2009 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/10/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Twelve of the 14 teams that make up the Atlantic 10 Conference will congregate in Atlantic City for the 2009 A-10 Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, March 11th. On the line is an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and competition will be fierce as usual.

The top four seeds have earned a bye to the quarterfinal round on Thursday. Xavier enters as the top seed and the favorite to claim the championship, and the Musketeers may be the league's only team that can feel truly secure about its NCAA Tournament at-large chances if success does not come in this event. Rhode Island, the second seed, is 22-9 overall, while third-seeded Dayton carries a 25-6 record into this event. At 25 wins, the Flyers may have done enough already as well, but don't expect the club to rest on its regular season accomplishments. Fourth-seeded Temple won this tournament a year ago, so that experience could prove invaluable. The Owls have seven A-10 tourney championships to their credit, more than any other current league member, and their 46-19 all-time record at this event is truly impressive. Of the teams seeded five through 12, UMass has the most A-10 Tournament championships with five, although the club hasn't captured the crown since 1996 and is the 10th seed in this year's event. George Washington and Fordham are the only two A-10 teams that will not participate in this four-day event.

The first of four opening-round matchups pits the eighth-seeded La Salle Explorers against the ninth-seeded Saint Louis Billikens. Neither team has ever won this tournament. Saint Louis ranks 13th of 14 A-10 teams in scoring offense at just 62.3 ppg, but the Billikens are the league's top defensive team, limiting foes to 60.6 ppg. They do a tremendous job of guarding against the three-point shot, helping to overshadow the fact that they rank last in the conference in blocked shots and steals. As for La Salle, it relies heavily on the talents of Rodney Green (17.6 ppg), the fifth-leading scorer in the conference. The Explorers are the hottest team in the A-10 right now, as they carry a four-game win streak into this event.

The fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's Hawks have struggled over the last month, and they will attempt to avoid an upset against 12th-seeded Charlotte on Wednesday. Saint Joe's has two A-10 Tournament titles to its credit, the most recent of which came back in 1997. The Hawks are led by A-10 Player of the Year Ahmad Nivins, who is tied for the league scoring lead at 19.2 ppg with Temple's Dionte Christmas. Nivins also leads the conference in rebounding with 11.7 rpg and in field goal percentage (.625). As for Charlotte, a relative newcomer to the league, it is still in search of its first crown. Lamont Mack is the team's leading scorer at 15.1 ppg, but his team is second to last in the conference in field goal percentage (.410). The 49ers lost two straight games and four of five to close out the regular season. DiJuan Harris is dishing out 7.1 apg to pace Charlotte and place first in the A-10.

Seventh-seeded Duquesne can score points in bunches, and the Dukes are set to collide with 10th-seeded UMass in the opening round. While UMass has enjoyed plenty of success in this tournament over the years as mentioned above, Duquesne recorded its only A-10 title way back in 1977. The Dukes are second in the league in scoring with 78.1 ppg, but they are also second to last in scoring defense (73.6 ppg). Aaron Jackson is the man to watch, as he is scoring 18.3 ppg while dishing out 5.8 apg to place third in the conference in both categories. UMass is paced by A-10 Defensive Player of the Year Tony Gaffney, who has 113 blocks and 59 steals to his credit, and he is the first player nationally since Duke's Shelden Williams in 2005-06 to register at least 100 blocks and 50 steals in a season. Gaffney is a strong rebounder as well, as he is ripping down 10.2 ppg.

The final opening-round matchup features the sixth-seeded Richmond Spiders and the 11th-seeded St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Neither the Bonnies nor the Spiders have ever won this event. Richmond closed out the regular season with back-to- back wins to improve its seeding, and the team ranks in the middle of the conference pack in both scoring and scoring defense. The Spiders struggle in the rebounding department, but they do lead the league in turnover margin. Kevin Anderson (16.2 ppg) and David Gonzalvez (15.6 ppg) place seventh and eighth, respectively, in the conference in scoring for Richmond. As for St. Bonaventure, it doesn't have a single player who is ranked in the top 20 on the league's scoring chart. The Bonnies are a balanced offensive team, however, and rank sixth in the conference in points per game despite lacking a standout performer. Andrew Nicholson is one of the better players on the roster, and he was recently named the A-10 Rookie of the Year.

The winner of the Saint Louis/La Salle game will take on top-seeded Xavier in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Xavier has four A-10 tourney titles to its credit, the most recent of which occurred in 2006. The Musketeers are 21-9 all-time at this event, impressive to say the least. They lead the conference in scoring margin (+10.1 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.388) and rebounding margin (+8.5 rpg). The Musketeers beat both Saint Louis and La Salle during the regular season. B.J. Raymond and Derrick Brown are scoring 13.8 ppg apiece, as two of the most consistent performers on the XU roster.

Second-seeded Rhode Island will do battle with either UMass or Duquesne in the quarterfinals, and the Rams captured their only A-10 tourney crown back in 1999. URI is the league's top-scoring team, as it is racking up a stellar 80.1 ppg thanks to a league-leading 48.2 percent shooting from the field. The Rams are knocking down 40 percent of their three-point attempts as well, and they are tops among all A-10 teams in assist/turnover ratio. Jimmy Baron paces Rhode Island with his 16.8 ppg, good for sixth place in the league, and he gets plenty of help from both Keith Cothran (14.0 ppg) and Kahiem Seawright (13.8 ppg). Seawright is pulling down 7.4 rpg, placing him fifth in the A-10.

The Third-seeded Dayton Flyers, who won this event for the first and only time back in 2003, will clash with either St. Bonaventure or Richmond on Thursday. Dayton doesn't have a single player ranked in the top 20 in the league in scoring, but the club is yielding just 60.9 ppg and places third in the conference in scoring margin. The Flyers are holding opponents to 39.3 percent shooting from the field, impressive by any standards. No A-10 team grabs more offensive rebounds per game than Dayton, which plays hard and knows how to win close games.

Temple's road to a repeat title begins in the quarterfinals against either Charlotte or Saint Joseph's. At 46-19 all-time in this event, the Owls have plenty of experience and success to draw on. As mentioned above, Dionte Christmas is tied for the A-10 lead in scoring with 19.2 ppg, and he is grabbing 6.1 rpg as well. The Owls closed out the regular season with back-to- back wins and figure to carry plenty of confidence into the tournament. The Owls are second in the league in both free throw percentage and assist/turnover ratio, two areas that suggest strong fundamental play.