Snipe
01-26-2008, 08:48 AM
Atlantic 10 Conference
Locks: Xavier
Teams that should be in: Dayton
Work left to do: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's, Temple, Duquesne, Charlotte
Xavier is still the cream of the crop in the A-10. Dayton still looks solid. UMass' computer profile is maybe (might be) better than Rhode Island's, but the Rams are the better team at the moment. Keep an eye on Charlotte, Saint Joe's and Temple as the next tier starts making an NCAA push.
Should be in:
Dayton [14-3 (2-2), RPI: 15, SOS: 26] The complete flop at Xavier, despite other teams having similar trouble with the Musketeers, pushes Dayton's overall profile back a notch. The Flyers are still well positioned, but is Chris Wright's absence starting to weigh on them? Dayton has two outstanding nonconference wins -- at Louisville and versus Pitt -- but it's worth noting that Louisville was banged up and struggling while Pitt lost Levance Fields early in that Dayton game. The Flyers also have several other solid nonconference wins and an overall profile that's still good. Upcoming games at Richmond and against Saint Louis aren't gimmes.
Work left to do:
Massachusetts [13-5 (2-2), RPI: 18, SOS: 17] UMass got swept by Saint Joseph's on Wednesday night in what could be a very big bubble situation. UMass has won at Dayton and also beat Charlotte, so it has had a strong schedule to start league play. It doesn't get any easier with Xavier coming in Sunday and then a trip to Duquesne after that. Like Rhode Island, UMass beat Syracuse. Unlike the Rams, the Minutemen also beat BC and Houston in nonconference play.
Rhode Island [16-3 (2-2), RPI: 23, SOS: 139] The Rams rebounded from a frustrating loss at Saint Louis by staving off George Washington. They have two games they should win -- at St. Bona and home to Richmond -- before a shot at revenge against Dayton. Nonconference wins over Syracuse and Providence will help, but will the Rams rue letting one get away at BC? They still have a solid RPI despite a questionable SOS.
Saint Joseph's [11-5 (3-1), RPI: 46, SOS: 87] After a frustrating loss at Charlotte, the Hawks came out and destroyed city rival Penn and then finished off a sweep of UMass that could be a large chip come Selection Sunday. Saint Joe's has one of the toughest collection of nonleague L's in the land. Two were in OT (vs. Gonzaga and at Creighton) and two others were last-possession defeats (at Syracuse and vs. Holy Cross). The back half of the league slate is very difficult, so the 3-1 start is important. The Hawks need to keep grabbing wins when they are available.
Temple [9-8 (2-1), RPI: 52, SOS: 3] You have to take a look at the Owls as the profile continues to improve. They'll need a great run in A-10 play to make up for a nonconference slate devoid of a big win and littered with seven losses, but this is a dangerous team that's playing better. The Owls have a big game against Saint Joe's this Saturday.
Duquesne [12-5 (2-2), RPI: 63, SOS: 124] The Dukes handled St. Bona at home after a one-point loss at Fordham to stay on the periphery. The next three -- home to GW and UMass and then at St. Bona -- are all winnable. The Dukes don't have any great wins or bad losses right now. The nonconference defeats are at Drake by four, to Pitt (when fully healthy) by five and at West Virginia, where they got rocked, but so do most teams when visiting Morgantown.
Charlotte [12-6 (3-1), RPI: 77, SOS: 108] After a tough loss at UMass, the 49ers beat La Salle on the road and now get Fordham and Richmond at home the next two Saturdays before a trip to Dayton. The up-and-down nonconference performance is why the RPI is where it is. Wins over Clemson, Wake Forest, Davidson and Southern Illinois are offset by a series of losses that run the gamut from Maryland to Tulsa to Hofstra to Monmouth.
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The last Bracketology was 1/21
5 Dayton
6 Xavier
9 URI
9 UMass
Should be a new one out monday.
Today's A-10 Slate:
St. Louis @ LaSalle (-2.5) 2 pm
St. Joes (-1.5) @ Temple 6 pm (ESPNU)
URI (-11) @ SBU 7 pm
Dayton (-4.5) @ Richmond 7 pm
GW @ Duquesne (-11) 7 pm
Fordham @ Charlotte (-8) 7 pm
The biggest games of league consequense are SJU/Temple and UD/Richmond.
I am rooting for SLU, SJU, URI, UD, Duquesne, and Charlotte.
