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2018 Atlantic 10 conference tournament preview (March 7-11)

03/07/2018, 11:45am EST
By Austin Petolillo

Saint Joseph's senior James Demery (above) and the Hawks enter the A-10 tourney as the No. 4 seed. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Austin Petolillo (@AustinPSports)
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The Atlantic 10 was a two-headed race this season between Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure with Rhode Island capturing the regular season title.

The Rams and the Bonnies were picked to finish first and second, respectively, in the preseason poll voted on by the leagues head coaches and select media members.

After being picked to finish sixth in the preseason, Davidson jumped up to the No. 3 spot in the final standings and St. Joe’s placed in fourth after being picked to finish third.

Spots four through twelve has been a logjam all year long as four teams finished tied for fifth at 9-9, and three teams finished tied for tenth at 7-11, including the La Salle Explorers who finished as the No. 12 seed in the 14-team league.

The most surprising fall this year in the A-10 was VCU. After being selected to finish fourth in the preseason poll, the Rams fell all the way down to the eighth spot in the league.

Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure are the two clear cut favorites to win the tournament but teams like Davidson, St. Joe’s and even VCU can sneak in and snatch the tournament title away from those two teams, which should set up a very fun tournament in Washington D.C. this week.

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Here’s a look at the rest of the Atlantic 10 Tournament:

Favorites

Rhode Island: The only ranked team in the conference (25), Rhode Island comes into the tournament struggling a little bit, losing three of its last five games. It could have been four had the Rams not narrowly escaped La Salle in overtime. Led by 2018 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Dan Hurley, the Rams bring a mixture of talent and experience to the floor as they’re looking to win back-to-back Atlantic 10 tournaments. First team All-Atlantic 10 player Jared Terrell comes in as the team's leading scorer, averaging 17.8 ppg.

St. Bonaventure: Winners of 12 straight, the Bonnies are without a doubt the hottest team in the conference, which is always good come tournament time. Guards Jaylen Adams (20.5 ppg) and Matt Mobley (18.2 ppg) lead the charge for the Bonnies as both are the teams top two leading scorers. Adams took home Co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors while both Adams and Mobley were named to the first team All-Atlantic 10.

Contenders

Davidson: Bob McKillop’s group comes into the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and for good reason. The Wildcats boast a three headed monster of Co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Peyton Aldridge (21.3 ppg), Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, Kellan Grady (17.9 ppg) and guard Jon Axel Gudmundsson (13.4 ppg). With this group of talent, the Wildcats can cause some problems for any team that they could run into.

Saint Joseph’s: Heading into this season, St. Joe’s was supposed to be one of the top four teams in the Atlantic 10 but just like last season, it looked as if injuries were going to derail the Hawks' season. Starters LaMarr Kimble and Charlie Brown all missed the season with their injuries, but the Hawks overcame the injuries and ended up securing the No. 4 seed in the Atlantic 10 tournament. Led by second team All-Atlantic 10 member Shavar Newkirk (17.6 ppg) and third team All-Atlantic 10 member James Demery (17.2 ppg), the Hawks could make some noise this week.

Dark Horse

VCU: For a program with a rich postseason history for the past ten years, it’s hard to believe that VCU would be a dark horse team in a conference tournament. The Rams come into the Atlantic 10 Tournament as the No. 8 seed, where they’ll play the No. 9 seed Dayton on Thursday at noon. Led by first team All-Atlantic 10 selection Justin Tillman, the Rams feature one of the best players in the conference. Averaging 18.9 ppg and 9.7 rpg, Tillman brings intensity to the Rams frontcourt.

Players to Watch

Jaylen Adams (Sr./St. Bonaventure): Perhaps the most NBA-ready prospect in the league, Adams has been projected as a mid second round pick in 2018 mock drafts. Adams took home co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors after he averaged 20.5 ppg while shooting 46 percent from the field.

Peyton Aldridge (Sr./Davidson): Adams shares his Player of the Year award with the 6-foot-8 Aldridge as Aldridge was just as impressive as Adams was. Aldridge led the Wildcats to a 13-5 conference record and an 18-11 overall record as he averaged 21.8 ppg and 7.8 rpg.

Jared Terrell (Sr./Rhode Island): Terrell was the clear cut best player on the Rams this season after averaging 17.8 ppg for a Rhode Island team destined to make some noise this month.

Justin Tillman (Sr./VCU): One of the best defenders in the league in the post, Tillman is the heart and soul of VCU both on offense and on defense. Tillman nearly averaged a double-double with 18.9 ppg and 9.7 rpg.

B.J. Johnson (Sr./La Salle): Perhaps one of the best all-around players in the league, the 6-foot-7 Johnson averaged 20.9 ppg and 8.5 rpg for the Explorers.

Otis Livingston II (Jr./George Mason): Livingston is one of the better pure point guards in the Atlantic 10 as he can score it in bunches and dish it out as well. Livingston II finished the year averaging 17.5 ppg, 4.5 apg and 3.4 rpg, not too shabby for someone who is 5-foot-11.


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