Surveying the Atlantic 10: Where UMass stacks up as the stretch run approaches

Christina Yacono/Daily Collegian

Selection Sunday, as well as the fates of many teams embedded in the fringe of the potential NCAA Tournament landscape, is exactly a month away.

Wait, really?

It’s a bit surprising that within the next month, the 2014-15 season will conclude, conference tournaments will take place and brackets will set as bubbles burst. But that’s exactly where we stand, and if you’re a UMass fan, you’re probably wishing the regular season could prolong.

Unlike last season for the Massachusetts men’s basketball team, in which it felt like the Minutemen were forced to wait an eternity for a bid to the NCAA Tournament, this year’s rendition is just now rounding into shape. UMass sports a six-game winning streak and is tied with three other teams (VCU, URI and Dayton) for first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference. But is it enough?

UMass is a part of a conference which, for the most part, will spend the next month scrambling to separate itself from the pack. This could either help or hurt the Minutemen depending on how the season plays out but also sets up for a potentially thrilling final 30 days within conference play.

Let’s take a look at the conference landscape, with an eye on March Madness. We’ll start with the conference standings.

Dayton (19-5, 9-3 A-10)
Massachusetts (16-9, 9-3)
Rhode Island (17-6, 9-3)
Virginia Commonwealth (19-6, 9-3)
Davidson (17-6, 8-4)
George Washington (17-8, 7-5)
St. Bonaventure (13-10, 6-6)
La Salle (14-11, 6-6)
Richmond (13-12, 6-6)
Saint Joseph’s (11-12, 5-6)
Duquesne (8-15, 3-9)
George Mason (8-16, 3-9)
Saint Louis (10-15, 2-10)
Fordham (6-16, 1-10)

*Bold indicates a tie for first place

Teams that should be in: VCU, Dayton 

Blanchflower headlines busy week for UMass sports

Photo by Maria Uminski/Collegian

 

Amid final exams, graduating seniors and the exodus of students from Amherst for the summer, multiple spring Massachusetts athletic programs continued to grab headlines, with one player’s name making a splash on the national radar.

Former UMass tight end Rob Blanchflower was selected in the 7th round of the 2014 NFL Draft as the 230th overall selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Blanchflower, who missed six games of his senior season due to a bilateral sports hernia injury, privately met with the Steelers in the weeks leading up the draft and was their ninth and final draft selection. He’s the third former Minutemen player drafted in the last four years, joining Vladimir Ducasse (New York Jets) and Michael Cox (New York Giants) as UMass alumni to find a home professionally via the draft.

Blanchflower will be made available for comment on Monday by the Steelers.

Pregame notes: UMass vs. VCU (Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals)

UMass point guard Chaz Williams takes the ball up the court against VCU in the two teams’ meeting back on Feb. 14. Photo courtesy MCT

NEW YORK — Greetings once again from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where the sixth-seeded UMass men’s basketball team is set to take on second-seeded Virginia Commonwealth this afternoon in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

• Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• 4 p.m. EST
• All-time series: VCU leads 1-0
• Pregame reads: UMass advances to A-10 semis with thrilling win over Temple / Minutemen shut down Temple star Khalif Wyatt / UMass survives GW in first round with clutch plays / Minutemen beat GW in spite of deficiencies
• Live stats: GameTracker / TV: CBS Sports Network / Radio: WEEI 105.5 FM … WMUA 91.1 
• Twitter: @MDC_Sports / @Stephen_Sellner / @steve_hewitt
  

GAME NOTES

• To put it bluntly, the first time these two teams met back on Valentine’s Day wasn’t exactly ideal for UMass. After the Minutemen took a five-point lead into halftime, VCU turned up its “Havoc” defense to a ridiculous level and opened the half on a 21-1 run en route to an 86-68 blowout victory in Richmond, Va., and it wasn’t even really as close as the score indicated.
• For the Minutemen, it’ll be helpful to know exactly what to expect from the Rams, but how that translates on the court is a different story. They have much less time to prepare and are coming off zero rest after back-to-back wins over GW and Temple on Thursday and Friday, the latter of which an exhausting affair that will leave them fatigued as they tip just 17 hours after.
• VCU is coming off an 82-79 victory over 10th-seeded Saint Joseph’s on Friday night.
• The winner of this one will take on the winner of the other semifinal game between top-seeded Saint Louis and fifth-seeded Butler in tomorrow’s championship game.

