The Atlantic 10 tournament is going to be one of the best conference tournaments in the country. There are four to five teams that can win this tournament and I am beyond excited to see how it plays out. With two top teams battling head to head to see who was going to win the A-10 Regular season title, I really like a couple of the other teams to sneak out a conference tournament win. With that being said here are my predictions for the Atlantic 10 conference tournament.
The Betting Odds
Dayton +160
VCU +180
Saint Louis +500
Duquesne +850
Fordham +1200
Davidson +2000
George Mason +2500
George Washington +6500
St. Bonaventure +7000
Saint Joseph’s +8000
Richmond +8000
UMass +13000
La Salle +25000
Rhode Island +25000
Loyola Chicago +30000
The Bracket
Do We See Continued Dominance From Dayton and VCU?
The top two teams in the A-10 all season long have been VCU and Dayton. Dayton and VCU are the two best teams in the A-10. The Flyers allow 60.8 points per game (1st in the A-10), VCU allows 63 points per game (2nd in the A-10). Dayton is led by the duo of sophomore forward DaRon Holmes II and junior forward Toumani Camara. Holmes II averages 18 points per game to go along with 7.9 rebounds per game as well. Camara averages 13.6 points per game to go along with 8.5 rebounds per game. These two are the focal points of the offense and without them, Dayton wouldn’t be the same. They won’t wow you offensively, but with their tenacious defense, the Flyers are contenders in the A-10.
VCU is led by junior guard Adrian Baldwin Jr who averages 12.6 points per game on 41/34/81 shooting splits. The Rams will go up to at least eight deep some nights, and have guys contributing for them. They have rattled off six wins in a row and are the top seed coming into this tournament. The bad news for the Rams is that since 2011, the one seed has won the conference tournament only twice. It is like a kiss of death to be the top seed in this tournament. Can VCU break that kiss of death streak?
Is There Belief In Fordham?
The Fordham Rams put up their best season in 1990-1991. Fordham hasn’t won this many games since they were back in the Patriot league. They finished above .500 for the first time since 2015-2016. It is good to see Fordham good at basketball and it is all thanks to the duo of senior guard Darius Quisenberry and senior forward Khalid Moore. Quisenberry averages 17 points per game on a 38/33/85 shooting split. While Moore averages 15.3 points per game to go along with 6.5 rebounds per game. The Rams can thank these two for their first 25+ win season since the 1990s. However, this team isn’t finished yet. First-year head coach Keith Urgo would love to see his Fordham team in the NCAA tournament. They have a good path to get there, however will the Rams triumph their way to victory in this tournament?
The Don’s Winner
I am riding with the Fordham Rams +1200 in this one. They are poised to go on a run through the Atlantic 10 and have a good chance at winning this whole tournament. Look for Fordham to shock the world and win the automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament by representing the Atlantic 10 as their conference winner.
The Don’s Game By Game Predictions
First Round
13 UMass over 12 Richmond
10 Saint Joseph’s over 15 Loyola Chicago
11 La Salle over 14 URI
Second Round
8 Davidson over 9 St. Bonaventure
5 George Mason over 13 UMass
10 Saint Joseph’s over 6 George Washington
6 Duquesne over 11 La Salle
Quarterfinals
1 VCU over 8 Davidson
4 Saint Louis over 5 George Mason
2 Dayton over 10 Saint Joseph’s
3 Fordham over 6 Duquesne
Semifinals
4 Saint Louis over 1 VCU
3 Fordham over 2 Dayton
Finals
3 Fordham over 4 Saint Louis