Dayton Flyers favored to win Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament
The Atlantic 10 Conference tournament will begin on March 7, when 15 teams head to Brooklyn to battle it out for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. This should be a remarkable week of basketball, as this conference is deep with rock-solid programs. To put that into perspective, last year’s runner-up, the Davidson Wildcats, finished eighth in the conference this season. And the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, who won the tournament in 2021, finished in 10th. With that in mind, expect some serious competition when these teams take the floor at the Barclays Center, and make sure you keep reading to find out everything you need to know before betting on this tournament.
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Atlantic 10 Conference Bracket
How to Watch the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament
When: March 7-12
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
Format: Three games involving bottom-six seeds in the first round, instead of two games with the bottom-four seeds (addition of Loyola Chicago caused the conference to revisit its structure). Top-four teams receive byes to the quarterfinals.
Watch: USA Network; Championship Game on CBS Sports on Mar. 12 at 1 p.m. ET
Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds
1. VCU Rams (+180)
2. Fordham Rams (+1200)
3. Dayton Flyers (+160)
4. Saint Louis Billikens (+500)
5. George Mason Patriots (+2500)
6. Duquesne Dukes (+850)
7. George Washington Colonials (+6500)
8. Davidson Wildcats (+2000)
9. Saint Joseph’s Hawks (+8000)
10. St. Bonaventure Bonnies (+7000)
11. Richmond Spiders (+8000)
12. La Salle Explorers (+25000)
13. UMass Minutemen (+13000)
14. Rhode Island Rams (+25000)
15. Loyola Chicago Ramblers (+30000)
Favorite To Win Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament
Dayton has the second-highest VSiN power rating of any team in the A-10. The team is almost as good as VCU defensively, and that’s the calling card for the Rams — Mike Rhoades’ team is 21st in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. But the Flyers are a little more formidable on the other side of the floor, and Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II is the best player either team has to offer. He’s averaging 18.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game this season. Dayton should also be eager to lift a trophy here. The Flyers haven’t won this tournament since 2003, despite having had some very good teams since then — and likely feeling like they would have won in 2020, if the tournament wasn’t canceled because of COVID-19.
Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Darkhorse
If any team in the bottom half of this conference is going to pull off a surprising title run in Brooklyn, it’s probably going to be Richmond. The Spiders are in the midst of a very disappointing season, but Tyler Burton was the best player on a Richmond squad that won this tournament last year — even though guard Jacob Gilyard took home tournament MVP honors. An argument can be made that Burton will be the best player on the floor in any game the Spiders play throughout the week, and that’s not something you can easily overlook in a tournament setting. The Spiders also have quite a few rotation players that got minutes throughout that title run last year, so they should at least be able to find some comfort in an uncomfortable situation.
Players to Watch in Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament
We already mentioned Holmes earlier, so be on the lookout for the Dayton big man. However, you should also make sure you’re checking out Saint Louis point guard Yuri Collins, who is averaging 11.3 points, 10.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Collins is arguably the best table setter in all of college basketball, as there aren’t many players with his ability to see the floor and get his teammates the ball in the right spots. He’ll also hunt his own shot when it matters most, which is why the Billikens are never out of a game. Another player to keep an eye on is the previously mentioned Burton, who was part of last year’s championship team. Burton is a smooth wing that doesn’t have many holes in his game. He’s very much on the NBA radar and he’ll be hoping to help Richmond make another run here.
Betting Pick to Win The Atlantic 10 Conference Conference Tournament
Having a remarkably calm player on the floor at all times is a luxury when it comes to the college basketball postseason, so it’s hard not to see the value in a team like Saint Louis. Collins is one of the most trustworthy players in all of college basketball, and his leadership should be massive for the Billikens this week. It’s also hard to downplay Gibson Jimerson’s ability to hit massive shots. Jimerson is one of the best shooters in the conference, and he doesn’t often find shots he doesn’t like. This backcourt is flat-out special and it’s what makes Saint Louis so dangerous. A lot of the teams in this conference have defense-first mentalities, but getting buckets is incredibly important. None of the teams in the A-10 do it quite like Saint Louis, which has the best adjusted offensive efficiency in the conference, according to KenPom.
