2008 Woodie Awards
Setting the Atlantic 10 field
Team-by-team breakdowns and all the matchups
Anthony Calabro '08 & Matthew De George '10
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Sports
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The 49ers have won three straight heading into their first round game against Rhode Island. Mack has averaged 19.5 points per game in his last seven. Goldwire, a 3rd team All-Conference selection, has been the leader for the 49ers all season. He went off for 34 in his last game at URI. Goldwire has the offensive game to score 30 on any opponent on any given night, and can single-handedly win games as he has done already this season. Goldwire had a season high 39 against St. Bonaventure and 34 against Xavier this season. He is a natural scorer who has dropped over 100 three-pointers this season. On the year, he is shooting 34 percent from long range. If there is a weakness in his game, it is that he is prone to turnovers on the offensive end. On the year, he averages more turnovers than assists.
The 49ers went 2-6 in February, which dropped them out of contention for the A-10 crown. They have recovered nicely in March going 3-0 and look to maintain that momentum heading into the A-10 tournament.
The Dayton Flyers were a nationally-ranked team in the early portions of the college basketball season. They, along with Xavier, looked to be the powerhouses in the wide open A-10. Xavier has proved to be the real deal. The Flyers have not.
After winning 13 straight games, Dayton lost eight of their next 11 to fall out of the Top 25. The Flyers even fell off the map in their own conference, falling to the eighth spot in the A-10. The start of their slide may be attributed to the loss of second-leading scorer Chris Wright, a freshman who scores 10.4 points per game, and Charles Little, a junior who averages 8.2 points per game. While Little has returned to add stability to the lineup, Wright still has not returned.
The Flyers, like the beginning of their season, have finished strong at the end. They have won three straight, including a nice win over St. Joe's that got them to the all-important 20-win mark and 8-8 in the A-10. Their first-round game is a winnable matchup against Saint Louis, whom they've beaten twice. If they have Big Dance aspirations, they will have to take down Xavier in a possible second-round game. At the least, they should still lock up an NIT bid.
Senior guard Brian Roberts, a 1st team All-Conference selection, has had a great season for the Flyers, averaging 19 points per game while shooting a career high 46 percent from three-point range. In his last eight contests, Roberts has averaged 20 points per game. Sophomore guard Marcus Johnson has come on strong as of late, averaging 13 points per game in their last three, all victories for the Flyers.
Do not count out the Flyers in Atlantic City. Let's not forget this is the same team that beat Louisville on the road and blew out Pittsburgh by 25. They have talent, and while the Flyers have been up and down all year, they seem to be peaking at just the right time.
It has been an impressive year for the Duquesne Dukes. They led the A-10 in offense this year, averaging 82 points per game. They have seven players averaging eight or more points and have reached triple-digits on a few occasions. The Dukes have four guards that average nine points per game, led by junior Kojo Mensa, who averages 12.5 a game.
However, the Dukes have collapsed at the wrong time. They had recently lost five straight games games before finally blowing out Saint Louis in the last game of the season.
Duquesne is the quintessential hot-and-cold team. They started the season winners of six straight games before losing three straight. Following that losing streak, they went on a five-game winning streak. In February, the Dukes won three straight contests only to follow that up by losing five more games in the end of February and the beginning of March.
It is difficult to determine which team will show up during the tournament. If the Dukes come out hot in their first game in Atlantic City, the rest of the conference had better watch out because they have the ability to stay hot for long periods of time. As odd is this may sound, the Dukes may actually be suited for playing four games in a row. They have a deep team that can score and remain hot. They may also choose not to play defense and lose their first game. That is why it seems the Dukes can be the wild card of the tournament this season.
Which team will show up for the Dukes? The team that put up 102 on a St. Joe's team that prides themselves on defense, or the team that put up only 48 in a blowout loss to Xavier? The answer may be in how they fair in the hustle stats, as they lead the conference in steals and blocked shots, and are near the top in rebounding.
The Fordham Rams are not expected to make any sort of run in the A-10 Tournament. With a 12-16 overall record, and a 6-10 conference record, the Rams are going to need some March Madness miracles in order to make any sort of noise in Atlantic City.
The Rams do have a versatile senior power forward in Bryant Dunston. Dunston, listed at 6'8, 233 pounds, can be a beast inside and cause matchup problems in the paint. Averaging double figures in points in each of his four years at Fordham, Dunston is the leader on the floor for the Rams and is a 2nd team All-Conference selection. This season may be his finest, as he is averaging 15.5 points and 10 rebounds a contest. He also averages two assists and an impressive 2.5 blocks per game.
