Robins Center. The Spiders won 67-63 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Bubble Teams:

Richmond (19-12, 12-6 A-10, RPI: 59, SOS: 50)

Big Wins: vs. (34)Davidson 89-63, at (21)Virginia Commonwealth 64-55, vs. (21)Virginia Commonwealth 67-63

Bad Losses: at (142)James Madison 46-51, vs. (144)Wake Forest 63-65, at (221)George Mason

Those losses could hurt the Spiders. Then again, they hold two big wins over VCU. Will that be enough to get them an invite?

Richmond is a poor man’s Virginia. They like to slow the game down and pester you into submission. Just ask Virginia Commonwealth how well that game plan has worked. Forward Terry Allen is a force on the inside, and speedy guard Kendall Anthony conjures up images of Spud Webb.

The big question here is whether the committee will give the A-10 three at-large bids. That is assuming that one of the big three wins the conference tourney. Three seed Rhode Island still has a shot to take the automatic bid. Richmond played North Carolina State, Northern Iowa, and fellow bubble team Old Dominion tough before ceding the games late.

Another win over VCU today would put the Spiders comfortably in. Assuming that all of the teams that are already in win their conference tournaments, I could see the A-10 getting four in. Wichita State losing in the Missouri Valley tourney did teams like Richmond no favors. As of now, I have them in, but just barely

Projected seed: 11 (play in)

Nov 27, 2014; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Rhode Island Rams forward Gilvydas Biruta (55) reacts after he dunks against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at HP Field house at Wide World of Sports Complex. Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Rhode Island Rams 76-60. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Rhode Island (21-8, 13-5 A-10, RPI: 70, SOS: 130

Big Wins: NONE

Bad Losses: vs. (147)Georgia Tech 61-64, at (170)St. Joseph’s 64-65

The win against Nebraska in November looked like a good win at the time. They also played Providence tough. They finished third in the A-10 largely because they owned LaSalle, Massachusetts, and George Washington. The fact that they don’t own a win against Dayton, Davidson, or VCU definitely works against them.

The tandem of E.C. Matthews and Hassan Martin brings back images of the 1997-98 tandem of Cuttino Mobley and Lamar Odom that took the Rams to the Elite Eight. Okay, so they aren’t quite that good, but they have the Rams back in the thick of things in the A-10 again.

The lack of any wins against the RPI top 50 is a deal-breaker. Dayton, Davidson, VCU, and Richmond are all still around, but the fact that they have to get past Goerge Washington to even have a crack at one of them is another bad sign. The Rams would have to win the A-10 tourney to get in, and if they did that, they would likely take the berth away from a fellow A-10 school.

Projected seed: OUT

Stay Tuned to Fantasy CPR for the rest of the tournament teams by conference!

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