EAST
(1) SAINT JOSEPH'S
(27-0, 16-0 A-10)
| Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| Jameer Nelson |
Sr. |
5-11 |
20.2 |
5.4* |
| Delonte West |
Jr. |
6-4 |
18.9 |
5.5 |
| Pat Carroll |
Jr. |
6-5 |
10.0 |
3.4 |
| Dwayne Jones |
So. |
6-11 |
6.7 |
7.3 |
| John Bryant |
Jr. |
6-7 |
3.0 |
3.9 |
*- Assists per game
Coach: Phil Martelli (9th year, 174-97)
What to watch: The team that everyone else wants to knock off, the Hawks are
the first squad to enter the A-10 Tournament ranked No. 1 since Temple in
1988. Surprisingly, A-10 Player of the Year Jameer Nelson has never reached
the A-10 championship game, which is just another piece of motivation for
SJU.
(2) TEMPLE
(15-12, 9-7)
| Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| David Hawkins |
Sr. |
6-4 |
24.6 |
5.3 |
| Mardy Collins |
So. |
6-6 |
15.4 |
5.0 |
| Antywane Robinson |
So. |
6-8 |
4.5 |
4.3 |
| Dustin Salisbery |
Fr. |
6-5 |
7.2 |
2.6 |
| Keith Butler |
So. |
7-1 |
4.9 |
6.2 |
Coach: John Chaney (22nd year, 483-222)
What to watch: Coach John Chaney usually has this team ready at tournament
time, but TU's success will depend on how much support David Hawkins gets.
He scores 24.6 points per game, but is an easy target for defenses that
don't have to worry about Temple's interior game.
(3) RHODE ISLAND
(18-12, 7-9)
| Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| Dawan Robinson |
Jr. |
6-2 |
16.4 |
3.8* |
| Brian Woodward |
Sr. |
6-3 |
13.1 |
6.2 |
| Jamaal Wise |
Jr. |
6-5 |
6.3 |
4.6 |
| Terrence Mack |
So. |
6-6 |
4.7 |
3.3 |
| Jon Clark |
So. |
6-10 |
2.7 |
2.7 |
*- Assists per game
Coach: Jim Baron (3rd year, 45-44)
What to watch: Truly the team that no one else wants to face, because the Rams
control possessions and rebound (40.7 per game) aggressively. URI has won four
of its last five.
(4) UMASS
(10-18, 4-12)
Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| Rashaun Freeman |
So. |
6-9 |
15.3 |
8.4 |
| Anthony Anderson |
Sr. |
5-11 |
13.1 |
4.3 |
| Jeff Viggiano |
So. |
6-6 |
9.7 |
5.3 |
| Art Bowers |
Fr. |
6-4 |
9.3 |
3.6 |
| Maurice Maxwell |
Fr. |
6-5 |
7.8 |
2.9 |
Coach: Steve Lappas (3rd year, 34-52)
What to watch: The Minutemen are probably a year away from being a serious
tournament contender. There's just too much reliance on freshmen and sophomores
for UMass to win more than one game in Dayton, particularly because a potential
quarterfinal game would be against Dayton.
(5) ST. BONAVENTURE
(7-20, 3-13)
| Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| Marques Green |
Sr. |
5-7 |
19.8 |
5.1* |
| Maurice Young |
Jr. |
6-5 |
11.8 |
4.3 |
| Ahmad Smith |
So. |
6-4 |
10.6 |
5.8 |
| Saulius Dumbliausk |
Jr. |
6-8 |
3.0 |
3.6 |
| Patrick Lottin |
Jr. |
6-7 |
13.0 |
4.6 |
*-Assists per game
Coach: Anthony Solomon (1st year, 7-20)
What to watch: St. Bonaventure will go as far as senior point guard Marques
Green can take the Bonnies, which probably isn't very far. Green is a dynamic
point guard, but all 5-feet-7 of him will have a hard time getting St. Bonaventure
past Xavier in the first round.
(6) FORDHAM
(6-21, 3-13)
Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| Michael Haynes |
Sr. |
6-8 |
17.8 |
7.2 |
| Mark Jarrell-Wright |
Sr. |
6-5 |
12.0 |
4.8 |
| Derrick Breland |
Jr. |
5-10 |
8.4 |
2.8* |
| A. Acquaviva |
Sr. |
6-4 |
0.9 |
0.6 |
| Mushon Ya-akosi |
So. |
6-8 |
6.2 |
7.1 |
*- Assists per
game
Coach: Dereck Whittenburg (1st year, 6-21)
What to watch: The threat of senior forward Michael Haynes (17.8 points
per game) gives Fordham a slight hope for an upset against Richmond, but
it's slight at best. The Rams do not play enough disciplined defense to
keep Richmond from scoring in the lane.
