A-10 Preview: The Tenacious Conference

Photo credit to Daily Collegian via Flickr

College Basketball

Atlantic-10 Preview: The Tenacious Conference

Although the Atlantic-10 (A-10) is that of a mid-major conference, the teams within it certainly don’t play like mid-majors. The A-10 Conference produces consistently resilient teams, striking fear into many major programs. This is especially true when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. The men have seen three or more teams advance into the NCAA Tournament for 11 consecutive seasons. At least one A-10 team has advanced into the round of 32 for 13 straight years. The conference’s alum is likewise impressive, generating powerhouses such as Villanova, Temple, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Xavier.

Deep Runs and Close Games

Teams like Davidson, Dayton and Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) have proven they can run deep in the NCAA Tournaments. The proof is in the history books, littered with upsets. In 2013, La Salle entered the NCAA Men’s Tournament as a 13 seed and ended up in the Sweet 16. In 2014 the Dayton Flyers advanced to the Elite Eight as an 11 seed, play-in team. Dayton beat Ohio State, Syracuse, and Stanford in three straight upsets during that run. The men’s teams within the A-10 shouldn’t be considered mid-major talents, as many have proven time again they can beat the nation’s best programs.

Despite not always defeating a top program from a top conference, the A-10 teams have almost little-to-no trouble in defeating first-round opponents. Fourth-seeded Saint Louis won their first-round matchup in 2013 by 20 points while fifth-seeded VCU won their first-round game by 46 points. The tenacity this conference has is shown in tougher matchups, however. In 2012 Saint Louis lost to Michigan State by only four points. In 2016 VCU and St. Joesph’s lost to Oregon and Oklahoma by four points each. In 2015, Dayton fell short to Oklahoma by only six points. Even in defeat, the A-10 shows it’s competitive nature and an unwillingness to back down.

What About the A-10 Women?

The women programs that lie within the A-10 are all competitive within the conference itself, but last year no A-10 team advanced past the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament. Dayton and George Washington, the conference’s only two representatives, were both beaten by double-digit points in the first round. The women programs have some work to do in terms of competing with the rest of the nation, but George Washington runs the conference for now.

The George Washington women’s team won the conference tournament a year ago and has done so three of the last four seasons. George Washington also holds the record for most A-10 Women Championships with seven, proving their recent and historic success. It will be a while before any women program touches the George Washington accomplishments, as the next closest active school for conference titles is St. Joesph’s at three.

Can anyone dethrone George Washington? Sure. Considering the best player for George Washington has left. Brianna Cummings won the A-10 Tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award last season but left following her senior year. Cummings averaged 16 points and five rebounds while shooting 46% from the field during the A-10 Tournament. She also had a team-high 27 double-doubles. They’ll still be tough to beat with head coach Jennifer Rizzotti, who is actually coaching one of the USA Women’s Basketball exhibitions.

Two of the top three points per game leaders have left the conference, but George Mason’s Nicole Cardano-Hillary will return. Cardano-Hillary gives George Mason a shot of knocking George Washington off the platform. She enters the season as the active-leader in conference points per game due to the departure of Natalie Butler and Micaela Parson. Cardano-Hillary helped George Mason into the A-10 quarterfinals before losing by five points to eventual champion George Washington. Cardano-Hillary saw herself named to last year’s All-Defensive, All-Rookie and All-Conference (3rd) Teams with an A-10 Rookie of the Year Award. Pending the success of Cardano-Hillary this season, perhaps a new George will take the throne?

Conference Facts

• Massachusetts is the all-time active-leader for A-10 Men’s Tournament titles, although their last came in 1996.
• St. Joseph’s can tie Massachusetts’ record if they win the A-10 Men’s Tournament this season. Their last came in 2016.
• The men will play 18 conference games this season while the women play 16.
• Dayton’s women have made the NCAA Tournament in eight of the last nine seasons.
• VCU has been to five of the last six A-10 Men’s Tournament title games.

Photo credit to Daily Collegian via Flickr