Monday, March 05, 2001
Atlantic 10 tournament preview
Temple needs to put on best face for NCAAs
By Neil Schnidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Xavier, which earned a bye as the second seed in the Atlantic 10 tourney, plays at 9:30 p.m. Thursday in Philadelphia. The Musketeers will meet the winner of Wednesday's George Washington-Duquesne matchup. Here's a preview:
TEAM TO BEAT: St. Joseph's. The 18th-ranked Hawks (24-5) lessened odds for a high NCAA Tournament seed by losing Saturday to lowly La Salle, a defeat that dropped their RPI from 22nd to 30th. But their 14-2 league record matches the mark of last year's Temple team as the best in the A-10's past five seasons. And they're playing in their hometown.
DARK HORSE: Massachusetts. The Minutemen (13-14, 11-5 A-10) have two victories over Xavier and one over Temple, and had St. Joe's on the ropes last week. But they have lost two straight games, the latter at home against St. Bonaventure, which they must play in their first tournament game.
MOST TO PROVE: Temple. The Owls (18-12, 12-4 A-10) have won four straight to reach the NCAA tourney bubble. But at 48th in the RPI, they seemingly need to reach at least the A-10 finals to earn serious consideration.
TOUGHEST DRAW: Dayton. A team that has beaten Connecticut, Maryland and Xavier has the talent to contend, but it missed out on the last quarterfinal bye. So it must win four games in four days to reach the NCAA Tournament. Only six schools in NCAA history have turned that trick in a conference tournament; it has never happened in the A-10.
WEAKEST DRAW: St. Joe's. La Salle, which beat the Hawks Saturday, might be their first opponent. But then it would get either slumping UMass or injury-riddled St. Bonaventure.
MOST LIKELY MVP: David West, Xavier. If XU wins the event, he'll be the MVP, and he's the one player who might be worthy even if XU falls shy. Seemingly his top competition for this award is Marvin O'Connor of St. Joe's, and they could meet in the finals. Those teams split two regular-season games.
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Lynn Greer, Temple. With Temple's postseason destination uncertain, he's the player most likely to take the Owls on his back. He averages 17.6 points and leads the A-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.62 to 1), and his average of 39.5 minutes per game leads the nation.
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Atlantic 10 tournament preview
