Anything can happen. Regardless of what our statistician says, I believe that our chances of going deep into the tournament while not a probability, is better than 1 or 2%.
RTD: A-10 regular-season upsets inspire widespread confidence
BY JOHN O'CONNOR Richmond Times-Dispatch
Otis Livingston plays point guard for a George Mason team that went 5-13 during the A-10 season and will report as the No. 12 seed to the league tournament that tips off Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Livingston is one of two freshmen who start for the Patriots (11-20). Three other freshmen are among GMU’s nine-man rotation. Mason would be required to win five games in five days to become champion. This doesn’t appear to be an agreeable setup for the Patriots.
Yet Livingston said, “I think we can win it all. I don’t see why not.” The bravado of youth speaking? There may be some of that, but here are four reasons Livingston should feel upbeat:
La Salle 61, Dayton 57.
Duquesne 78, Saint Joseph’s 70.
Saint Louis 65, George Washington 62.
George Mason 76, VCU 69.
In each case, a team that finished among the last four in the A-10 standings stung an opponent that finished among the top five.
“There’s not a game on our schedule in the A-10 this year that you could just show up and win. I’ve never been in a conference like that,” said George Washington's Mike Lonergan, a college head coach since 1992.
Richmond (15-15, 7-11) heads to Brooklyn as the No. 9 seed. Spiders’ guard ShawnDre’ Jones looked at the A-10 tournament bracket and concluded, “All the games we have this week coming up are winnable games.”
UR opens Thursday afternoon with eighth-seeded Fordham (17-12, 8-10), which Richmond beat twice during the regular season. If the Spiders defeat Fordham, top-seeded Dayton (24-6, 14-4) is UR’s next opponent. After trailing by 11 with 11 minutes left, the Flyers won at Richmond 85-84 in the only meeting of the teams.
UR played close games with the other high seeds, apart from an 84-68 loss at St. Bonaventure. Richmond led by 6 at halftime.
“There could be a dark horse in this tournament that could win the whole thing and kind of steal (an NCAA) bid from somebody,” said Spiders' forward T.J. Cline.
Mason opens against Saint Louis (10-20, 5-13) Wednesday evening at the home of the Brooklyn Nets, and features 6-foot-11, 243-pound Shevon Thompson, the league’s leading rebounder (10.5 rpg) and a formidable all-around interior presence. Postseason games in cavernous arenas often become half-court affairs influenced more by power brokers than 3-point shooters.
Mason is a very long shot, as are a few other teams. But at least half of the A-10 membership should arrive in Brooklyn believing they can survive and advance until the weekend. Regular-season upsets demonstrated that even the A-10's big winners are vulnerable.
“Just watching the games this year, everybody beating each other, it kind of gives you a sense that on any given day, any team can beat anybody,” said UR's Jones. “Anything can happen. That definitely boosts your confidence.” (Italics and underlining added).
joconnor@timesdispatch.com
(804) 649-6233
@RTDjohnoconnor
RTD: A-10 regular-season upsets inspire widespread confidence
BY JOHN O'CONNOR Richmond Times-Dispatch
Otis Livingston plays point guard for a George Mason team that went 5-13 during the A-10 season and will report as the No. 12 seed to the league tournament that tips off Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Livingston is one of two freshmen who start for the Patriots (11-20). Three other freshmen are among GMU’s nine-man rotation. Mason would be required to win five games in five days to become champion. This doesn’t appear to be an agreeable setup for the Patriots.
Yet Livingston said, “I think we can win it all. I don’t see why not.” The bravado of youth speaking? There may be some of that, but here are four reasons Livingston should feel upbeat:
La Salle 61, Dayton 57.
Duquesne 78, Saint Joseph’s 70.
Saint Louis 65, George Washington 62.
George Mason 76, VCU 69.
In each case, a team that finished among the last four in the A-10 standings stung an opponent that finished among the top five.
“There’s not a game on our schedule in the A-10 this year that you could just show up and win. I’ve never been in a conference like that,” said George Washington's Mike Lonergan, a college head coach since 1992.
Richmond (15-15, 7-11) heads to Brooklyn as the No. 9 seed. Spiders’ guard ShawnDre’ Jones looked at the A-10 tournament bracket and concluded, “All the games we have this week coming up are winnable games.”
UR opens Thursday afternoon with eighth-seeded Fordham (17-12, 8-10), which Richmond beat twice during the regular season. If the Spiders defeat Fordham, top-seeded Dayton (24-6, 14-4) is UR’s next opponent. After trailing by 11 with 11 minutes left, the Flyers won at Richmond 85-84 in the only meeting of the teams.
UR played close games with the other high seeds, apart from an 84-68 loss at St. Bonaventure. Richmond led by 6 at halftime.
“There could be a dark horse in this tournament that could win the whole thing and kind of steal (an NCAA) bid from somebody,” said Spiders' forward T.J. Cline.
Mason opens against Saint Louis (10-20, 5-13) Wednesday evening at the home of the Brooklyn Nets, and features 6-foot-11, 243-pound Shevon Thompson, the league’s leading rebounder (10.5 rpg) and a formidable all-around interior presence. Postseason games in cavernous arenas often become half-court affairs influenced more by power brokers than 3-point shooters.
Mason is a very long shot, as are a few other teams. But at least half of the A-10 membership should arrive in Brooklyn believing they can survive and advance until the weekend. Regular-season upsets demonstrated that even the A-10's big winners are vulnerable.
“Just watching the games this year, everybody beating each other, it kind of gives you a sense that on any given day, any team can beat anybody,” said UR's Jones. “Anything can happen. That definitely boosts your confidence.” (Italics and underlining added).
joconnor@timesdispatch.com
(804) 649-6233
@RTDjohnoconnor
