2024 Atlantic 10 Tournament Preview & Conference Awards

CBB Review prepares you for every conference tournament leading up to Selection Sunday on Mar. 17. Up next: The Atlantic 10 Tournament.

The A10’s falloff has been well documented but the conference tournament in Brooklyn will have high entertainment value. Dayton leads the way as far as bracketology is concerned, and they are the lone team that is securely in the dance. That said, they are far from unbeatable. Several other teams can realistically win the Atlantic 10 Tournament and secure the auto bid.

2024 Atlantic 10 Conference Awards

Player of the Year: DaRon Holmes, Dayton

Freshman of the Year: Xzayvier Brown, St. Joe’s

Transfer of the Year: Jordan King, Richmond

Coach of the Year: Drew Valentine, Loyola Chicago

First Team:

• G: Max Shulga, VCU (15.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 41.8 3P%)
• G: Jordan King, Richmond (18.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 42.6 3P%)
• G: Erik Reynolds, Saint Joseph’s (16.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 39.0 3P%)
• F: Matt Cross, UMass (15.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 55.1 FG%)
• C: DaRon Holmes, Dayton (20.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.1 BPG, 38.7 3P%, 55.1 FG%)

Second Team:

• G: Dae Dae Grant, Duquesne (16.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.3 APG)
• G: Mika Adams-Woods, St. Bonaventure (13.0 PPG, 3.6 APG, 2.3 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 46.1 3P%)
• G: James Bishop, George Washington (18.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, 2.8 RPG)
• F: Keyshawn Hall, George Mason (17.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.5 APG)
• C: Josh Cohen, UMass (16.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 57.6 FG%)

Atlantic 10 Tournament Simulation

*All times EST

First Round – Tue., Mar. 12

12. Fordham (12-19, 6-12) vs. 13. Davidson (15-16, 5-13) – 11:30 a.m. on ESPN+

Believe it or not, this is one of Davidson’s best defensive units in a while. In the battle of two teams in the midst of losing streaks, the Wildcats will advance to the second day.

Dan’s pick: 13. Davidson

10. La Salle (15-16, 6-12) vs. 15. George Washington (15-16, 4-14) – 2 p.m. on ESPN+

The Explorers had been in the midst of some bad shooting luck, and the tide has turned recently in that respect. It’s also hard to pick a George Washington team that has won one game since January 16th. Give me La Salle.

Dan’s pick: 10. La Salle

11. Rhode Island (12-19, 6-12) vs. 14. Saint Louis (12-19, 5-13) – 4:30 p.m. on ESPN+

It’s been a shockingly brutal year for Travis Ford and the Billikens. The defense in particular is completely broken, ranking 327th nationally in Torvik’s adjusted efficiency. The Rams have shown a little more spark from time to time.

Dan’s pick: 11. Rhode Island

Second Round – Wed., Mar. 13

8. George Mason (20-11, 9-9) vs. 9. St. Joe’s (19-12, 9-9) – 11:30 a.m. on USA Network

This is simply a poor matchup for the Patriots. The Hawks offense is predicated on shooting as many three-pointers as possible, and they have several guys that can knock them down in large doses. George Mason has struggled to handle these types of teams.

Dan’s pick: 9. Saint Joseph’s

5. VCU (19-12, 11-7) vs. 13. Davidson – 2 p.m. on USA Network

VCU may be upset-prone, following a few tough losses to close the regular season and lose their double-bye status. The problem is I don’t have much confidence in Davidson as the team to do the job. Rams take this one in a dogfight.

Dan’s pick: 5. VCU

7. St. Bonaventure (18-12, 9-9) vs. 10. La Salle – 5 p.m. on USA Network

The Bonnies simply bring way more to the table. It’s hard to see a specific aspect of this game where La Salle has an advantage. Mark Schmidt’s squad wins comfortably.

Dan’s pick: 7. St. Bonaventure

6. Duquesne (20-11, 10-8) vs. 11. Rhode Island – 7:30 p.m. on USA Network

Duquesne has the formula in this one. They can defend pretty well and if it’s crunch time, let Dae Dae Grant take over. The Rams will have to get particularly hot to keep up on the scoreboard.

Dan’s pick: 6. Duquesne

Quarterfinals – Thu., Mar. 14

1. Richmond (23-8, 15-3) vs. 9. St. Joe’s – 11:30 a.m. on USA Network

This may turn into a three-point shootout and if that’s the case, I like the Spiders’ chances. Richmond has superior defensive guards and has not given up more than ten three-pointers in any individual game this season.

Dan’s pick: 1. Richmond

4. UMass (20-10, 11-7) vs. 5. VCU – 2 p.m. on USA Network

In their lone regular season meeting, the Minutemen left zero doubt. It’s hard to imagine the Rams shooting ice cold again but a well-rested UMass should overwhelm VCU physically.

Dan’s pick: 4. UMass

2. Loyola Chicago (23-8, 15-3) vs. 7. St. Bonaventure – 5 p.m. on USA Network

This simulation has been pretty chalky so far. Now, it is upset time. In this case, it comes down to star power, which I do not think the Ramblers have enough of. This matchup has every indication to be a close one. I’m not sure who you go to for a big bucket if you’re Loyola Chicago.

Dan’s pick: 7. St. Bonaventure

3. Dayton (24-6, 14-4) vs. 6. Duquesne – 7:30 p.m. on USA Network

The Flyers stifled the Duquesne offense in both regular season meetings and I expect much of the same in Brooklyn. On the other end, the Dukes are in the bottom third in the A10 in defensive efficiency on post-ups, per Torvik. That is a bad omen when you’re trying to defend DaRon Holmes.

Dan’s pick: 3. Dayton

Semifinals – Sat., Mar. 16

1. Richmond vs. 4. UMass – 1 p.m. on CBS Sports

The theme of early conference tournament season has been one-seeds being knocked out before the championship game. Why not again? The Minutemen handled Richmond on the road earlier and have shown that they are not afraid to play inside out. The UMass frontcourt could have a day in this one.

Dan’s pick: 4. UMass

3. Dayton vs. 7. St. Bonaventure – 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports

This is the point where the Bonnies’ Cinderella run comes to an end. Throughout the year, they have become increasingly susceptible to giving up open three-point shots. While La Salle and Loyola-Chicago may not offer that same high-octane threat, Dayton’s offense is predicated on spacing around Holmes. Mark Schmidt is going to make to make a difficult decision. Clearly, they want to avoid letting the two-time A10 Player of the Year go for 34 points like in their regular season game. But that comes at a cost.

Dan’s pick: 3. Dayton

Finals – Sun., Mar. 17

3. Dayton vs 4. UMass – 1 p.m. on CBS

It is time for the Dayton conference tournament curse to come to an end. The Minutemen have made it this far because of superior toughness and frontcourt dominance. At some point in March, that gets neutralized when there is a ton on the line for both teams. The Flyers will force the UMass guards to make plays and that has been hit or miss throughout the year. A breakout season for Frank Martin’s squad eventually comes to a devastating finish.

Dan’s pick: 3. Dayton