Complementing Dunston is senior guard Marcus Stout. Stout is also averaging 15 points per game. His offensive game is based on his ability to hit the three-pointer. He averages a respectable 35 percent from long range. He exploded for 31 points against Temple in a 78-76 win in late February and could go off again in the tournament.
Dunston and Stout will have to play the best basketball of their careers if the Rams expect to win games in Atlantic City. Their first round draw against Saint Joseph's is a tough task, after the Hawks easily dispatched them in their meeting this year. Stout will be especially important, as his ability to hit threes may be vital against St. Joe's erratic perimeter defense.
The La Salle Explorers may have peaked too early. They won five straight games in a two-week span from Feb. 13 to Feb. 27, highlighted by a one-point victory over St. Joe's at the Palestra. March has been far less kind to the Explorers who, following their five-game winning streak, have lost three straight games, including two straight blowout losses to UMass on the road and a disappointing 19-point defeat to Temple at home.
The hot shooting that was key to their victories during their five-game winning streak has all but disappeared. During their winning streak, they averaged 83 points a contest; in their three straight defeats, they have averaged only 71. The Explorers still have a chance to bounce back against Duquesne in the first round of the tournament after splitting the season series with each winning on the road.
Expect guards Darnell Harris and Rodney Green to do the bulk of the scoring for the Explorers, whose strength is in their backcourt play. Hawks' fans may remember Harris' performance at the Palestra where he put up 21 points, including five three-pointers.
La Salle is going to need Harris, a 2nd team All-Conference selection to continue his impressive play if they want to win games in Atlantic City. With a good showing in Atlantic City, the Explorers may get to play postseason basketball in the NIT.
The Massachusetts Minutemen are one of the hottest teams in the Atlantic 10 heading to Atlantic City. After a tough stretch of games in late January and early February, UMass has come on strong down the stretch, winning their last six games to earn the third seed and a first-round bye. As a result, the Minutemen are able to avoid matching up with top-seeded Xavier until the final. Their first game comes against the winner of Charlotte and Rhode Island, against whom they are a combined 3-0.
The Minutemen will be looking toward their veterans to lead the way, most notably seniors Gary Forbes, Etienne Brower, and Dante Milligan. Forbes is the A-10 Player of the Year and is the co-scoring leader, averaging 20.3 points per game. Brower, recently inserted into the starting lineup, will also have to take on a large part of the scoring load and must stay out of foul trouble. Sophomore Ricky Harris will also have to continue to put up numbers like he has all season, as he averaged 18.1 ppg. A team that likes to run and gun, the Minutemen will also have to play some defense, but they can control the tempo of games and force other teams to play at their breakneck pace.
Massachusetts may have as much riding on their performance in the conference tournament as any team. They have some work to do to shore up a spot in the NCAA Tournament; reaching the finals may be enough to guarantee an at-large bid. They probably have done enough at this point to guarantee an NIT appearance.
Rhode Island enters the conference tournament in an absolute free-fall. After starting the year 20-4, they have dropped seven of their last eight games and fell all the way to 11th place in the conference standings. Once a likely participant in the Big Dance, they now look unlikely to be playing any postseason basketball, barring a deep run in Atlantic City.
To make matters worse, they have a tough draw in the A-10 tourney, facing off against Charlotte in the first round. The 49ers were the latest team to pile on to the Rams' misery with a 74-64 win in the season finale that saw Charlotte's Goldwire drain 34 points.
During their hot start to the season, Rhode Island was able to compensate for a mediocre defense by putting up big point totals and preferred to play games in the 80s and 90s. Their offense has sputtered down the stretch and has not been able to cover their defensive shortcomings. The schedule looks even worse for URI considering that they will be faced with teams who can put up points in bunches.
Leading the way for the Rams is a pair of seniors, Will Daniels and Parfait Bitee, who are averaging 18.1 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. The real burden will be on Jimmy Baron to regain his shooting touch. He is averaging 13.9 ppg, but his point production has dropped during their losing run to just eight per game on just 14-56 (25 percent) shooting.
The Richmond Spiders may be the surprise team in the A-10 this year. With an inauspicious out-of-conference schedule, including losses to the likes of Norfolk State and University of Maryland-Baltimore County, the Spiders have not entered into many people's postseason conversations at 16-13 overall. Despite that, they have quietly snuck into the fourth spot in the conference after a 9-7 season. For their efforts, they earned a first-round bye and await the winner of Saint Joseph's and Fordham.
