The A-10 Tournament semifinals are now set. In a relatively predictable quarterfinal round, compared to recent years, there was only one upset on Friday in the Nation’s Capital.
Only four teams remain, all of which could be the A-10’s automatic qualifier to The Big Dance. Let’s take a look at how all of the quarterfinal matchups went down.
Quarterfinal 1: No. 1 VCU 76, No. 8 St. Bonaventure 59
St. Bonaventure came into today’s game after overcoming a 13-point deficit to Duquesne in the second round. However, a comeback was far more unlikely when the Bonnies fell behind against VCU.
At halftime, the Rams led 36-26 and were firmly in control. That is until the Bonnies went on another run, cutting the lead to six points with 10 minutes remaining. But behind four VCU players in double figures, the Rams pulled away for a convincing win to advance to the semifinals.
Takeaway: The assist disparity
Throughout the season, VCU has been racking up assists. Led by the A-10 Player of the Year, Max Shulga, who had 11 assists in the win, the Rams are among the top 75 in both assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio in the country.
In Friday’s A-10 tournament quarterfinal win, the Rams put up 17 assists, which is more than their season average of 15.4 assists per game. St. Bonaventure on the other hand had just eight assists, which is below their season average of 11 per game. This is a testament to VCU’s defensive unit as a whole.
On the defensive end, the Rams forced the Bonnies late into the shot clock on various occasions, disrupting the rhythm of the 8th seed. While getting to the basket is one of the Bonnies’ strengths, VCU is full of effective one-on-one defenders.
Luke Bamgboye was picked to the A-10’s All-Defensive Team, but as a whole VCU led the conference in scoring defense. Also according to KenPom they have the 24th best defensive efficiency rating in the country.
If the Rams continue this domination on the defensive end and share the ball at a high level, do not be surprised to see VCU make their way to The Big Dance.
Quarterfinal 2: No. 4 Loyola Chicago 72, No. 5 Saint Louis 64
In Thursday’s second round, Saint Louis was led by Gibson Jimmerson and Isaiah Swope, who combined for 51 points in the win. Therefore, the key to this game for Loyola Chicago was to limit at least one of these stars.
The Ramblers did this early, as they jumped out to a 14-point lead, a little over 10 minutes into the contest. However, Saint Louis worked their way back into the game, cutting the lead to eight at the half, then to just two points at the under-eight media timeout.
While Swope had 30 points, the other side of that duo was taken out of the game almost completely. Jimmerson played almost 40 minutes but was held to just four points on seven attempts. Goal accomplished for the Ramblers, as they move on to the semifinals to face VCU
Takeaway: Des Watson
Des Watson came into Friday’s quarterfinal matchup second on the team with 13.0 points per game. However, he has arguably been the most valuable piece for Drew Valentine’s squad this season. He has played a team-high 33 minutes per game.
While advancing, the 6-foot-5 senior played 37 minutes, while putting up a season-high 25 points. He also was the only Loyola Chicago player to see the floor for more than 30 minutes, which on a roster that has some of the best depth in the conference, is impressive.
After the game, head coach Drew Valentine took notice and called out the A-10 All-Conference Team voters, for leaving Watson off the list.
“Des not being one of the best 10 or 15 players in the league is ridiculous,” Valentine said. “I’m glad that he showed that he’s an all-league player today.”
If Watson can continue this form into the semifinals, it will help his bid to be on the A-10 All-Tournament team. But it could also help the Ramblers advance to the A-10 Tournament finals for the first time since joining in 2022.
Quarterfinal 3: No. 2 George Mason 80, No. 7 George Washington 65
In the second round for the Revolutionaries, it was the Trey Autry show. The Sophomore had a career-high 23 points, but in the quarterfinal, Autry picked up his second foul with 16:20 remaining in the first half and was limited to 5 points.
The first half was reminiscent of the previous two meetings between these two sides, but the Revolutionaries carried a four-point lead into halftime. However, that did not last for long, as GMU began the second half with a 12-0 run.
But the Patriots did not stop there as they turned first half struggles into a second half explosion, outscoring GWU 42-23 in the second half.
Takeaway: A tale of two halves
In the first half, George Washington shot 62.5% while also knocking down seven triples. But the Patriots were not too far behind, shooting 57.7% from the floor. However, the offensive side was not the problem for GMU.
Coming into the quarterfinals, the Patriots were second in the A-10 in scoring defense at 63.1 points per game. After giving up 42 in the first half, GMU held the Revolutionaries to just 23 points in the second, which is their fourth fewest in a half this season.
Maybe the Patriots just have GWU’s number, as they also held D.C.’s A-10 team to 13 points in the first half, in their previous meeting. Either way, George Mason has been the best team in the conference in opponent field goal percentage. And it showed as the Revs shot a poor 23.1% from the field in the second half.
After the game GMU’s head coach, Tony Skinn, was asked which second half adjustment was the most important, he referenced the three-point defense.
“Our sense of urgency took the air out of their confidence they had in the first half, and that was the ball game,” Skinn said.
After hitting seven triples in the first half, the Revolutionaries went 2-12 in the second half from deep. Defensive adjustment or not, George Mason will need to maintain their defensive efficiency to advance past Saint Joseph’s and into the A-10 Tournament Championship game on Sunday.
Quarterfinal 4: No. 6 Saint Joseph’s 73, No. 3 Dayton 68
The final quarterfinal of the A-10 tournament needed extra basketball to decide whether Saint Joseph’s or Dayton would advance to face George Mason.
Dayton looked like the rested team, coming out of the gate strong and in control. But Erik Reynolds II and the Hawks found an immediate response, as Saint Joseph’s took a nine-point lead into halftime.
In the second half, the offenses continued to keep their relatively ineffective quality, but the Flyers slowly worked their way back into the game. With 18 seconds remaining, Dayton took a 60-56 lead. But after Xzayvier Brown knocked down two from the line, and Malachi Smith missed the front end of a 1-and-1, the Hawks had a chance to tie it at the line.
Brown headed back to the charity stripe and hit both to tie the game at 60. After Dayton missed at the horn, all of the momentum was with Saint Joseph’s who advanced to take on George Mason in the semifinals.
Takeaway: The Painted Area
In Friday’s win, Saint Joseph’s struggled to be effective in the painted area. They were outscored by Dayton in the paint 32-22, but they did slightly out-rebound the Flyers. Along with that, 30 of the Hawks’ 63 shots on Friday came from behind the arc.
While hitting threes can be a recipe for success, it can also be a recipe for disaster. With George Mason being the fourth-best rebounding team in the A-10, just two spots ahead of Saint Joseph’s, physicality will be a necessity if the Hawks want to move past George Mason tomorrow.
To dominate the painted area, an extra level of physicality is necessary. While the Hawks were not sent home with the performance tonight, a grind it out physical game is on the horizon for the Hawks.
If Saint Joseph’s wants to continue their A-10 Tournament hopes, it will all start with a performance comparable to George Mason’s ability in the painted area.
What’s next:
Semifinal #1: No. 1 VCU vs No. 4 Loyola Chicago at 1 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
Semifinal #2: No. 2 George Mason vs No. 6 Saint Joseph’s at 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
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