2009 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on March 10, 2009

a-10-31009The 2009 edition of the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament tips from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Wednesday, March 11th and continues through Saturday, March 14th. You can catch the conference tournament championship game on ESPN 2. The Xavier Musketeers have earned the No. 1 seed by winning the conference regular season title for the second straight year, bit Xavier was not able to bring home the hardware last season as St. Joseph’s beat the Musketeers in the semifinals. Will that loss have Xavier going after the trophy hard in 2009? Jimmy Boyd breaks down the favorite and takes a look at the team with the best shot at knocking off the Musketeers in this predictions article. Bet the 2009 Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bookmaker.

The Favorite: Xavier Musketeers
Xavier won the Atlantic 10 by one game with a 12-4 mark over three teams which tied for second (Dayton, Rhode Island, Temple). The Musketeers won 11 straight games after Christmas and then got a little complacent, going 4-4 the rest of the way out. They even lost their last game of the season to Richmond as they already had the conference title wrapped up. This is a team which needs motivation and it should have it after ending the regular season on a sour note and not coming away with the tournament title last year. This Xavier team is one I believe can make it back to the Elite Eight. The Musketeers are led by sharp shooter B.J. Raymond and his 13.8 points per game. Derek Brown also shoots over 40 percent from three point range and guard CJ Anderson is capable of filling it up as well. Xavier is a dangerous three point shooting team, averaging nearly 40 percent as a unit, and it is one of the very best defensive teams when it decides to get down and dirty on that end.

Another Team That Can Win: Dayton Flyers
Dayton is probably the last team the Musketeers would want to see in the championship game because the Flyers always play them tough. In fact, Dayton has a double digit win over Xavier this season. Dayton is 25-6 on the season and has an excellent non-conference win over Marquette this season. The Flyers are the next best team in the league and a squad that doesn’t fear the Musketeers in the least. The Flyers are led by forward Chris Wright and guard Marcus Johnson. Both players came up big in Dayton’s win over Xavier. The one thing you never have to question about this team is how badly they want it.

2008 Atlantic 10 Conference Recap:
It wasn’t No. 1 seed Xavier, but No. 2 seed Temple which won the 2008 edition of this tournament. The Owls rode the fantastic shooting of tournament MVP Dionte Christmas to capture Temple’s 7th tournament title and the first for head coach Fran Dunphy. The Owls received a No. 12 seed in the Big Dance and gave Michigan State a run for their money in round one before the Spartans pulled away down the stretch.

Beat the college basketball odds this March by doing your basketball betting on Jimmy Boyd’s red hot NCAA basketball picks.