PROJECTED STARTERS

• UMass: Chaz Williams | Freddie Riley | Terrell Vinson | Sampson Carter | Cady Lalanne
  
• VCU: Darius Theus | Rob Brandenburg | Troy Daniels | Treveon Graham | Juvonte Reddic

Be sure to follow along on Twitter with Stephen Hewitt @steve_hewitt and Stephen Sellner @Stephen_Sellner for live updates from the Barclays Center.

Atlantic 10 roundup, Volume 10

Saint Louis is on a 9-game winning streak and on top of the Atlantic 10. Photo courtesy MCT

And just like that, we’re about two weeks away from Brooklyn and the Atlantic 10 tournament. In the great words of Bart Scott, “CAN’T WAIT!”

Countdown to the A-10 tournament at Barclays Center in Brooklyn: 17 days

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7 | Volume 8 | Volume 9

POWER RANKINGS

In 140 characters or less, like on Twitter, I’ll explain my picks.

1. Saint Louis h (21-5, 10-2 A-10): Last week, I guaranteed the Billikens would move to No. 1 here with wins over VCU and Butler. I’m true to my word.

2. Virginia Commonwealth (22-6, 10-3 A-10): Want to use this space to let you know that overcoming a 17-point deficit at Xavier is one of the hardest things to do in the country.

3. Butler (22-6, 9-4 A-10): Still wondering if Butler peaked too early. Also of note, they’re winless this season against teams in the top four of the A-10.

4. La Salle (19-7, 9-4 A-10): The Explorers are good — very good — but are they good enough to leap into the top three of the A-10? I can’t wait to find out.

5. Temple (19-8, 8-5 A-10): After losing to lowly Duquesne, the Owls have reeled off wins at UMass, vs. La Salle & at Charlotte to leap back into the NCAA tourney hunt.

6. Xavier (15-11, 8-5 A-10): I hate the loss against VCU, but XU played well enough to beat them for most of the game, which should count for something, IMO.

7. UMass (17-9, 7-6 A-10): The loss to the Bonnies could easily derail UMass’ NCAA tournament hopes. They’ll need a REALLY strong finish to get there.

8. Charlotte (18-8, 6-6 A-10): Consider this: The 49ers are 3-6 in their last 9 games. That’s not going to impress the selection committee.

9. Saint Joseph’s (15-10, 6-6 A-10): For as bad as this season has been for the Hawks, a win vs. SLU this week could give them some much-needed momentum for the home stretch.

10. Richmond (16-11, 6-6 A-10): The Spiders can easily win three of their last four here. A 9-7 record in this conference isn’t too shabby.

11. George Washington (12-13, 6-6 A-10): Colonials once looked like a sleeper, but now has fallen off. The game against Richmond this week is crucial.

12. St. Bonaventure (13-13, 6-7 A-10): Back-to-back wins this week, which is far more than I can say about the rest of this bottom tier.

13. Dayton (14-12, 4-8 A-10)
14. Rhode Island (8-18, 3-10 A-10)
15. Fordham (6-22, 2-11 A-10)
16. Duquesne (8-19, 1-12 A-10)

Atlantic 10 roundup, Volume 9

After wins over UMass and George Washington last week, Virginia Commonwealth is in sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10. Photo courtesy MCT

Crunch time. We’ve finally reached the part of the season when the top teams are beginning to separate themselves and we can make pretty accurate guesses as to who we will be seeing next month in Brooklyn for what should be one of the most exciting conference tournaments in the country. Buckle up your seat belts, folks, this is going to be an exciting few weeks of basketball.

Countdown to the A-10 tournament at Barclays Center in Brooklyn: 24 days

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7 | Volume 8

POWER RANKINGS

In 140 characters or less, like on Twitter, I’ll explain my picks.

