After a run to the Atlantic 10 Tournament title game, four-seed Saint Joseph's showed why it could be a sleeper in the NCAA Tournament by beating VCU, 87-74.
Saint Joseph’s wins 2016 Atlantic 10 basketball tournament
The Hawks weathered a late run to beat VCU.
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
VCU went down by 20 in the second half, but would not be defeated that easily. The Rams got the score back within seven points with four-and-a-half minutes left, but it was too little too late as the Hawks hit their free throws to secure the win.
Saint Joe’s ended the regular season on a low note, losing to St. Bonaventure and Duquesne -- the latter of which was a bad enough loss that it put the Hawks near the bubble. However, they ran through the Atlantic 10 Tournament as the four-seed, taking down George Washington, Dayton and VCU en route to the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. And with such a quality run, Saint Joe’s should be solidly onto the single-digit seed line in the NCAA Tournament.
The Hawks got revenge from a home regular season loss to VCU by using an impressive offensive output to put away the Rams. They were particularly impressive in the paint, using cuts and smart halfcourt play to build the blowout.
With the duo of DeAndre Bembry and Isaiah Miles, who scored a combined 56 points against VCU, the Hawks have the potential to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
VCU is still expected to make the NCAA Tournament, though the Rams could worry a little bit during the selection show. SB Nation bracketologist Chris Dobbertean listed VCU as a nine-seed before the game, and it's unlikely that they will free fall. However, their best win this season was against Saint Joe's. They failed to pick up potential resume-boosting wins against Duke, Wisconsin or Cincinnati. They also have bad losses in the past month to UMass and George Mason.
After yet another missed opportunity, VCU could fall to a double-digit seed.
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