Atlantic 10 Tournament 2016: Bracket, Schedule and Championship Odds

Considering how well these teams have done in the NCAA tournament in the past, it's best not to overlook anyone competing in the 2016 Atlantic 10 tournament.

While not many squads look like Final Four teams on paper, the league could get up to five teams in the Big Dance. From there, anything can happen, as we have seen in the past. La Salle and Dayton have reached the tournament's second weekend as double-digit seeds, while George Mason and VCU have their place in history as Cinderella stories.

If one of these teams gains momentum during the week in Brooklyn, New York, it can keep it up with a strong showing throughout March. If you want to have the most accurate bracket possible, you should follow along with this underrated conference tournament.

Schedule

Date	Game No.	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
March 9	1	No. 12 George Mason vs. No. 13 Saint Louis	6:30 p.m.	ASN
March 9	2	No. 11 Duquesne vs. No. 14 La Salle	9:30 p.m.	ASN
March 10	3	No. 8 Fordham vs. No. 9 Richmond	Noon	NBCSN
March 10	4	No. 5 George Washington vs. Game 1 winner	2:30 p.m.	NBCSN
March 10	5	No. 7 Rhode Island vs. No. 10 Massachusetts	6:30 p.m.	NBCSN
March 10	6	No. 6 Davidson vs. Game 2 winner	9 p.m.	NBCSN
March 11	7	No. 1 Dayton vs. Game 3 winner	Noon	NBCSN
March 11	8	No. 4 St. Joseph's vs. Game 4 winner	2:30 p.m.	NBCSN
March 11	9	No. 2 VCU vs. Game 5 winner	6:30 p.m.	NBCSN
March 11	10	No. 3 St. Bonaventure vs. Game 6 winner	9 p.m.	NBCSN
March 12	11	Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner	1:30 p.m.	CSSSN
March 12	12	Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner	4 p.m.	CBSSN
March 13	13	Championship Game	12:30 p.m.	CBS

Bracket

Odds

Team	Odds
VCU	+200
St. Joseph's	+500
Dayton	+350
George Washington	+550
St. Bonaventure	+800
Rhode Island	+900
Richmond	+1200
Davidson	+1400
Field	+3300

Preview

Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

VCU might have a different head coach, but the team hasn't been any easier to face under Will Wade than it was under Shaka Smart. The Rams still play a high-pressure defense that forces opponents to make mistakes, ranking eighth in the nation in turnover rate and fourth in steal rate, according to KenPom.com.

While some of the strategies are similar, the new coach refuses to say his team is the same as it was a year ago. Wade explained his thought process in developing the current squad, per Josh Hyber of Sporting News:

"

I think you’re a combination of all your experiences. You take all those and combine them and put your own twist on them. You’ve got to be yourself. I’m not coach Purnell. I’m not coach Amaker. I’m not coach Smart. I’m Will Wade. But each of those guys' stamps is on our program.

"

A win over Dayton on the final day of the regular season could have given VCU an outright Atlantic 10 title, but instead the squad will have to settle for a shared championship with Dayton and St. Bonaventure. This could end up being important because despite the strong year in conference play, the Rams do not have a spot in the NCAA tournament secured.

The same could be said about a few other teams in this league. George Washington has wins over Virginia and Seton Hall, but both came early in the year. Since then, the Colonials haven't done much to separate themselves from the pack.

St. Bonaventure is also on the bubble, although it seems like Marcus Posley is going to do whatever it takes to get his team in the field of 68. The guard averaged 19.3 points per game this season and is one of three players on the Bonnies to average at least 16 points per game. However, he raised his game toward the end of the year, helping the team win 10 of its last 11 games.

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Most notably, Posley put up an incredible 47 points on 15-of-19 shooting from the field in a win over St. Joseph's. Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post had high praise for the guard:

If Posley can keep up his recent play and get more help from Jaylen Adams and Dion Wright, St. Bonaventure could be a serious threat both in the Atlantic 10 tournament and the NCAA tournament.

St. Joseph's also will hope to get an at-large bid on Selection Sunday, although the only real safe team in the conference might be Dayton. The Flyers are one of the few teams in college basketball that have proved themselves time and again away from home, going 10-3 in road and neutral games. This includes victories over Iowa, Vanderbilt, Monmouth and others.

Even if it falls short early in Brooklyn, Dayton will almost certainly be dancing.

Still, the lack of certainty surrounding the rest of the conference will keep things exciting. The desperation could lead to some great games and some high-effort battles in each round. All of these teams also know a tournament title leads to an automatic bid and a more relaxing Selection Sunday.

This league is balanced at the top, and a few bounces one way or another can be the difference in a conference championship. While there might not be many household names on the rosters, the action will be as good as any in the nation this week. 

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.