Atlantic 10 Basketball: 2022 Conference Tournament preview and predictions

Predicting the Tournament

First Round

(12) La Salle vs (13) Saint Joseph’s

The battle of Philly squads enters round three. La Salle won both of the first two match-ups, so surely it makes sense to pick them again. Except for one thing… La Salle hasn’t won outside of the state of Pennsylvania all season. Something’s gotta give here. Saint Joseph’s 78 – La Salle 70

(11) Rhode Island vs (14) Duquesne

This one’s simple. Rhody isn’t great, but Duquesne is worse. Rhode Island 74 – Duquesne 58

Second Round

(8) Fordham vs (9) George Mason

A couple of teams with rookie head coaches square off, and this one could be super fun. Fordham got the best of the Patriots during the regular season… will George Mason exact their revenge? George Mason 68 – Fordham 65

(5) Saint Louis vs (13) Saint Joseph’s

The Billikens are a real potential dark horse outside of the top four seeds, but they can’t afford a slip up in their first game. Expect to see a lot of threes flying in this one, with SLU hitting more to come out on top. Saint Louis 78 – Saint Joseph’s 63

(7) George Washington vs (10) UMass

The Minutemen fired head coach Matt McCall with two games remaining in the regular season, but he’s staying on to finish out the year. Since then, UMass is 2-0. It’s a pretty bizarre turn of events… are the players rallying behind him and trying to stave off his eventual exit? Are they motivated enough to take down the Colonials playing in their home city? UMass 75 – George Washington 70

(6) Richmond vs (11) Rhode Island

The two biggest underperformers in the A-10 this season will meet in round two (if the round one prediction holds up, of course). This might be the hardest game to project so far but bet on Richmond’s veteran talent as they try to make one final push for an NCAA bid. Richmond 68 – Rhode Island 59

Quarterfinals

(1) Davidson vs (9) George Mason

The top-seeded Wildcats should get a test right out of the gate as Mason has surprised more than a few teams this year. But Davidson wasn’t one of them. It’s hard to pick against the top seed… the Wildcats will take down George Mason for the second time in as many weeks. Davidson 71 – George Mason 63

(4) St. Bonaventure vs (5) Saint Louis

For some reason, the Bonnies have had SLU’s number this year, beating them twice in back-to-back games. But beating a team three times in one season is pretty hard, especially when it’s a good team. This could end up being one of the more fun games of the tournament. St. Bonaventure 73 – Saint Louis 71

(2) Dayton vs (10) UMass

The Flyers are such a wild card this year. Dayton is very capable to losing to a team of UMass’ caliber… heck, they lost to UMass Lowell in the non-conference. But there’s just something about how the young Flyers are clicking right now, loss to La Salle aside. They’re the pick here. Dayton 78 – UMass 57

(3) VCU vs (6) Richmond

VCU and Richmond remain the biggest rivalry in the A-10, so it’ll be appointment television if and when they square off in the postseason. The Rams won twice this season, and their defense will prevail in the third match-up. VCU 64 – Richmond 59

Semifinals

(1) Davidson vs (4) St. Bonaventure

The picks to this point have been (mostly) chalk, but this is the upset on the radar. Bonaventure is hungry for a second-straight title, and a win could push them even closer to the bubble come Selection Sunday. St. Bonaventure 73 – Davidson 68

(2) Dayton vs (3) VCU

Two bubble teams. Two teams that really don’t seem to like each other. Two well-coached squads. What more can you ask for? The Flyers toasted VCU by 30 back on February 2nd, and while this one should be closer, UD will still advance to the finals. Dayton 67 – VCU 60

Championship

(2) Dayton vs (4) St. Bonaventure

Let’s hope at least some of these predictions come true, because there are plenty of fun potential match-ups with this bracket. And a Dayton / St. Bonaventure title game would be the icing on the cake. If this comes to fruition, it’ll be the young guns versus the veterans, and the youth will prevail. Dayton 77 – St. Bonaventure 73