Remember the heady days of December when people were wondering if the Atlantic 10 was going to get five or even six teams into the NCAA tournament? Those dreams turned out to be as real as Santa Claus, that other December figment of imagination. With the end of the road in sight, the conference is looking like it will be lucky to keep three teams in the dance. It's not hard to see Xavier being joined by only one compatriot. Rhode Island? Losers of two straight at home, swept by UMass and without a single quality league win. Dayton? Injuries have ravaged this once promising outfit but there's a limit to how much courtesy the committee will extend to a team that's got a losing conference record. Last night's loss to La Salle may have been their death knell. Saint Joseph's? They were looking hot for a while but have hit a cold spell and, with a RPI of 54, they are going to find it very hard to jump off the bubble.
That leaves UMass, which was impressive in Rhode Island yesterday. They forced 20 turnovers in the 98-91 win and had three players finish with more than 20 points. They can pressure all over the court and, when on, look as good as any team. They are off just as often as they're on, though, which in this conference leaves you quite vulnerable.
It's fitting that the tournament is in Atlantic City because it's a total crapshoot at this point.
