The Atlantic-10 Tournament kicks off with the first full round of play at the Barclays Center on Thursday. The A-10 plays through the weekend and will hold its conference championship game on Sunday afternoon.
Atlantic-10 Tournament schedule and bracket: La Salle and St. Bonaventure tip off Thursday’s slate
Thursday’s first full slate of games in the A-10 starts with the Explorers and the Bonnies.
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When No. 8 seed La Salle takes on No. 9 St. Bonaventure, it will be up to senior guard Tyreek Duren to lead the way on offense for the Explorers. Duren is averaging 15.2 points and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 41.7 percent from three-point range on the season. In La Salle's last win against St. Bonaventure, Duren was crucial down the stretch during a double-digit performance. The Bonnies are trying to stop a four-game losing streak heading into the conference tournament. With a porous defense of late, St. Bonaventure will need to limit its turnovers and make the most of its efforts on offense.
For the late game, No. 6 seed Massachusetts will take on No. 11 Rhode Island in a matchup that has been closely-contested all season. The Minutemen have been able to squeak out two wins by single digits over the Rams this year despite Rhode Island being near the bottom of the A-10 conference standings. Rhode Island has been dominated on the boards in its two matchups, and has watched the Minutemen take control at the free throw line. The Rams have shot remarkably well against Massachusetts, but need to perform better in the rebounding game if they want to get the conference tournament win.
No. 7 seed Richmond will also be looking to halt a four-game losing streak when it takes on No. 10 Duquesne. The Spiders have not scored more than 60 points since Feb. 18, and are clearly missing top scorer Cedrick Lindsay after losing him to a season-ending knee injury earlier in the year. Duquesne has a losing record of 13-16 on the season, but topped the conference-leading Saint Louis Billikens back on Feb. 27 for an impressive victory. Richmond should have the upperhand, but bigger surprises have already happened in A-10 play this year.
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After beating George Mason in the opening round of the tourney, Fordham advances to play No. 5 Dayton. The Flyers are a bubble team, projected by Joe Lunardi as one of his "Last Four In". Dayton is led by senior forward Devin Oliver, who scored 16 points and hauled in nine rebounds in an 80-68 win over Fordham in their only meeting this season. The Rams have a tough challenge ahead of them, having won just their third game since conference play started.
Here’s a link to the Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament bracket.
Thursday’s full schedule of games:
No. 8 La Salle vs. No. 9 St. Bonaventure, 12 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
No. 5 Dayton vs. No. 13 Fordham, 2:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network
No. 7 Richmond vs. No. 10 Duquesne, 6:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network
No. 6 Massachusetts vs. No. 11 Rhode Island, 9 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
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