A look around Atlantic 10 men's basketball Saturday, and the eight scheduled games. Seven of these games are on television -- a TV-PALOOOZA of A-10 hoops.
Don't forget to us Twitter hashtag #A10MBB when tweeting about tonight's games!
ON TAP FOR THURSDAY (2/14)
XAVIER Musketeers (14-9, 7-3) at DAYTON Flyers (13-11, 3-7) Noon | UD Arena | ESPN2 Series: Dayton leads 84-75 Gamenote: Dayton and Xavier are each other’s most common opponents. The first XU varsity basketball game was against Dayton on Feb. 20, 1920 (UD won 24-18). The two teams have met at least once every year since 1946-47. The teams will play for the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy for the 58th time.
SAINT JOSEPH’S Hawks (14-9, 5-5) at LA SALLE Explorers (17-6, 7-3) 1:00 pm | The Palestra | NBC Sports Network Philadelphia Big 5 Game Series: Saint Joseph’s leads 65-53 Gamenote: The winner will clinch at least a share of the Philadelphia Big 5 title. That winner will have three wins; Temple is currently 2-1. La Salle visits TU on Thursday. Saint Joseph’s is La Salle’s most common opponent with 115 meetings. A total of 54 meetings have been played at the Palestra.
No. 11/10 BUTLER Bulldogs (20-5, 7-3) at FORDHAM Rams (6-19, 2-8) 4:00 pm | Rose Hill Gymnasium | CBS Sports Network Series: Butler leads 1-0 Gamenote: Butler and Fordham are meeting for just the second time. The Bulldogs won the first meeting, 94-80, in the first round of the 1959 National Invitation Tournament in Madison Square Garden. Butler is playing in New York for the first time since Dec. 8, 2009.
TEMPLE Owls (16-8, 5-5) at MASSACHUSETTS Minutemen (16-7, 6-4) 6:00 pm | Mullins Center | CBS Sports Network Series: Temple leads 43-21 Gamenote: This is a rematch of the 2012 A-10 Championship Quarterfinal that saw UMass upset the top-seeded Owls. That win by Massachusetts snapped a three-game losing streak to TU. Temple’s last win at the Mullins Center came in 2011 - a 73-67 in overtime. Three of the last six meetings have needed overtime.
ST. BONAVENTURE Bonnies (11-12, 4-6) at RICHMOND Spiders (14-11, 4-6) 6:00 pm | Robins Center | CBS 6.3/TW Sports (Upstate NY) Series: Richmond leads 12-4 Gamenote: This will be the 17th meeting between the two schools, which had had never met before Richmond joined the Atlantic 10. The teams met twice a year in the regular season for four-straight seasons (2006-09). They have split the last two meetings, with the home team winning each.
CHARLOTTE 49ers (18-6, 6-4) at (RV) SAINT LOUIS Billikens (18-5, 7-2) 7:00 pm | Chaifetz Arena | FOX Sports Midwest Series: Saint Louis leads 14-11 Gamenote: This game will mark the 26th meeting between Charlotte and Saint Louis. SLU defeated the 49ers, 68-67, in their last meeting, Jan. 14, 2012 in Charlotte’s Halton arena. The Billikens also won the last game at Saint Louis, 61-56, Feb. 19, 2011 at Chaifetz arena.
RHODE ISLAND Rams (7-16, 2-8) at DUQUESNE Dukes (8-16, 1-9) 7:00 pm | Palumbo Center Series: Rhody leads 28-24 Gamenote: Duquesne leads games played in Pittsburgh, 12-11 and the two have split the past four meetings. URI has won five in a row at Palumbo Center, with DU’s last home series win coming on Jan. 10, 2001 (83-69). The past six meetings between the two (have been decided by eight or fewer points.
GEORGE WASHINGTON Colonials (11-11, 5-4) at (RV) VCU Rams (20-5, 8-2) 7:30 pm | Seigel Center | CSN Mid-Atlantic Series: VCU leads 3-0 Gamenote: VCU won last year’s BB&T Classic matchup, 75-60, at the Verizon Center. The teams also met in the 2010 CBI at the Smith Center, and the 1978 Virginia Tipoff Tournament in Charlottesville, Va. GW coach Mike Lonergan is two shy of 400 career victories. VCU’s Shaka Smart got his 100th career win this season.