1. Virginia Commonwealth (20-5, 9-2 A-10): That’s right, for the first time all year, Butler is out of first here. The Rams were just way too good last week. At their peak.

2. Saint Louis (19-5, 8-2 A-10): SLU has won 7 in a row and playing as well as anyone. Wins against VCU + Butler this week will vault them to No. 1 next week, guaranteed.

3. Butler (21-5, 8-3 A-10): Did the Bulldogs hit their peak too early in the season?

4. La Salle (18-6, 8-3 A-10): The Explorers are quickly becoming a darkhorse to win the A-10 when the conference convenes on Brooklyn next month.

5. Charlotte (18-7, 6-5 A-10): I’m STILL not sold on Charlotte. After a huge win at Butler, the 49ers laid an egg at SLU. But they’ve played a brutal sched in February.

6. Temple (17-8, 6-5 A-10): The Owls saved face after giving Duquesne its first league victory with a clutch win at UMass. But the bubble is close to bursting for them.

7. UMass (16-8, 6-5 A-10): It’s danger zone for the Minutemen to make the Dance after losing to VCU and Temple. They can’t really have any more slip-ups.

8. Xavier (14-10, 7-4 A-10): The Muskies are technically 5th in the A-10 right now, which all things considered, is pretty amazing.

9. George Washington (11-12, 5-5 A-10): It’s honestly a crapshoot from 9-13. I’m not going to punish the Colonials for losing to VCU.

10. Saint Joseph’s (14-10, 5-6 A-10): No idea what happened to this team. They’re a real head-scratcher.

11. Richmond (15-11, 5-6 A-10): Despite this ranking, the Spiders have an RPI of 85. They’re capable, but they haven’t found much consistency this season.

12. Dayton (14-11, 4-7 A-10): The Flyers move up by virtue of beating Xavier and because St. Bonaventure lost twice.

13. St. Bonaventure (11-13, 4-7 A-10)
14. Rhode Island (8-16, 3-8 A-10)
15. Fordham (6-20, 2-9 A-10)
16. Duquesne (8-17, 1-10 A-10)

Atlantic 10 roundup, Volume 6

Virginia Commonwealth and its “Havoc” defense extended its winning streak to 13 games with two more victories last week. Photo courtesy MCT

The Atlantic 10 followed up its first week of conference play with a memorable second week that included upsets, buzzer-beaters and absolute craziness. Catch up with the latest power rankings, highlights and more.

Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5

POWER RANKINGS

In 140 characters or less, like on Twitter, I’ll explain my picks.

1. Butler (16-2, 3-0 A-10): Whenever VCU makes a case for me to change this, the Bulldogs do something like they did Saturday – win at the buzzer against Gonzaga.

2. Virginia Commonwealth (16-3, 4-0 A-10): The Rams somehow beat Saint Joseph’s in OT, but believe this: It’s Butler and VCU and then everybody else right now.

3. Temple (12-5, 2-2 A-10): I still like the Owls this high even after losing to St. Bonaventure and barely beating GW. Their potential is through the roof. Stuff like this happens.

4. Saint Louis (12-5, 1-2 A-10): The Billikens stay here because I wasn’t impressed enough with the below teams to move them. But losing to URI at home? Yeesh.

5. UMass (12-5, 2-2 A-10): Their roof undoubtedly lowers with Jesse Morgan’s injury. Minutemen need Chaz to be Chaz and Raphiael Putney to wake up to have a shot.

6. Charlotte (15-3, 3-1 A-10): Yes, they are 15-3, but their only A-10 wins are against La Salle, URI and Fordham, and they were blown out by Richmond. Still not sold.

7. Xavier (11-6, 4-0 A-10): Whoa! The three unbeaten teams in the A-10 are Butler, VCU and … Xavier? Remember when I writing them off? Good times.

8. Saint Joseph’s (10-6, 1-2 A-10): I’m actually giving the Hawks credit for almost beating Butler and VCU. That’s very hard to start conference play with. Could have won both.

9. La Salle (12-5, 2-2 A-10): This isn’t so much an indictment on LSU as it is just a lack of quality wins, but they can change that with games vs. Butler/VCU this week.

