Big A10 weekend

[SpiderTrap]

This weekend is a big weekend for the A10. Some key games happening in my opinion in order for the league to keep momentum going for NCAA resumes.

UMASS at Dayton - expect Dayton to win. Dayton needs to avoid any upsets at home.

GMU at LaSalle - LaSalle has a good record thanks to weak scheduling, but probably need Mason to win this one. That would move them to 12-4 overall.

Fordham at Bonnies - expect Bonnies to win. Their next game is vs. UMASS at home - they win that and they could enter a game with Dayton at 4-0 in the league.

URI at VCU - toss up here as to which is better for who to win. Balance would probably say better for URI, but if VCU beats them and I expect they will - still good for the league as well.

St. Joes at Davidson - need Davidson to win (St. Joes and Fordham and GW need to be the whipping boys of the league this year).

Duquesne at GW - need Duquesne to win to keep their lofty record intact.

St. Louis at UR - need UR to win this one for Spider at-large aspirations.

Basically need St. Joes, Fordham, and GW to stay near the bottom with LaSalle close by. And need Dayton, VCU, UR, Duquesne to lead the charge up front. Parity is good - but too much of it in a mid-major league like the A10 and it does more harm than good. 4-5 good teams is about all the league needs to rise to the top for a good chance of securing 2-3 bids.

 

[Eight Legger]

It's really early so there are a lot of ways to look at things. Right now I am rooting for whatever helps us finish first in the regular season. So I will be rooting against the other good teams, even though it might hurt their NET and, ultimately, ours. I think it we win the league or finish second, we've got a great chance to earn an at-large, and that's a goal (along with winning the league tourney, of course).

 

[SpiderTrap]

I like the optimism of winning the league, but historically speaking - we just don't win the league. So I would like the good teams to keep winning to increase the NET, as well as the Spiders - take the best of both worlds. If we win the league - then great, nothing to worry about., If we come in 2nd or 3rd - then we still got a shot because of the strength of the league.

 

[VT4700]

Keep in mind if Dayton and VCU beat teams like Rhode island and Duquesne, that could knock them down a quad. If Rhode island and Duquesne beat them, all four of those teams could still be quad 1 games for us. So, like El said, it's really early to even know who we should root for. So, I am with him. I think the best thing now is to root for us to finish first, and whatever results will help with that.

 

[urmite]

For us, not the A-10 overall we want:

Dayton & VCU not to fall much

UR undefeated...

Duquesne, URI & SLU to be above 75

UMass, St Joe, GW, & Fordham to fall as much as possible

GMU, LaSalle & SBU to be above 135

I wonder which of Lasalle winning at home or GMU winning away helps that the most?

 

[VT4700]

I don't think we want any A-10 teams to fall. And, we want Rhode Island top 75.

 

[urmite]

I don't think we want any A-10 teams to fall. And, we want Rhode Island top 75.

Yes, I did leave out URI.

But I do think we want the four I listed to fall, because we want all the rest to rise. And that is who they play.
OK, St Joe can beat Penn...

 

[VT4700]

Yep. I hear you. Maybe a better way to say it is want them to lose, but not fall? Because that could happen. It would be huge to win two out of three out of VCU and Dayton. If we win one out of three, we might need Duquesne to be top 75 when we play them at the end of the year and Rhode island to be top 75. But, I would rather just win enough and beat the right teams and not have to worry about everybody else.

 

[LongTimeLurkerFirstTimePoster]

16 games left. too early for math. Just win and math takes care of itself.

 

[urmite]

16 games left. too early for math. Just win and math takes care of itself.

It is never too early for math. On second day after delivery my first words were “1+1=2””...

But after today we are more than halfway through, and winning the next game becomes more important than all the what if scenarios combined.