WEST
(1) DAYTON
(22-7, 12-4 A-10)
| Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| Ramod Marshall |
Sr. |
6-2 |
14.8 |
5.4* |
| Keith Waleskowski |
Sr. |
6-8 |
13.4 |
9.8 |
| Sean Finn |
Sr. |
7-0 |
13.0 |
7.2 |
| Mark Jones |
Jr. |
6-1 |
9.4 |
3.6 |
| Marques Bennett |
So. |
6-5 |
3.1 |
3.2 |
*-
Assists per game
Coach: Brian Gregory (1st year, 22-7)
What to watch: The Flyers have all the right players, but getting them all
playing together has been a struggle at times. Senior guard Ramod Marshall
(5.4 assists per game) will have to be an impact player to guide UD
through three straight days of games.
(2) GEORGE WASHINGTON
(17-10, 11-5)
Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| T.J. Thompson |
Jr. |
5-10 |
14.1 |
3.5* |
| Mike Hall |
So. |
6-8 |
10.3 |
8.0 |
| Carl Elliott |
Fr. |
6-4 |
8.2 |
4.5* |
| Omar Williams |
So. |
6-9 |
7.7 |
5.3 |
| Alex Kireev |
So. |
6-11 |
1.5 |
0.8 |
*- Assists per game
Coach: Karl Hobbs (3rd year, 41-43)
What to watch: George Washington will grab the rebound and race to the
other end as much as possible, which is why it was crucial that the
Colonials earned a first-round bye. T.J. Thompson and freshman Carl
Elliott have proven to be adept at forcing tempo from the guard positions.
(3) RICHMOND
(18-11, 10-6)
Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| Mike Skrocki |
Sr. |
6-6 |
16.5 |
3.5 |
| Tony Dobbins |
Sr. |
6-4 |
11.4 |
7.7 |
| Kevin Steenberge |
So. |
6-11 |
4.6 |
3.7 |
| Jamaal Scott |
Jr. |
6-5 |
4.0 |
2.6 |
| Reggie Brown |
Sr. |
6-4 |
7.2 |
2.1 |
Coach: Jerry Wainwright (2nd year, 33-25)
What to watch: Another team that makes for a difficult tournament matchup,
Richmond has veteran players who know how to win close games on the
road. Senior Mike Skrocki is the only true playmaking threat, however,
because the rest of the team relies on offensive execution.
(4) XAVIER
(19-10, 10-6)
| Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| Lionel Chalmers |
Sr. |
6-0 |
15.8 |
3.0* |
| Romain Sato |
Sr. |
6-5 |
16.0 |
7.9 |
| Anthony Myles |
Sr. |
6-9 |
10.0 |
6.4 |
| Justin Cage |
Fr. |
6-6 |
4.7 |
3.4 |
| Justin Doellman |
Fr. |
6-9 |
6.9 |
3.1 |
*- Assists per game
Coach: Thad Matta (3rd year, 71-22)
What to watch: The Musketeers are becoming more balanced offensively
inside and outside, but expect senior guard Lionel Chalmers to have
his hands on the ball in a close game. Chalmers has been making big
plays in the second half of the season as Xavier has won nine of 10
games.
(5) DUQUESNE
(11-16, 6-10)
Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| Elijah Palmer |
Sr. |
6-7 |
14.1 |
6.1 |
| Bryant McAllister |
So. |
6-3 |
11.2 |
3.2 |
| Kieron Achara |
Fr. |
6-9 |
5.8 |
3.6 |
| Jimmy Tricco |
Sr. |
6-8 |
9.1 |
3.3 |
| Martin Osimani |
Jr. |
6-4 |
4.6 |
6.0* |
*- Assists per game Coach: Danny Nee (3rd year, 29-56)
What to watch: Point guard Martin Osimani (5.96 assists per game) makes
the Dukes capable of beating any team in the tournament including first-round
opponent Massachusetts. A junior transfer, Osimani has turned a group
of decent players into a well-functioning offense.
(6) LA SALLE
(10-19, 5-11)
Player |
Yr. |
Ht. |
PPG |
RPG |
| Gary Neal |
So. |
6-4 |
18.5 |
3.2 |
| Steven Smith |
So. |
6-8 |
17.3 |
8.0 |
| Jermaine Thomas |
So. |
6-2 |
7.2 |
2.5* |
| Rasheed Quadri |
Sr. |
6-3 |
4.6 |
2.4 |
| Mike St. John |
Fr. |
6-8 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
*- Assists per game
Coach: Billy Hahn (3rd year, 37-53)
What to watch: The Explorers rely a lot on sophomores Gary Neal and
Steven Smith. Both are great offensive talents, but must be able to
produce against a zone defense. La Salle is 11th in the league in rebounding,
which could be a problem against Rhode Island.
