A year ago, the quarterfinals in the Atlantic 10 Tournament proved to be a bloodbath for all of the top seeds. For the first time, all four teams who had gotten a double-bye in the conference tournament were all out in the semifinals.
However, that wasn’t the case this time around. Three of the four favorites took care of business, while the last game needed five extra minutes to decide a winner. In the end, we got some compelling results to pave the way for a fun Saturday.
No. 1 VCU 76, No. 59 St. Bonaventure
A few highlights from @VCU_Hoops 76-59 win over St. Bonaventure in the @A10MBB quarterfinals
— Lane Casadonte (@LaneCtvsports) March 14, 2025
Rams advance to Saturday's semifinals at 1pm@VCUAthletics @CBS6 pic.twitter.com/Ln1CXCJ01K
This was a game where the Bonnies kept it close for a good while until timely threes by the Rams did them in. Jack Clark, the ultimate x-factor for VCU, finished with 15 points and six rebounds, including making a trio of three-pointers. It also helps that the Rams had a 15-point edge in scoring off turnovers in the game as well.
No. 4 Loyola-Chicago 72, No. 5 Saint Louis 64
Loyola Chicago is heading to the A-10 tournament semifinals for the first time and has now won eight of its last nine games.
— Nick Schultz (@NickSchultz_7) March 14, 2025
Quite the turnaround for Drew Valentine and the Ramblers since the start of league play.
Isaiah Swope did his best to keep the Billikens in the game, scoring 30 points to lead all scorers. But the Ramblers limited leading scorer Gibson Jimerson to just four points, missing all five of his three-point attempts. Desmond Watson may not have been an all-league guy to the voters, but he played like one today, scoring 25 points for the winning Ramblers.
No. 2 George Mason 80, No. 7 George Washington 65
George Mason might have played the best half of defense I’ve seen, literally 0 good shots allowed from George Washington
— Burnzy (@BurnzyBased) March 14, 2025
GW couldn’t miss early on, shooting nearly 70% from the field to get a four-point halftime lead. However, George Mason and its elite defense dominated the final 20 minutes, going on a 28-6 run to blow the game wide open. Big man Jalen Haynes finished with 24 points, while Defensive Player of the Year Jared Billups finished with 18 points on 6/6 FG and displayed great defense on the Revs.
No. 6 St. Joe’s 73, No. 6 Dayton 68 (OT)
The parallels between this Saint Joe’s team and 2019 SLU are beginning to grow more and more clear by the minute.
— West Pine Bills (@WestPineBills) March 15, 2025
Both teams picked highly in preseason A-10 polls, but disappointed on their way to a 6 seed despite a ton of talent. Will SJU have the same tournament outcome???
The conference saved its best for last, as St. Joe’s had an early 15-point lead and blew it before sending the game into OT. They were able to maintain the composure to outlast the Flyers in extra time, thanks to Erik Reynolds and Xzaivier Brown, each scoring 20+ points to lead the Hawks. For Dayton, they were a safe at-large prospect for the Big Dance in the non-con but never looked the part in A-10 play. Now, they aren’t even in the final four.
This leaves us with four teams left for one bid, though VCU still has at-large hopes. They face the Loyola Ramblers in the first semifinal game, followed by new Cinderella St. Joe’s taking on George Mason.