10. Dayton (10-7, 0-3 A-10): They’re not getting blown out, but not winning either. I still think the Flyers can make noise this season though.

11. Richmond (12-7, 2-2 A-10): Nice win for the Spiders against Charlotte. Can they keep the good vibes going against VCU and UMass?

12. George Washington (8-9, 2-2 A-10): The Colonials nearly pulled off an upset against Temple, but then won a tough road game at UMass. May be better than some think.

13. St. Bonaventure (8-9, 1-3 A-10): Anyone still think the A-10 isn’t deep after the Bonnies went to Temple and upset the Owls?

14. Rhode Island (6-10, 1-2 A-10): Last week I said the Rams were better than 16th, then they went out and beat SLU on the road. It’s fun when things work out like that.

15. Fordham (5-13, 1-2 A-10): With the veterans they have, I want to like Fordham, but they need to start proving something to me.

16. Duquesne (7-11, 0-4 A-10): I’ll keep this short: It’s going to be a long year for the Dukes.

Atlantic 10 roundup, Volume 5

Butler’s Rotnei Clarke (left) and Saint Joseph’s’ Langston Galloway battle for a ball during the Atlantic 10 opener last week. Photo courtesy MCT

The first week of conference play is officially in the books, which means it’s time for the latest Atlantic 10 roundup. Apologies if you’ve been waiting. I had a long day yesterday, but you’ll get over it.

POWER RANKINGS

In 140 characters or less, like on Twitter, I’ll explain my picks.

1. Butler (14-2, 2-0 A-10): The Bulldogs had two tough road tests to open their inaugural A-10 schedule, but took care of business. They’ll stay at the top spot.

2. Virginia Commonwealth (14-3, 2-0 A-10): Like Butler, also started off its inaugural A-10 sched with two good wins. Rams haven’t lost since Nov. 24.

3. Temple (11-4, 1-1 A-10): Owls get ahead of Saint Louis by virtue of beating the them at home on Saturday. Otherwise, a loss to Xavier would have pushed them down.

4. Saint Louis (12-4, 1-1 A-10): SLU is much better than it showed Saturday vs. Temple. Playing on less than two days rest after beating UMass didn’t help matters.

5. UMass (11-4, 1-1 A-10): Minutemen almost stole one at SLU without Jesse Morgan and I believe they’re starting to finally hit their potential.

6. Charlotte (14-2, 2-0 A-10): OK, I’ll give the 49ers credit for starting 2-0 in conference play, and a 14-2 record is pretty impressive regardless of their weak schedule.

7. La Salle (11-4, 1-1 A-10): Losing to Charlotte surprised me a bit, but the Explorers have enough firepower to bounce back, which they did against Richmond.

8. Saint Joseph’s (9-5, 1-1 A-10): Really tough, close loss to Butler to start A-10 play, but it showed me they could definitely end up living up to their preseason hype.

9. Xavier (9-6, 2-0 A-10): XU is starting to make my head hurt. They’ve beaten Butler/Temple this year, yet have lost to Pacific/Wofford. Wild stuff.

10. Dayton (10-6, 0-2 A-10): Playing VCU, then Butler to start A-10 play isn’t really fair, but I couldn’t justify keeping the Flyers higher.

11. Richmond (11-6, 1-1 A-10): I expected more out of the Spiders at home vs. URI. UR is still a tough cookie to crack right now.

12. George Washington (7-8, 1-1 A-10): Last week I said GW scored 38 points against Sacred Heart. Turns out I read the score wrong, so I’m moving them up two spots. Sorry.

13. St. Bonaventure (7-8, 0-2 A-10): Judging who’s the best of the worst is some chore, I’ll tell you, but the Bonnies played VCU close, something that is hard to do.

14. Fordham (5-12, 1-1 A-10): I don’t think the Rams are rising, but I’ll give them credit for starting A-10 play strong. Almost came back and beat UMass.

15. Duquesne (7-9, 0-2 A-10): The Dukes really have no impressive wins this season, and they lost to Fordham. Not really much going for them.

16. Rhode Island (5-10, 0-2 A-10): I do think the Rams are better than this ranking.