The Spiders have not been spectacular in conference play, but they have been solid. They have not strung together more than two straight wins in the A-10, but they have also not lost consecutive games in conference. They also finished a very respectable 4-4 in conference games away from home.
Richmond's main offensive threat is forward and Third Team All-Conference selection Dan Geriot, who averages 14.2 points per game. Despite the big man being the leading scorer, Richmond, who are 12th in the conference in scoring, are a guard-heavy team, led by David Gonzalez and Kevin Anderson, who each average double-figure points. Their hallmark is defense-they're fourth in the conference in scoring defense-and prefer to play games in the 50s and 60s. They are last in the conference in rebounding, however, and will have to improve in that area if they hope to progress.
A decent showing (a win, preferably against St. Joe's, and a good effort in their second game, presumably against Xavier) should be enough to ensure they qualify for the NIT field.
St. Louis may be the most enigmatic team in a conference that has been hard to figure out all season. They hit the low point early on by scoring 20 points, the lowest ever point total in the shot clock era, against a George Washington team that failed to qualify for the conference tournament in 13th place. They sputtered a bit down the stretch, losing three of their last four, but the one victory came at St. Joe's on national television.
They face a tough slate in the A-10 tournament as the ninth seed, having to face Dayton for the right to play top-seeded Xavier. Dayton may not be the worst matchup for the Billikens, though, as both teams prefer to play a slower paced, half-court game in the 50s and 60s. Such a game is conducive for Billikens, who rank first in the conference in scoring defense, but last in scoring offense.
The driving force behind St. Louis' offense is the veteran backcourt tandem of Kevin Lisch and Tommie Liddell III, who average 14.7 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. The question is not what the Billikens will get from those two, it is what they will get from the frontcourt to support the guards.
The postseason prospects for St. Louis look bleak, with a 16-14 overall record and poor RPI. They are in a position where they would have to win the Tournament to secure the automatic bid. A deep run in the conference may not be enough to secure an NIT appearance, as their style of play is not what the NIT typically looks for.
The Temple Owls are certainly one of the dark horses in the competition for an A-10 Championship. Despite being a second seed, the Owls have been somewhat quiet and have garnered little attention as a possible NCAA Tournament team, unlike some of the teams behind them in the conference standings.
Temple, much like fellow top team Massachusetts, likes to play a fast-paced game. Their veteran leaders, Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale, will have to push the ball and shoulder most of the scoring load, as they average 20.3 and 16.1 ppg, respectively. Both the tall, slashing guards earned All-Conference honors, with Christmas on the First Team and Tyndale on the Second Team. The Owls have a pretty good idea what they will get out of that tandem each night, and it might be the role players down low who decide their fate. Sergio Olmos and All-Rookie selection Lavoy Allen, who combine for 13.7 points per game, must step up, both offensively and in controlling the glass.
The Owls probably would need to win the A-10 tourney in order to make the Field of 65. They are coming in on a four game-winning streak, and have victories over Massachusetts and Xavier. At the least, they have done enough so far to secure a bid in the NIT.
The Xavier Musketeers rolled through the A-10 slate this year, going 14-2 in conference and winning the regular season title by three games. Overall, No. 10 ranked Xavier has won 18 of their last 20 games, attaining a record of 26-5 against strong competition.
The Musketeers' biggest strength is their offensive balance. Xavier boasts six players who score between 11.6 and 9.9 points per game. Their two highest scorers, A-10 Sixth Man of the Year Josh Duncan and sharpshooter B.J. Raymond, are not even in the starting lineup. Five different players have led the team in scoring in games this year.
Xavier also boasts the second-best team defense in the conference, surrendering 62.3 points per game and recently held Duquesne's high-scoring offense to 48 points. Senior guard Stanley Burrell, the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, has been the team's stopper, effectively shutting down opposing team's main scoring threat, such as Indiana's Eric Gordon, Tennessee's Chris Lofton, and a veritable who's who of high-scoring guards around the nation.
A-10 Coach of the Year Sean Miller has struggled of late to find a way to continue the early-season dominance despite starting point guard and offensive catalyst Drew Lavender's sprained ankle. Lavender, who did not play in the season finale on March 8 against Richmond, has had his playing time and effectiveness limited significantly over the last month. Burrell and freshman Dante' Jackson have had to shoulder the point guard load in Lavender's diminished playing time. Lavender's health is Xavier's biggest question mark heading into postseason play.
Xavier should be the favorite for the tournament not only because of their regular season success but also due to the fact that the tournament is no longer played in Philadelphia. Xavier's only two conference losses have come on trips to Temple and St. Joe's.
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