Thoughts on the A-10

BIAH contributor Ray Floriani was on hand in Atlantic City for the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament. Here are some of his thoughts...

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Each year there is an obligatory trip down the Garden State Parkway to Atlantic ‘Always turned on’ City and the Atlantic Ten Tournament. This year it was Friday’s quarterfinals at Boardwalk Hall. A few observations….



1. The Big East is marquee programs, the history and tradition of MSG mix in with the glamour of celebrities and notables, Bill Clinton, Spike Lee and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie just to name a few. The A-10 provides us with strong programs in arguably the best non-BCS conference in the land. The atmosphere at the Big East can be corporate at times but at the A-10 it is different. Like being around close friends you haven’t seen in awhile.

2. Unless you are on the opposing bench, you sit back and marvel at the simplicity and execution of Temple. They epitomize the late Al McGuire’s ‘K.I.S.S.’ philosophy - ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’. Juan Fernandez buries threes. Come out and play him and he finds teammates like Lavoy Allen in the paint. In the 69-51 win over St.Bonaventure the Owls had 18 assists on their 30 field goals. That’s 60% of their field goals assisted and that’s great ball movement and unselfishness.

3. Speaking of St.Bonaventure, their stay was not long but getting to AC was progress. Bonnies defeated Duquesne in the first round. It was the first quarterfinal appearance for Bonaventure since 2002 and further validation of the great job Mark Schmidt is doing in Olean.

4. Game of the day? On paper it was Xavier-Dayton. Two intense rivals. Close in geography but no love lost between. The pair split during the regular season and Dayton desperately needed this to keep NCAA tournament hopes alive. The game did not disappoint. In an intense, fast paced and physical contest, Xavier rallied from 15 down with just under 12 minutes to play to post a 78-73 victory. Credit Xavier‘s Jordan Crawford (20 points) and Terrell Halloway (22 points) for doing appreciable damage during the late run.


5. Rhode Island, another team fighting for its collective NCAA life, posted a convincing win over St. Louis. Rick Majerus’s club normally dictates the action through a succession of well oiled offensive sets. URI took St. Louis out of anything they tried to run, beat them on the boards 38-26 and forced 13 Billiken turnovers. A complete victory that began with defense.

6. UMass made a late run but Richmond triumphed 77-72. Spiders put five players in double figures and Chris Mooney’s club is another one that is very difficult to guard. Especially with A-10 Player of the Year Kevin Anderson.

6A. Best cheerleading group - St. Louis - Don’t believe me ? Check the picture.



Postscript: The committee was not too kind with the A-10. Dayton figured their chances were gone after the Xavier loss but having Jim Baron’s Rhode Island club left off the board was a setback. Even the draw is not the best, with Richmond facing a dangerous St. Mary’s team. Worse was Temple. Conference co-champions, A-10 post season tournament titlists, and 29 wins. The reward? Fifth seed and a very tough opening round draw in Cornell. Xavier has a Minnesota team that was defeated by Ohio State in the Big Ten finals and could be very dangerous.