Locks: Xavier
Teams that should be in: Dayton
Work left to do: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's, Temple, Duquesne, Charlotte
Xavier is still the cream of the crop in the A-10. Dayton still looks solid. UMass' computer profile is maybe (might be) better than Rhode Island's, but the Rams are the better team at the moment. Keep an eye on Charlotte, Saint Joe's and Temple as the next tier starts making an NCAA push.
Should be in:
Dayton [14-3 (2-2), RPI: 15, SOS: 26] The complete flop at Xavier, despite other teams having similar trouble with the Musketeers, pushes Dayton's overall profile back a notch. The Flyers are still well positioned, but is Chris Wright's absence starting to weigh on them? Dayton has two outstanding nonconference wins -- at Louisville and versus Pitt -- but it's worth noting that Louisville was banged up and struggling while Pitt lost Levance Fields early in that Dayton game. The Flyers also have several other solid nonconference wins and an overall profile that's still good. Upcoming games at Richmond and against Saint Louis aren't gimmes.
Work left to do:
Massachusetts [13-5 (2-2), RPI: 18, SOS: 17] UMass got swept by Saint Joseph's on Wednesday night in what could be a very big bubble situation. UMass has won at Dayton and also beat Charlotte, so it has had a strong schedule to start league play. It doesn't get any easier with Xavier coming in Sunday and then a trip to Duquesne after that. Like Rhode Island, UMass beat Syracuse. Unlike the Rams, the Minutemen also beat BC and Houston in nonconference play.
Rhode Island [16-3 (2-2), RPI: 23, SOS: 139] The Rams rebounded from a frustrating loss at Saint Louis by staving off George Washington. They have two games they should win -- at St. Bona and home to Richmond -- before a shot at revenge against Dayton. Nonconference wins over Syracuse and Providence will help, but will the Rams rue letting one get away at BC? They still have a solid RPI despite a questionable SOS.
Saint Joseph's [11-5 (3-1), RPI: 46, SOS: 87] After a frustrating loss at Charlotte, the Hawks came out and destroyed city rival Penn and then finished off a sweep of UMass that could be a large chip come Selection Sunday. Saint Joe's has one of the toughest collection of nonleague L's in the land. Two were in OT (vs. Gonzaga and at Creighton) and two others were last-possession defeats (at Syracuse and vs. Holy Cross). The back half of the league slate is very difficult, so the 3-1 start is important. The Hawks need to keep grabbing wins when they are available.
Temple [9-8 (2-1), RPI: 52, SOS: 3] You have to take a look at the Owls as the profile continues to improve. They'll need a great run in A-10 play to make up for a nonconference slate devoid of a big win and littered with seven losses, but this is a dangerous team that's playing better. The Owls have a big game against Saint Joe's this Saturday.
Duquesne [12-5 (2-2), RPI: 63, SOS: 124] The Dukes handled St. Bona at home after a one-point loss at Fordham to stay on the periphery. The next three -- home to GW and UMass and then at St. Bona -- are all winnable. The Dukes don't have any great wins or bad losses right now. The nonconference defeats are at Drake by four, to Pitt (when fully healthy) by five and at West Virginia, where they got rocked, but so do most teams when visiting Morgantown.
Charlotte [12-6 (3-1), RPI: 77, SOS: 108] After a tough loss at UMass, the 49ers beat La Salle on the road and now get Fordham and Richmond at home the next two Saturdays before a trip to Dayton. The up-and-down nonconference performance is why the RPI is where it is. Wins over Clemson, Wake Forest, Davidson and Southern Illinois are offset by a series of losses that run the gamut from Maryland to Tulsa to Hofstra to Monmouth.
--------------------------------------------------------
The last Bracketology was 1/21
5 Dayton
6 Xavier
9 URI
9 UMass
Should be a new one out monday.
Today's A-10 Slate:
St. Louis @ LaSalle (-2.5) 2 pm
St. Joes (-1.5) @ Temple 6 pm (ESPNU)
URI (-11) @ SBU 7 pm
Dayton (-4.5) @ Richmond 7 pm
GW @ Duquesne (-11) 7 pm
Fordham @ Charlotte (-8) 7 pm
The biggest games of league consequense are SJU/Temple and UD/Richmond.
I am rooting for SLU, SJU, URI, UD, Duquesne, and Charlotte.