The weirdest and wackiest conference tournament is upon us. The Atlantic 10 tips off in Washington DC on Wednesday, coming off of eight tournaments that have been won by eight different schools. Adding to the madness is the fact that only two top two seeds have won the event since 2014.
With that all being said, VCU is the clear favorite and while the Rams' best performances tend to correlate with Jack Clark's best offensive games, they don't really have a major x-factor. If VCU can play at their best over all three games then there really isn't an A-10 team that can match that level at the current moment.
But more likely than not, the Rams will leave the door open for an upset, and another team will emerge with the conference's automatic bid. For that to happen, one of the other contenders will need to have a transcendent performance from someone outside of their top player. Superhero-like performances from Tre Clark, Jamir Watkins and Grant Golden have swung the last three versions of the event. In fact, the best version of all of this year's candidates would seemingly channel the powers of a comic book icon. Call them the 2025 X-(Men) Factors, starting with the other five main contenders.
Erik Reynolds II, St. Joe's
Needs to Emulate: Batman
In a normal game, St. Joe's can expect excellent performances for future NBA forward Rasheer Fleming and point guard Xzayvier Brown. But on the nights that Reynolds, who just became the school's all-time leading scorer, transcends both, the Hawks begin to feel nearly unstoppable on the offensive end. It's no coincidence that St. Joe's is 11-1 this season when he surpasses twenty points, a group of wins that include the impressive defeat of Texas Tech.
Reynolds has tended to save his best performances for the biggest moments. The aforementioned Texas Tech game, a pair of thirty-plus-point performances in the last two A-10 tournaments, twenty-eight points at Kentucky last season, twenty-seven and twenty-four, respectively, in back-to-back games versus Villanova, and twenty-seven in an NIT loss to Seton Hall. There will come a time in this tournament when St. Joe's is taking a physical beating, and Reynolds will need to put on the cape, venture into the darkness alone, and start kicking five butts at a time.
Enoch Cheeks, Dayton
Needs to Emulate: Captain America
Another player who elevates his team's ceiling with quality scoring games, Cheeks has powered Dayton to a 16-2 record this season when he merely scores twelve or more points (6-7 when he doesn't). He played the all-around starring role in the win over UConn and excelled in a massive defensive role when defeating Marquette. Add in his elite perimeter rebounding, and Cheeks makes a more significant impact game-to-game than the other players on this list.
On paper, Nate Santos is the Flyers' best player. Think of him as Iron Man, with the much flashier offensive weapons and size that Cheeks doesn't posses. But the eye test will tell you that Dayton is at it's best when Cheeks is at his best. That includes guarding the opposing star, hauling in six to ten rebounds, and powering the offensive through relentless downhill driving. He doesn't have the luxury of gadgets to play with, he's just a player who can win a fight with any opponent, and do so all day.
KD Johnson, George Mason
Needs to Emulate: Thor (Avengers: Endgame version)
I'm getting deja vu writing this, since Johnson has been the A-10's biggest x-factor since day one this season. The former Auburn Tiger never became a major scoring threat in his final season, yet set plenty of career bests. Some good (assists and three point percentage). Some bad (turnovers and technical fouls). Yet, it can't be overlooked that a roller coaster of game-by-game minutes totals was always at twenty-five or more in every one of George Mason's biggest contests.
The Patriots' overall infrastructure on defense and Brayden O'Connor's emergence as a point guard has made Johnson completely expendable on multiple occasions. His overaggressiveness has hurt the team at times as well. But just like the God of Thunder, who was nowhere to be found while his fellow heroes dealt with the fallout from the blip, Johnson will have to emerge and bring down the hammer in the semi-finals or finals for George Mason to beat all of the A-10's best in a row.
Kobe Johnson and Amari McCottry, SLU
Needs to Emulate: Aquaman and Sub-Mariner
Saint Louis has been powered all season long by the big three of Robbie Avila, Isaiah Swope and Gibson Jimerson, but only turned things around after a rough non-conference when a pair of non-factors emerged following Johnson's recovery from injury and the freshman McCottry's entrance into the rotation. These two (and Kalu Anya) are responsible for the unsung and inglorious dirty work that has kept the Billikens' afloat (that was an unintentional pun). Although, Johnson did get to step into a starring role when he went five of six from three in the major win over VCU.
These two might as well be patrolling the oceans during a major land war with the lack of attention they get, both from those looking at the SLU box score and often from the ball itself. But yet, without their contributions, not even coach Josh Schertz' defensive scheme would be able to keep up the stellar performance on that side of the ball. The three stars are scrappy, but they do their best work in the open space of the offensive end.
Drew Valentine, Loyola
Needs to Emulate: Professor X
Sure, Loyola has some major wild cards on the court (Jayden Dawson very quickly comes to mind), but the Ramblers in particular will need an excellent coaching performance to make it through the weekend. First off, Loyola has never won an A-10 tournament game (0-2) and plenty of players are still carrying the baggage of the blown double-digit lead that led to a double overtime loss to St. Bonaventure last season. Secondly, the Ramblers went 3-5 against the other top six seeds this season, losing once to all five of them.
This team probably has the most extremely talented but inconsistent group of players in the conference, from Dawson to Watson, Houinsou to Edwards and Rubin to Quinn. The Loyola coaching staff will face the unenviable task of needing to find the proper adjustments for a trio of opponents who have already had the Ramblers' number this season, all the while never quite knowing exactly who might put the ball in the hoop in a given game. Probably requires a true basketball genius.
There is also a trio of teams who likely don't have the firepower to win four games in four days, but are more than good enough to ruin the weekend for one of the favorites.
LaJae Jones, St. Bonaventure
Needs to Emulate: Human Torch
Far and away St. Bonaventure's best shooter, Jones hit four threes in the home win over Duquesne and went an astonishing six for ten in the upset over Dayton, by far the Bonnies two best wins in 2025. It's no coincidence that the team's brutal 2-6 stretch from late January into early February happened during a run where Jones made zero or one three in six of the games. The comparison is easy, if he gets hot then St. Bonaventure's offense is dangerous.
Darren Buchanan Jr, George Washington
Needs to Emulate: Mr. Incredible
For the first time in a decade, George Washington leans on an upper echelon defense that thrives on turnovers. But the flip side is that the Revolutionaries' offense often leaves a lot to be desired, unless they are aggressively getting the ball to the rim and the foul line. Rafael Castro takes the lead role on this work, but his backup Buchanan tends to join him in their best games. The pair are the top two in the A-10 in free throw rate. Buchanan hasn't made a three since January and absolutely thrives at fighting through contact, and putting a hurt on opponents with his strength. He needs to get his mojo back through, as it's been four whole games since his last free throw attempt.
Maximus Edwards, Duquesne
Needs to Emulate: Incredible Hulk
Duquesne thrives off of a strong defense and excellent ball movement, often weighed down by poor shooting and a lack of potential heat check options. That all changes the moment that Edwards hits back-to-back shots and begins to shoot the ball with confidence and purpose. In those games, he is unquestionably the most dangerous Duke with the ball in the hands and a nightmare to passive defenses. Most of the time, guarding Duquesne is like getting in a fist fight with Bruce Banner, he's brilliant but simply just a man who can be beaten with proper discipline. But when Edwards is at his best, it's as if a beast has awoken in the middle of that fight.