By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Atlantic 10 Conference presidents will decide this week during a conference call whether to permit St. Bonaventure to participate in the league's conference tournament March 10-13 in Dayton.

The presidents' call and subsequent ruling could come as soon as today, and will potentially affect Xavier regardless of the decision. The Musketeers play at St. Bonaventure Wednesday and could face them again in the A-10 Tournament if St. Bonaventure is eligible to play.

"We know the call is going to be this week," A-10 commissioner Linda Bruno said Monday. "I'm just not sure how soon we can get it done."

The NCAA levied three years of probation on St. Bonaventure last week as punishment for last year's scandal involving the use of an ineligible player. The sanction includes a ban from postseason play this season, which is why the A-10 presidents must decide if there is reason to allow St. Bonaventure to play in the league tournament.

Such action, if agreed upon, opens the possibility that the Bonnies (6-17, 2-10 A-10) could pull off an upset and spoil another teams' postseason chances. Forcing St. Bonaventure to stay home, however, might be undue punishment on players and coaches who had nothing to do with last season's scandal. The Atlantic 10 already barred St. Bonaventure from the 2003 conference tournament, which eventually led to the team quitting with two games left.

"We certainly would like to participate in the tournament," said first-year St. Bonaventure coach Anthony Solomon, who replaced ousted coach Jan van Breda Kolff. But it's in the hands of the Atlantic 10 presidents. We don't want to worry about it and focus on it. In terms of our young men, I'd love for them to be a part of it."

If Xavier wins its final four games beginning Wednesday at St. Bonaventure, the Musketeers (16-9, 7-5 A-10) would finish at worst as the No. 3 seeded team in the West division. That would match Xavier against the East's No. 6 team in the first round of the conference tournament in Dayton March 10.

St. Bonaventure is currently tied with Fordham for that last-place position in the East. If the Bonnies were banned from the tournament, the No. 3 West team would receive a first-round bye whether St. Bonaventure finishes in fifth or sixth place.

XU would be helped and hurt by that type of situation. On one hand, XU would miss a chance to pick up another win to improve its NCAA Tournament at-large candidacy. But at the same time, Xavier's schedule strength would not take another hit from playing low-rated St. Bonaventure or Fordham a second time.

Atlantic 10 coaches gave St. Bonaventure a general showing of support during Monday's media conference call. ---

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com