2016 NCAA Tournament: Atlantic 10 bids
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
Big 12
AAC
Dayton (25-6, 14-4 A-10, RPI: 19, SOS: 54)
Big Wins: vs. (28)Iowa(82-77), at (30)St. Bonaventure(85-79), vs. (41)Virginia Commonwealth(68-67),
Bad Losses: at (232)LaSalle(57-61), vs. (117)Rhode Island(66-75)
The loss to LaSalle could hurt hurt the bottom line a little, but Dayton is in no matter what happens. Their high RPI and impressive win against Iowa will help them out quite a bit. They wont have to “play in” this year. Though I’m sure they would take another game in Dayton!
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 they lack size. The emergence of Charles Cooke, especially as a perimeter shooter, adds another element to the offense. The Flyers are fun to watch.
The lack of quality wins could hurt their seeding a little. The Big 12 is still likely to get seven teams in, and the ACC could get six. A lot of those teams will take the better seeds. Seeing how the committee has placed a lot of the so called “mid majors” on the five line, I can see it happening here. More likely they are a six unless with win the A-10 tournament as well.
Projected seed: 6
Next: Is VCU In?
Virginia Commonwealth (23-9, 14-4 A-10, RPI: 41, SOS: 175):
Big Wins: vs. (27)St. Joseph’s(85-82), vs. (30)St. Bonaventure(84-76)
Bad Losses: at (169)Massachusetts(63-69), at (198)George Mason(69-76)
VCU played a decent out of conference schedule this year, but they failed to notch a quality win. They hung with Duke and Cincinnati, and nearly beat Wisconsin. The quality wins just aren’t there for them this year, which will affect where they end up.
The Rams have a true scorer in Melvin Johnson, and boast three other players that average more than ten points a game. As usual, they are a swarming defensive team, and use that to compensate for their lack of size. This is a really deep team. Don’t be surprised if they play ten guys per game.
For now, I still see VCU as safe. They did enough to get in, and they are going to be a dangerous double digit seed.
Projected seed: 11 (play in)
Next: Where Will Xavier Land?
St. Bonaventure (22-8, 14-4 A-10, RPI: 30, SOS: 78)
Big Wins: vs. (27)St. Joseph’s(98-90), at (19)Dayton(79-72), at (27)St. Joseph’s(83-73)
Bad Losses: at (105)Siena(70-73), at (160)Duquesne(88-95), at (232)LaSalle(64-71)
The Bonnies are a lot better than they were last year, but will it be enough? All of their tough losses were on the road at least, but it will be the two road wins against the RPI top 30 that put them in.
The Bonnies rely on the three headed scoring monster of Marcus Posley(19.7 ppg), Jaylen Adams(17.7 ppg), and Dion Wright(16.9 ppg) to carry the team. Wright is an able bodied big man that gives them a presence not a lot of smaller schools have.
The loss to Davidson puts the Bonnies in a tougher situation. I think their RPI is high enough that they still make it in. They have to be more comfortable than say a team like Tulsa or Cincinnati
Projected seed: 12
St. Joseph’s (25-7, 13-5 A-10, RPI: 27, SOS: 72):
Big Wins: vs. (19)Dayton(79-70), vs. (39)Princeton(62-50)
Bad Losses: vs. (160)Duquesne(70-78)
The only win against the top of the A-10 was against Dayton. They lost the other three games. They do own a nice win against fellow bubble team Temple back in December. That will help them in their quest for an at-large berth.
Isaiah Miles and DeAndre Bembry are accomplished scorers, both averaging more than 17 points per game. They are a little undersized for the interior, but they are aggressive rebounders and make St. Joseph’s a tougher team.
The Hawks will feel much better about their chances if they can oust Dayton today. They may be in anyway, but there are a few other teams out there that are stealing bids. They need to at least play well against the Flyers. They did beat them earlier this year, so it’s not out of the question. Their win over George Washington yesterday likely knocked the Colonials into the NIT.
Projected seed: 11
Next: Big 12 Teams In The NCAA Tournament
Stay Tuned to Fantasy CPR for the rest of the tournament teams by conference! We will also have our seeding predictions before the official ones are handed out. We are with you all selection weekend!