Atlantic 10 Basketball: Recap of quarterfinal round of conference tournament
Quarterfinal Round – Thursday, March 9th, 2023
(1) VCU 71 vs (8) Davidson 53
I stated in my previous predictions that the keys to the game for Davidson would be to feed Foster Loyer and Sam Mennenga; however, the VCU Rams held them to a combined 17 points on a 6-of-19 shooting performance from the field.
While many of VCU’s wins have been the Ace Baldwin Jr show, it was not just the Atlantic 10’s player of the year and defensive player of the year to contribute. This was arguably the best team win the Rams have had all season because of how balanced their scoring was.
VCU had four players scoring in double figures. Baldwin Jr, Jamir Watkins, and David Shriver finished with 11 points, and Jayden Nunn had 10.
This game was pretty balanced statistically; however, the Rams shot the ball 20% better than the Wildcats and had six more three-pointers which was the difference maker in the end.
(4) Saint Louis 82 vs (5) George Mason 54
Down goes my pick to win the Atlantic 10 tournament; the George Mason Patriots were defeated 82-54 after a solid offensive performance from the Saint Louis Billikens.
The ball movement for Saint Louis was absolutely outstanding, as they had 26 assists which passed their season-high. Junior guard Yuri Collins had ten assists. The Billikens’ floor general leads the nation in assists with 304 this season, averaging 10.1 per game.
It was sophomore guard Gibson Jimerson who stood out in this game, leading all scorers with 21 points. He added three rebounds and four assists to his total in 34 minutes of play.
While George Mason could not stop the dominance of Saint Louis, senior forward Josh Oduro had himself a day. He had 15 points, three rebounds, and five assists; however, the Patriots’ fifteen turnovers and poor shooting day at the charity stripe did not help their case.
The Billikens will get a day off and then prepare to face the Atlantic 10 regular season champion VCU Rams on Saturday at 1 p.m.
“We just need to get some rest and regroup here, but I have a lot of respect for VCU,” Coach Travis Ford told NBC Sports following the Billikens’ 82-54 victory over George Mason, advancing to Saturday.
(2) Dayton 60 vs (10) Saint Joseph’s 54
Daron Holmes II was my pick for Atlantic 10 player of the year, and this game was a perfect example of why, as he posted 17 points, nine rebounds, and shot 50 percent. While Holmes II was remarkable for Coach Anthony Grant and the Flyers, the player of the game was Toumani Camara.
The junior forward had 17 points, 18 rebounds, and shot 3-of-4 from behind the arc in 39 minutes of play.
As for Saint Joseph’s, they got the ball in the hands of Erik Reynolds II, which was the game plan; however, it would not be a one-person job to knock off Dayton. The Hawks were looking to give Cameron Brown and Lynn Greer III opportunities, but Brown fouled out, and Greer III shot the ball poorly.
Regardless the Saint Joseph’s Hawks are a younger team who will have their hands full recruiting this offseason and should be in the top half of the Atlantic 10 should all of their pieces stay. Coach Billy Lange and his staff will have their hands full as they continue to build up the program.
For the two-seed Dayton, they will have a shot at the three-seed Fordham, which is not something to be happy about now as it will essentially be a home-court advantage for the Rams on Saturday night.
(3) Fordham 69 vs (11) La Salle 61
If you were to tell me in October that Fordham and La Salle would be fighting for a spot to play Dayton in the Atlantic 10 tournament Semifinal round, I would not have believed you.
For La Salle, Jhamir Brickus and Khalil Brantley continue to lead the Explorers down the stretch. Brantley was all over the stat sheet finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Brickus had 13 points, five rebounds, and shot 55 percent.
Despite Fordham not shooting well at the free-throw line, 11-24, they dominated offensive possessions. Darius Quisenberry finished with 22 points and six rebounds, and Khalid Moore had 20 points and 11 rebounds.
“We continue to grind and play really tough and physical defense — I’m just really proud of our grit and our fight,” Coach Keith Urgo said following the victory.
The first-year head coach didn’t only have the support of the student section and alumni but his parents. His father, Don, is a Class of 1959 Fordham alumni.
Fordham advances to the A-10 Semifinal round for the first time since 2006. They will play the two-seeded Dayton on Saturday night, and we can expect another great atmosphere in Brooklyn from the shirtless herd.