 

[spider fan]

The two teams I want to win most are consistent - Spiders and whoever is playing Broad Street U.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

UMass @ Dayton (-19)
RIRams @ VCURams (-8.5)
GMU @ La Salle (-3.5)
FURams @ Bonnies (-12.5)
Joe @ David (-14.5)
Duq (-8) @ GW
Billikens @ Spiders (-5.5)

A few observations:
I disagree that we "need" any particular result around the rest of the league. The best teams will rise to the top over the course of 18 games. What we "need" is to keep winning and stay within striking distance of first place.

The Davidson line surprised me; the way they've been playing I didn't think they'd be two touchdown favorites over anyone.

Our line opened at 6 and has dropped. You can get 5 at some places. The last few times we were single digit favorites that got squeezed were Charleston, ODU and Radford. Make of that what you will.

 

[gcarter52]

St. Joe isn't have a very good season at all, so a dd favorite by Davidson makes some sense.....

 

[spider fan]

Tough to be much more "anemic" than St. Joe's...line reflects their woefulness more than Davidson's prowess...only mystery is how St. Joe's beat UConn.....

 

[urmite]

UMass @ Dayton (-19)
RIRams @ VCURams (-8.5)
GMU @ La Salle (-3.5)
FURams @ Bonnies (-12.5)
Joe @ David (-14.5)
Duq (-8) @ GW
Billikens @ Spiders (-5.5)

A few observations:
I disagree that we "need" any particular result around the rest of the league. The best teams will rise to the top over the course of 18 games. What we "need" is to keep winning and stay within striking distance of first place.

The Davidson line surprised me; the way they've been playing I didn't think they'd be two touchdown favorites over anyone.

Our line opened at 6 and has dropped. You can get 5 at some places. The last few times we were single digit favorites that got squeezed were Charleston, ODU and Radford. Make of that what you will.

Despite their performance so far, if we played at Davidson today I would expect them to open as a 1 point favorite.
The analytics predict a 81-67 Davidson victory over St Joe today.

 

[SpiderRick]

Rams down by 7 at the half to the Rams.

 

[urmite]

Rams down by 7 at the half to the Rams.

I didn’t want to be the first one to say it. I don’t think they have led. They were tied at 9-9.

 

[SpiderRick]

35-28

 

[whampas]

Go Rams of the azul variety.

 

[gospidersgo]

VCU is 11-37 shooting, won't win many games like that.

 

[wr70beh]

Rams down by 7 at the half to the Rams.

 

[gospidersgo]

Down go the Rams

 

[ncspiderfan]

RI 65 VCU 56 final

 

[Spider B]

JMU loses in football, VCU loses to Rhody. Great day so far. Let’s go Spids. Take care of business!

 

[whampas]

Good day so far, VCU LOSES and JMU LOSES IN FOOTBALL.

 

[urmite]

St Joe ends regulation on a 19-6 run to force overtime, but loses after.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

The Davidson line surprised me; the way they've been playing I didn't think they'd be two touchdown favorites over anyone.

Tough to be much more "anemic" than St. Joe's...line reflects their woefulness more than Davidson's prowess...only mystery is how St. Joe's beat UConn.....

Despite their performance so far, if we played at Davidson today I would expect them to open as a 1 point favorite.
The analytics predict a 81-67 Davidson victory over St Joe today.

Ahem

 

[urmite]

Ahem

Aren’t games 32 minutes long? 70-57 Davidson.

I am still curious to see what our line opens at.
But if we win big tonight it may be different.

and can always be wrong...

 

[urmite]

Duquesne out scores GW 6-0 in last 2 minutes to win 66-61.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

*poof*

 

[urmite]

Overall it looks like we have the easiest schedule in the A-10. (Just not the next 5...)
5 Quad 1&2, 10 Quad 3&4.
Of Course, If GMU & the Bonnies win at UMass that could change (for the better).

Now we just need to win a lot of them...

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

Dayton just toying with VCU.
If they keep goofing around they might give VCU a back door cover.

 

[32counter]

Dayton just toying with VCU.
If they keep goofing around they might give VCU a back door cover.