Temple and Saint Louis may have pulled away from the rest of the pack in the Atlantic 10 regular-season, but Saint Joseph?s coach Phil Martelli sees no clear front-runner and expects upsets galore in the conference tournament this week.
The balance in the league was evident in several games this season. St. Joe?s lost at home to Charlotte, which is the lowest-seeded team. Saint Louis fell at Rhode Island, which failed to qualify for the event and fired its coach.
?I really believe that we?re going to see some unbelievable results. And I don?t think the people who have followed this league are going to be scratching their head,? Martelli said.
?Pick two teams. If you said to me, ?Next Sunday afternoon, for our automatic bid, it?s going to be Dayton and La Salle, would that be shocking to anybody?? I really don?t think it would be stunning. Clearly, what Temple and Saint Louis have done is they?ve separated themselves over 16 games, but the gap is not glaring.?
Favorites
Temple
Record: 24-6, 13-3 A-10
Leading scorer: Ramone Moore 17.8
Last 10 games: 9-1
Scouting report: The Owls won the outright league title behind a strong perimeter cast of Moore, Khalif Whyatt and Juan Fernandez. Getting 6-11 center Michael Eric back at midseason has given the team a boost. He averages 9.2 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Saint Louis
Record: 24-6, 12-4
Leading scorer: Brian Conklin 13.9
Last 10 games: 8-2
Scouting report: No one wants to draw the Billikens, who are one of the top defensive teams in the league. Opponents averaged just 56.6 points per game and shot only 40.6 percent this season.
Contenders
Xavier
Record: 19-11, 10-6
Leading scorer: Tu Holloway 16.7
Last 10 games: 6-4
Scouting report: The Musketeers have been one of the mystery teams in college hoops. They started 8-0 and reached the top-10 in the national polls before a bench-clearing brawl with Cincinnati and haven?t been the same since. But they still eked out the third seed in the tourney.
St. Bonvaventure
Record: 17-11, 10-6
Leading scorer: Andrew Nicholson 17.9
Last 10 games: 6-4
Scouting report: The Bonnies have been inconsistent this season, but any team with Nicholson is a dangerous opponent. NBA scouts like his mobility and ability to score outside and with his back to the basket.
Saint Joseph?s
Record: 19-12, 9-7
Leading scorer: Carl Jones 16.3
Last 10 games: 5-5
Scouting report: The Hawks lost out on a top-four seed and a bye with a double-overtime loss at St. Bonaventure in the last game of the regular season. They?re on the NCAA tourney bubble, though, and have a stellar backcourt and athleticism inside, including A-10 defensive player of the year C.J. Aiken.
Dayton
Record: 19-11, 9-7
Leading scorer: Chris Johnson 13.0
Last 10 games: 5-5
Scouting report: The Flyers overachieved this season, especially after losing solid forward Josh Benson on Dec. 30. Johnson has established himself as one of the league?s top players (the all-conference slight aside), and point guard Kevin Dillard is the engine that makes the Flyers go.
La Salle
Record: 20-11, 9-7
Leading scorer: Earl Pettis 15.2
Last 10 games: 5-5
Scouting report: The Explorers, who finished 15-18 last season, have taken a big jump this year with the help of South Carolina transfer Ramon Galloway, who is averaging 14.1 points. La Salle has five players averaging at least 9.7 points.
Massachusetts
Record: 20-11, 9-7
Leading scorer: Chaz Williams 16.2
Last 10 games: 5-5
Scouting report: The Minutemen got lift when Williams became eligible this season after transferring from Hofstra. He made the Colonial Athletic Association all-rookie team and earned first-team all-league honors in the A-10. He?s leading the league in assists at 6.4 per game.
Longshots
Duquesne
Record: 16-11, 7-9
Leading scorer: B.J. Monteiro 15-0
Last 10 games: 4-6
Scouting report: Soph point guard T.J. McConnell, the rookie of the year last season, had another impressive year. But the Dukes don?t have much of an inside attack, and that?s caught up with them this season.
Richmond
Record: 16-15, 7-9
Leading scorer: Darien Brothers 14.0
Last 10 games: 4-6
Scouting report: The Spiders dropped off after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 last season, but they?re still the team no one wants to play because of their unique style.
Charlotte
Record: 13-16, 5-11
Leading scorer: Chris Braswell 15.6
Last 10 games: 3-7
Scouting report: After failing to qualify for the A-10 tourney last season, the 49ers have made some strides under second-year coach Alan Major. They led Xavier by 14 points on the road in the season-finale but couldn?t hold on. They open against St. Joes, a team they beat on the road earlier this season.
George Washington
Record: 10-20, 5-11
Leading scorer: Tony Taylor 13.3
Last 10 games: 2-8
Scouting report: The Colonials pose problems with their length and athleticism. They?ve played almost everyone tough in the A-10, losing by one to Xavier and squandering a double-digit second-half lead at Temple in falling by seven. Their largest losing margin in the A-10 came in a 75-59 defeat at Dayton on Saturday.
