Mid-Season Conference Review....

It's been a half-season with many more surprises than expected results.

Let's compare the preseason Atlantic 10 poll with records as of February 1st:

PRESEASON POLL:                   CURRENT LEAGUE STANDINGS:
1) Dayton                                        1) George Washington (8-0)
2) George Washington                    2) Dayton (7-1)
3) Saint Joseph's                             3) Fordham (7-2)
4) St. Bonaventure                          4) Duquesne (6-3)
5) Fordham                                    5) Richmond (5-3)
6) Richmond                                   6) VCU (5-4)
7) Duquesne                                   7) Rhode Island (4-4)
8) La Salle                                      8) Saint Louis (4-5)
9) Saint Louis                                 9T) George Mason (3-5)
10) VCU                                        9T) Saint Joseph's (3-5)
11) George Mason                        11) UMass (2-6)
12) Davidson                                 12) La Salle (2-6)
13) Rhode Island                           13) St. Bonaventure (2-7)
14) UMass                                     14) Davidson (1-8)

BIGGEST SURPRISE (Disappointment): St. Bonaventure---Picked to finish fourth, the Bonnies went 10-3 in non-conference play and won its A-10 opener with UMass. Then they lost seven straight, with six of the seven lost by double digits. Katie Healy's point per game average is currently down two from last year (14.3 vs. 16.5), and the Bonnies as a whole are shooting 28.2 percent from three-point range. It will get no easier as the Bonnies must face George Washington, Duquesne, and Thursday, Fordham on the road. The schedule makes it tough to believe St. Bonaventure can go on a big run to finish .500 in conference play.

BIGGEST SURPRISE (Positive): Rhode Island---Picked to finish near the bottom of the Atlantic 10, new head coach Daynia La-Force has these Rams believing. They were 8-4 in non-conference play, giving them more wins before conference play began than they enjoyed all of last season. The next four games could help determine their season. The Rams host rival UMass, go to St. Bonaventure, then host both Saint Joseph's and Fordham. They literally could win all four, lose all four, or fall somewhere in between. Charise Wilson is making her case for Freshman of The Year, leading Rhode Island in scoring at 15.9 points per game.

Other Observations:

---Saint Joseph's was runner-up for "Biggest Surprise: Disappointment", but, with a win Saturday at Davidson, the Hawks are 3-5 and have the talent and coaching experience to find their way to .500 and avoid Play-In Wednesday at the A-10 Tournament. Their first order of business, though, is a good old-fashioned "Big 5" rivalry, hosting La Salle Wednesday. The Explorers will be sky high, having their six-game losing streak ended Saturday night in Richmond at VCU. If La Salle plays with the desperation that they did Saturday night, the Hawks may flip places with the Explorers in the standings, and be back in the "Play-In" conversation.

---Wednesday's City Showdown between VCU and Richmond at the Robins Center looms very, very large. Now, the Spiders are a half-game ahead of the Rams for fifth place, while just a half-game behind Duquesne for the fourth and final "bye until Friday" at the tournament. This game could go either way. VCU now needs a win to try to start a new winning streak (they're 2-2, alternating between win and loss the past four games), while Richmond paced themselves nicely through a difficult week that saw them face, and lose to, Dayton in a midday Wednesday game, then hit the road for a rare Friday night outing at Rhode Island, coming away with a tight four-point win. The winner Wednesday stays alive for the "top four" seeds, the loser, if Richmond, could be two games out of fourth in the loss column. A VCU win, coupled with a win at Duquesne next Saturday, and the Rams are right back in the conversation.

---Dayton comes to the Nation's Capital next Sunday, February 8th to battle George Washington, who handed the Flyers their lone conference loss, at home, in their league opener four weeks ago. Dayton is playing better now than then, but George Washington is on fire, winners of their last 17 games. The game airs at 12PM on CBS Sports Network. Watch live or DVR it. It could be a preview of the Sunday, March 8th Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship Game at the Richmond Coliseum.

IF TOURNAMENT BEGAN TODAY:

Wednesday March 4th:
4:30PM: #13 St. Bonaventure vs. #12 La Salle
7PM: #14 Davidson vs. #11 UMass (if tie with La Salle is broken head-to-head)

Thursday March 5th:
11:30AM: #8 Saint Louis vs. #9 George Mason or Saint Joseph's
2PM: #5 Richmond vs. St. Bonaventure/La Salle winner
4:30PM: #7 Rhode Island vs. #10 Saint Joseph's or George Mason
7PM: #6 VCU vs. Davidson/UMass winner

Friday March 6th:
11AM: #1 George Washington vs. Saint Louis/GMU--SJU winner
2PM: #4 Duquesne vs. Richmond/St. Bona--La Salle winner
4:30PM: #2 Dayton vs. Rhode Island/SJU--GMU winner
7PM: #3 Fordham vs. VCU/Davidson--UMass winner

Saturday March 7th:
SEMIFINALS at 11AM, 1:30PM

Friday March 8th:
CHAMPIONSHIP at 1PM

The teams and seeds will change, but the format above is what we'll experience March 4th through 8th at the Richmond Coliseum. We hope you will join us!! Buy YOUR tickets at the link at the top of this page.