Saturday, November 7, 2009
2009-10 Atlantic-10 Preview
Who Said They’re Mid-Majors?
In college basketball two words separate the big guys from the little guys: power conference.
The Big East, Big 12, SEC, etc. round out the big boys in D-1 basketball, while little ole’ conferences like the Horizon League, the Missouri Valley Conference and the West Coast Conference are just praying for a conference title to guarantee them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Meet the only conference today that you’ll find hanging in the middle between those two groups: the Atlantic-10.
Although the last two years we haven’t seen it, the A-10 is almost always expected to have a squad busting through the Sweet-16 or beyond in a several year reign.
From the late ‘90s into 2001 it was Temple, and in 2001-’04 it was St. Josephs’s. Since that time it’s been the Xavier Musketeers that have captured the imagination of the college basketball world.
Enter the newest reign that will be making the newest noise in the A-10 and NCAA Tournaments: the Dayton Flyers.
Led by forward Chris Wright, who has the potential to be one of the better frontcourt studs in the conference, the Flyers will bring one of the more explosive packages in the country with Marcus Johnson, who was second in scoring at 11.8 points per game last season, lining up aside Wright.
Four starters, including Wright, return from a Flyers team that went 27-8 last season, including their 11 over 6 upset of West Virginia in the 2008-09 NCAA Tournament.
This is a team that has the best potential to reach their first Elite-Eight appearance since 1984, and is PSR’s 2009-10 A-10 champs.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
The contenders: (in their order of finish).
2. Xavier- Sean Miller is out as coach, but that doesn’t mean the dynamic guard duo of Jordan Crawford and Dante Jackson won’t have room to shine.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
3. La Salle- Forward Yves Mekongo is one of the more versatile forwards in the country. He brings a complete package to a team with every starter returning.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT/CBI
4. Duquesne- Aaron Jackson is a big loss, but with Melquan Boulding and Eric Evans leading the way, the Dukes won’t miss much of a step.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT/CBI
5. Richmond- Guard Kevin Anderson will lead this run-and-gun unit to a possible run in the A-10 tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT/CBI
6. Saint Louis- With four returning starters back, Coach Rick Majerus has arguably one of his best squads since taking over the reigns at Saint Louis.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT/CBI
7. Temple- With Dionte Christmas out, Lavoy Allen is the nucleus to the Owls this season. A possible lottery pick, Allen and sharp shooting guard Juan Fernandez rounds out a solid front court that could lead the Owls back to the A-10 championship.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NONE
The rest:
8. Charlotte
9. Massachusetts
10. Rhode Island
11. Saint Joseph’s
12. George Washington
13. St. Bonaventure’s
14. Fordham
In college basketball two words separate the big guys from the little guys: power conference.
The Big East, Big 12, SEC, etc. round out the big boys in D-1 basketball, while little ole’ conferences like the Horizon League, the Missouri Valley Conference and the West Coast Conference are just praying for a conference title to guarantee them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Meet the only conference today that you’ll find hanging in the middle between those two groups: the Atlantic-10.
Although the last two years we haven’t seen it, the A-10 is almost always expected to have a squad busting through the Sweet-16 or beyond in a several year reign.
From the late ‘90s into 2001 it was Temple, and in 2001-’04 it was St. Josephs’s. Since that time it’s been the Xavier Musketeers that have captured the imagination of the college basketball world.
Enter the newest reign that will be making the newest noise in the A-10 and NCAA Tournaments: the Dayton Flyers.
Led by forward Chris Wright, who has the potential to be one of the better frontcourt studs in the conference, the Flyers will bring one of the more explosive packages in the country with Marcus Johnson, who was second in scoring at 11.8 points per game last season, lining up aside Wright.
Four starters, including Wright, return from a Flyers team that went 27-8 last season, including their 11 over 6 upset of West Virginia in the 2008-09 NCAA Tournament.
This is a team that has the best potential to reach their first Elite-Eight appearance since 1984, and is PSR’s 2009-10 A-10 champs.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
The contenders: (in their order of finish).
2. Xavier- Sean Miller is out as coach, but that doesn’t mean the dynamic guard duo of Jordan Crawford and Dante Jackson won’t have room to shine.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
3. La Salle- Forward Yves Mekongo is one of the more versatile forwards in the country. He brings a complete package to a team with every starter returning.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT/CBI
4. Duquesne- Aaron Jackson is a big loss, but with Melquan Boulding and Eric Evans leading the way, the Dukes won’t miss much of a step.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT/CBI
5. Richmond- Guard Kevin Anderson will lead this run-and-gun unit to a possible run in the A-10 tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT/CBI
6. Saint Louis- With four returning starters back, Coach Rick Majerus has arguably one of his best squads since taking over the reigns at Saint Louis.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT/CBI
7. Temple- With Dionte Christmas out, Lavoy Allen is the nucleus to the Owls this season. A possible lottery pick, Allen and sharp shooting guard Juan Fernandez rounds out a solid front court that could lead the Owls back to the A-10 championship.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NONE
The rest:
8. Charlotte
9. Massachusetts
10. Rhode Island
11. Saint Joseph’s
12. George Washington
13. St. Bonaventure’s
14. Fordham
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