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Atlantic 10 Basketball: 2021 Conference Tournament preview and predictions

By Adam Bernstein

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 12: A general view of the Barclay Center prior to the start of the 2020 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament - Second Round on March 12, 2020 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. Tournament games will be played without fans amid growing concerns of the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 12: A general view of the Barclay Center prior to the start of the 2020 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament - Second Round on March 12, 2020 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. Tournament games will be played without fans amid growing concerns of the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Atlantic 10 Basketball Kellan Grady Davidson Wildcats Hasahn French Saint Louis Billikens (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Atlantic 10 Basketball Kellan Grady Davidson Wildcats Hasahn French Saint Louis Billikens (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

No. 6 Seed – George Mason

Record: Overall: 12-8 Conference: 8-6

Best Non-Conference Win: The George Mason Patriots defeated the Towson Tigers, 70-65, on Dec. 23. Sophomore forward Josh Oduro recorded 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Best Conference Victory: The Patriots defeated the VCU Rams, 79-76, on Feb. 20. Four Patriots players were in double figures. Oduro posted 27 points, and guard Jordan Miller added 15 points and nine rebounds.

Most Valuable Player: Josh Oduro. Oduro averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 50 percent from the field. Oduro led the Patriots in rebounds per game averaging 6.1. The sophomore big man will continue to take on a big role and increase his involvement for years to come.

Most Likely to have a conference tournament performance like Kemba Walker in 2011: Jordan Miller is the Patriots’ go-to guy. Miller is leading the team in points per game with 15.6. He is shooting 46.1 percent from the field. The 6-foot-6 guard is also averaging 5.9 rebounds per game.

Prediction: The George Mason Patriots will be upset by the George Washington Colonials in the second round.

No. 5 Seed – UMass

Record: Overall: 7-6 Conference: 6-4

Best Non-Conference Win: The Minutemen defeated the Northeastern Huskies on Dec.11. Sophomore guard Tre Mitchell recorded 31 points and 11 rebounds in the 94-79 victory at home.

Best Conference Victory: The UMass Minutemen defeated the Rhode Island Rams on Jan. 13 at home in overtime. Mitchell was again dominant with 16 points and seven rebounds. Ronnie DeGray III had 21 points and six rebounds. Both big men made a huge impact in this close 80-78 victory.

Most Valuable Player: There is no doubt that the 2020 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year is the Minutemen’s most valuable player. Tre Mitchell leads the team in points per game (18.1), rebounds per game (6.9), and blocks per game (1.5). The 6-foot-9 sophomore is also shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from the three-point range.

Most Likely to have conference tournament performance like Kemba Walker in 2011: Noah Fernandes is averaging 11.5 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, 4.5 assists per game (team-best), and 1.5 steals per game (team-best). The 5-foot-11 sophomore can also shoot the three, 38.5 percent from range.

Prediction: The Minutemen will defeat the Saint Joseph’s Hawks in the second round but, they will get eliminated in the quarterfinal by the Saint Louis Billikens.

No. 4 Seed – Saint Louis

Record: Overall:  13-5 Conference: 6-4

Best Non-Conference Win: The Billikens defeated the LSU Tigers on Nov. 28. The talented guard duo consisting of Javonte Perkins and Jordan Goodwin led the way. Perkins had 32 points and five assists. Goodwin had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the 85-81 victory over the Tigers.

Best Conference Victory: The Billikens shut down the Richmond Spiders at home on Feb. 26. Perkins and Hasahn French each had 15 points in the win. French grabbed nine rebounds while Perkins had seven.

Most Valuable Player: Jordan Goodwin is one of the best scorers in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The craziest thing is Javonte Perkins leads the Billikens in points per game. Their depth is what makes this team so good. Goodwin is averaging 14.5 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game (team-best), 3.8 assists per game, and 1.8 steals per game (team-best). The 6-foot-3 guard plays both ends of the ball aggressively.

Most Likely to have conference tournament performance like Kemba Walker in 2011: Javonte Perkins plays big basketball at the guard position. The 6-foot-6 guard is averaging 16.9 points per game and shooting 46.4 percent from the field. Perkins is also shooting 41.9 percent from range. Perkins next to French in the frontcourt is scary for the rest of the conference. When Saint Louis is on an offensive possession, Perkins with the ball in those situations is even scarier.

Prediction: The Saint Louis Billikens will defeat the Davidson Wildcats in the A10 Championship game.

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