The balance in the league was evident in several games this season. St. Joe?s lost at home to Charlotte, which is the lowest-seeded team. Saint Louis fell at Rhode Island, which failed to qualify for the event and fired its coach.
?I really believe that we?re going to see some unbelievable results. And I don?t think the people who have followed this league are going to be scratching their head,? Martelli said.
?Pick two teams. If you said to me, ?Next Sunday afternoon, for our automatic bid, it?s going to be Dayton and La Salle, would that be shocking to anybody?? I really don?t think it would be stunning. Clearly, what Temple and Saint Louis have done is they?ve separated themselves over 16 games, but the gap is not glaring.?
Favorites
Temple
Record: 24-6, 13-3 A-10
Leading scorer: Ramone Moore 17.8
Last 10 games: 9-1
Scouting report: The Owls won the outright league title behind a strong perimeter cast of Moore, Khalif Whyatt and Juan Fernandez. Getting 6-11 center Michael Eric back at midseason has given the team a boost. He averages 9.2 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Saint Louis
Record: 24-6, 12-4
Leading scorer: Brian Conklin 13.9
Last 10 games: 8-2
Scouting report: No one wants to draw the Billikens, who are one of the top defensive teams in the league. Opponents averaged just 56.6 points per game and shot only 40.6 percent this season.
Contenders
Xavier
Record: 19-11, 10-6
Leading scorer: Tu Holloway 16.7
Last 10 games: 6-4
Scouting report: The Musketeers have been one of the mystery teams in college hoops. They started 8-0 and reached the top-10 in the national polls before a bench-clearing brawl with Cincinnati and haven?t been the same since. But they still eked out the third seed in the tourney.
St. Bonvaventure
Record: 17-11, 10-6
Leading scorer: Andrew Nicholson 17.9
Last 10 games: 6-4
Scouting report: The Bonnies have been inconsistent this season, but any team with Nicholson is a dangerous opponent. NBA scouts like his mobility and ability to score outside and with his back to the basket.
Saint Joseph?s
Record: 19-12, 9-7
Leading scorer: Carl Jones 16.3
Last 10 games: 5-5
Scouting report: The Hawks lost out on a top-four seed and a bye with a double-overtime loss at St. Bonaventure in the last game of the regular season. They?re on the NCAA tourney bubble, though, and have a stellar backcourt and athleticism inside, including A-10 defensive player of the year C.J. Aiken.
Dayton
Record: 19-11, 9-7
Leading scorer: Chris Johnson 13.0
Last 10 games: 5-5
Scouting report: The Flyers overachieved this season, especially after losing solid forward Josh Benson on Dec. 30. Johnson has established himself as one of the league?s top players (the all-conference slight aside), and point guard Kevin Dillard is the engine that makes the Flyers go.
La Salle
Record: 20-11, 9-7
Leading scorer: Earl Pettis 15.2
Last 10 games: 5-5
Scouting report: The Explorers, who finished 15-18 last season, have taken a big jump this year with the help of South Carolina transfer Ramon Galloway, who is averaging 14.1 points. La Salle has five players averaging at least 9.7 points.
Massachusetts
Record: 20-11, 9-7
Leading scorer: Chaz Williams 16.2
Last 10 games: 5-5
Scouting report: The Minutemen got lift when Williams became eligible this season after transferring from Hofstra. He made the Colonial Athletic Association all-rookie team and earned first-team all-league honors in the A-10. He?s leading the league in assists at 6.4 per game.
Longshots
Duquesne
Record: 16-11, 7-9
Leading scorer: B.J. Monteiro 15-0
Last 10 games: 4-6
Scouting report: Soph point guard T.J. McConnell, the rookie of the year last season, had another impressive year. But the Dukes don?t have much of an inside attack, and that?s caught up with them this season.
Richmond
Record: 16-15, 7-9
Leading scorer: Darien Brothers 14.0
Last 10 games: 4-6
Scouting report: The Spiders dropped off after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 last season, but they?re still the team no one wants to play because of their unique style.
Charlotte
Record: 13-16, 5-11
Leading scorer: Chris Braswell 15.6
Last 10 games: 3-7
Scouting report: After failing to qualify for the A-10 tourney last season, the 49ers have made some strides under second-year coach Alan Major. They led Xavier by 14 points on the road in the season-finale but couldn?t hold on. They open against St. Joes, a team they beat on the road earlier this season.
George Washington
Record: 10-20, 5-11
Leading scorer: Tony Taylor 13.3
Last 10 games: 2-8
Scouting report: The Colonials pose problems with their length and athleticism. They?ve played almost everyone tough in the A-10, losing by one to Xavier and squandering a double-digit second-half lead at Temple in falling by seven. Their largest losing margin in the A-10 came in a 75-59 defeat at Dayton on Saturday.
