NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: The Atlantic 10

The Atlantic 10 Conference is probably the most difficult to figure out.  When Selection Sunday occurs on March 16th, it is entirely possible that only one team will receive a bid. 

Early in the year, the Atlantic 10 was everyone’s darling with UMass, Rhode Island and Dayton making a splash by defeating teams from the power conferences.  Now, Rhode Island, UMass and Dayton are all on the cusp of missing the NCAA Tournament.  What happened? 

The Atlantic 10 Tournament will most likely be the most competitive out of all the conference tournaments.  Can one of the bubble teams: UMass, Rhode Island, Temple, Saint Louis, Richmond or Dayton knock-off Xavier?

I) In the NCAA Tournament

Xavier: 26-5, 14-2 in conference,  #6 RPI (last week #6), #9 AP

Xavier is the cream of the crop in the Atlantic 10.  They have nearly gone unscathed in a competitive conference.  Xavier has won 11 in a row since losing to Temple on Jan. 16^th.
The Good: 11 wins in a row in a very competitive, underrated conference.  80-65 win over Indiana, 79-66 win over Creighton, 103-77 win over Kansas State, 108-70 win over Virginia. 
The Bad: 57-59 loss to Miami Ohio, 55-77 loss to Arizona State.
Outlook: If Xavier wins the Atlantic 10 Tournament they should be awarded with a high number two seed.

II) On the Outside Looking In

 Dayton: 20-9 overall, 8-8 in conference,  #36 RPI (llast week #35)

Dayton started off the year 14-1.  They were one of the nation’s hottest teams.  Since then, Dayton has struggle going 4-8 over their last 12 games. 
The Good:  13 straight wins.  70-65 win at Louisville, 80-55 win over Pitt.
The Bad: Dayton has lost eight games since starting the year 14-1.  A 56-67 loss to George Mason.
Outlook: Dayton needs to win their remaining conference games at St. Bonaventure and St. Josephs. This would put them at 8-8 in conference.  They have a strong RPI ranking.  They also may need to win some games in the conference tournament. Update: Dayton defeated St. Bonaventure on March 5th (78-73).

UMass: 21-9 overall, 10-6, #40 RPI (last week #39)

With their backs against the wall, UMass has won four straight games (Saint Louis, Rhode Island St. Bonaventure, Richmond).
The Good: 107-100 win @ Syracuse, 83-80 @ Boston College, 82-71 win over Dayton
The Bad:  77-89 loss to IUPUI, 68-75 Loss vs. Northern Iowa. 
Outlook

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