WEEKLIES
Above are the weekly highlights (NEW: 2/14). The 16 A-10 head coaches had their weekly teleconference Monday. Listen to their thoughts by clicking on the AUDIO ARCHIVE.
ON THE TUBE
Saturday, February 16 Xavier at Dayton* | Noon | ESPN2 Saint Joseph’s at La Salle (Palestra)* | 1:00 pm | NBC Sports Network Butler at Fordham* | 4:00 pm | CBS Sports Network Temple at Massachusetts* | 6:00 pm | CBS Sports Network Charlotte at Saint Louis* | 7:00 pm | FOX Sports Midwest George Washington at VCU* | 7:30 pm | CSN Mid-Atlantic
Tuesday, February 19 Duquesne at Butler* | 7:00 pm | MyIndy-TV23/ROOT Sports VCU at Saint Louis* | 9:00 pm | CBS Sports Network
Wednesday, February 20 Fordham at George Washington* | 7:00 pm | CSN Mid-Atlantic Massachusetts at St. Bonaventure* | 7:00 pm | TW Cable Sports (Upstate NY) Xavier at Rhode Island* | 7:00 pm | Ocean State Net. /FOX Sports Ohio
A-10 SCOOP
>>The Atlantic 10 currently has 10 teams in the top 80 of the RPI which is the second most of any league behind the Big East (12).
>>The Atlantic 10 has four teams in Joe Lunardi’s (ESPN) latest Bracketology. He lists Butler, La Salle, Saint Louis and VCU with Temple listed among the first four out. Jerry Palm’s (CBSSports.com) latest bracketology six teams dancing -- the same four as Lunardi plus Temple and Charlotte. He also lists UMass among his first four out.
>>Butler is No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the Coaches’ Poll. In addition, the A-10 has six other teams that have received votes in the AP and ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches Polls. La Salle, Saint Joseph’s, Temple, and Xavier have gotten votes in both polls as have Saint Louis and VCU which are receiving votes this week.
>>The Atlantic 10 has won 19 total games this season over “big six” programs.
>>The A-10 has taken down 11 ranked opponents so far this season. This includes Butler’s overtime win over No. 1 Indiana, the Bulldogs’ buzzer-beater against No. 8 Gonzaga and Temple’s victory over No. 3 Syracuse. Saint Joseph’s, VCU , Saint Louis, La Salle and Charlotte also have Top 25 wins.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Derrick Colter sank two free throws with 2 seconds left as Duquesne edged Temple 84-83 Thursday night, snapping an 11-game losing streak and securing its first Atlantic 10 Conference win of the season.
Dalton Pepper missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Owls, who got a career-high 35 points from Khalif Wyatt, including 15 of 15 free throws.
Freshman Quevyn Winters scored a career-best 22 for the Dukes (8-16, 1-9), who trailed 54-46 with 14:51 remaining. Andre Marhold's dunk and layup then sparked a 9-0 run, pushing Duquesne in front 55-54.
The game was tied twice before the Dukes built a nine-point advantage, at 74-65, with 3:15 remaining.
Temple (16-8, 5-5) climbed back to lead 83-82 with 7 seconds left on Wyatt's three-point play, but Colter hit his foul shots to finish with 17 points.
Marhold had a season-high 15 points and a career-best 15 rebounds for the Dukes.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Treveon Graham scored 19 points and Virginia Commonwealth clinched its seventh consecutive 20-win season by beating Massachusetts 86-68 in the schools' first-ever meeting Thursday night.
VCU (20-5, 8-2 Atlantic 10 Conference) also got 18 points from Melvin Johnson, who hit 8 of 13 shots, including 2 of 4 3-point attempts. Rob Brandenberg added 12 points with four steals - the Rams forced 24 turnovers, including 15 steals, while committing just eight giveaways. VCU entered leading the country with 12 steals and 20.3 turnovers forced per game this season.
UMass led 42-37 at halftime, but VCU opened the second half on a 21-1 run over the first 8 minutes. The win was VCU's fourth straight.
Raphiael Putney scored 19 points with 10 rebounds to lead the Minutemen (16-7, 6-4). Chaz Williams, seventh nationally with 7.1 assists per game, had seven assists and nine rebounds but also committed six turnovers.
