Joe Dzuback (@vbtnblog) is the Rush the Court correspondent for the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Best Kept Secret in Division I
Counting the four games played Monday night, the Atlantic 10 conference has compiled a 40-11 (0.784) record against their opponents through the first two weeks of the season. Every conference schedules its share of cupcakes and the A-10 is no exception, as nearly 38 percent of the slate — with a 15-0 record in those games — comes from conferences ranked in the lower third of Division I and Division II basketball. Versus the seven elite conferences and the A-10’s four fellow basketball-first conferences, league teams have played 25 percent of their schedule and compiled a 10-6 (0.625) record. Results are particularly impressive versus the SEC (2-0), ACC (3-3) and the Big 12 (1-0) Conferences. Distracted by the plethora of upsets, the World Wide Leader gave George Washington’s 73-68 win over then #6 Virginia a little less than a full news cycle before moving on to other upsets.
The Atlantic 10 has started the season off well so far. This week gets a lot tougher for Dan Hurley and Rhode Island – as well as the rest of the A-10. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Lacking an early season tournament win — Virginia Commonwealth, the conference flagship since Shaka Smart brought the Rams into the league in 2012-13, took two close losses, the first to Duke by eight points and the second to Wisconsin by one point. Saint Joseph’s split its Hall of Fame slate last weekend, dropping a semifinal game to Florida on Saturday before bouncing back versus Old Dominion in the consolation game Sunday. Dave Paulsen took his George Mason squad to the finals of the Charleston Classic, beating Mississippi and Oklahoma State before losing in the finals, 83-66, to #12 Virginia.
The conference has a number of experienced squads (Davidson, Dayton and George Washington return significant portions of their minutes and points from last season) ready to start their early season tournaments. Look for some press when Dayton and George Washington play over the Thanksgiving Weekend. The Flyers will open the Advocare Invitational versus Iowa on Thanksgiving Day and a game with #17 Notre Dame may follow while Xavier or Wichita State wait on the other side of the bracket. One of the better early season fields, a 3-0 run would earn Archie Miller’s squad some legitimate ink. George Washington, however, might be the conference’s best candidate for an early season tournament trophy. The Colonials will appear in the Barclays Center Classic, with two rounds to be held over two days in the arena where Mike Lonergan’s team has played its conference tournament. Familiar surroundings should help GW win its semifinal matchup versus Tennessee; the Colonials will then face either #24 Cincinnati (most likely) or Nebraska in the second game. Beating two ranked teams in consecutive nights — a distinct possibility — would provide a serious bump to George Washington’s national profile.
Archie Miller and Dayton have a potential showdown with Notre Dame looming. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Six Games to Catch This Week
Like last week, the viewing for this week is a mix of early season tournament games and home-and-homes. Also look for a few traditional rivalry games: The opponent may not be top drawer, but rivalries tend to produce very competitive, very watchable, games.
- Rhode Island vs Texas Christian (Tuesday Nov. 24 6:00 PM, CBS Sports Network) — In mid-October this was solidly in the win column for Rhody, but with EC Matthews sidelined, move this Cancun Challenge semifinal game closer to the tossup column. The Rams have to find some offense, while the Horned Frogs still have work to do on defense. If Hasan Martin and fifth-year senior Earl Watson (who Dan Hurley uses in tandem with Martin, much as he did Gilvytas Biruta for the past two seasons) can control the boards, they may provide the Rams with enough second chance opportunities to pull through. The Horned Frogs will counter with junior Karviar Shepherd and sophomore Vladimir Brodziansky — a TCU weakness last season that has become a point of emphasis for Trent Johnson in the offseason. So far the duo has responded, but Hasan and Watson are the most talented tandem they have met so far.
- Rhode Island vs TBD (Wednesday Nov. 25 TBD, CBS Sports Network) — The time and opponent will be decided by the semifinal results. Based on the bracket, the Rams should face either Illinois State (most likely if they lose to TCU) or Maryland (most likely if they beat TCU).
- Massachusetts vs Creighton (Wednesday Nov. 25, 9:30 PM ESPN2) — The Minutemen will play the first of the A-10’s eight scheduled games with Big East opponents in the championship game of the Men Who Speak Up Tournament. Like UMass, the Bluejays return less than 50 percent of their minutes and points from last season’s squad. Coach Greg McDermott starts a freshman, a JuCo and a transfer in addition to his two returning starters.
- Richmond vs West Virginia (Thursday Nov. 26, 5:00 PM FS1) — The Spiders open their appearance in the Las Vegas Invitational with a tilt versus the Mountaineers from the Big 12 Conference. West Virginia is favored, but they are turnover prone, a weakness Richmond may be able to exploit.
- Richmond vs TBD (Friday Nov. 27, TBD FS1) — The opponent will either be #14 California or San Diego State. No matter, the Bears or the Aztecs should offer a good game and an RPI builder if the Spiders win. The consolation game (the strongest possibility) is scheduled for 8:00 PM Eastern time.
- Virginia Commonwealth vs Old Dominion (Saturday Nov. 28, 4:00 PM CSN-MA) — The Monarchs and Rams share a regional rivalry that dates back to the 1977-78 season. Conference mate Saint Joseph’s beat Old Dominion by two on a neutral court. The Rams may be favored, but expect a competitive game from the Monarchs.