Okay the NBA draft is over and most of the big names have returned this how I see the A10 Shaping up for next season…Keep in mind in the top half the seperation is by degrees
1.George Washington
2.Temple
3.Xavier
4.St Joe’s
5.Charlotte
6.UMass
7.Dayton
8.Fordham
9.Richmond
10.La Salle
11.Duquesne
12.Rhode Island
13.St Louis
14.St Bonny
you have dayton wayyy too low. they are gonna be NASTY
he has charlotte too low keep in mind when george washington beat us in 2003-2004 curtis was suspended for a team violation…and they barely beat us then…and we are about 30 times nastier next season so it should be more like this…
charlotte has to be #1.
temple is going to blow again!!
i’m giving temple credit for their crazy OOC schedule that they always manage to get
Yeah, you’re not gonna win many hearts posting us 5th in a WEAK A-10. Can’t possibly see us being that low. If we don’t finish 1st or 2nd next season, it’ll be a MAJOR disappointment. I know we’re losing 3 of 5 starters, but we have Curtis and Mitch coming back, with our entire bench returning too with some stud newcomers. 3rd or less would be awfully bad. Unacceptable actually.
-G-
[i]Originally posted by GMadness[/i]@Jul 1 2005, 03:21 AM [b] Yeah, you're not gonna win many hearts posting us 5th in a WEAK A-10. Can't possibly see us being that low. If we don't finish 1st or 2nd next season, it'll be a MAJOR disappointment. I know we're losing 3 of 5 starters, but we have Curtis and Mitch coming back, with our entire bench returning too with some stud newcomers. 3rd or less would be awfully bad. Unacceptable actually. -G- [/b]3 of 5? We lose Eddie and Plav. Iti doesn't count.
We will be a better team than we were last year. We will be much better on D and as long as Lee doesn’t think he needs to take up for Plav’s shot selection, we should be far more balanced on O.
We should win this league, anything else would be a downer IMO.
I’ll agree that gw, xavier st.joes and dayton are all going to be tough competition but i can’t see temple, unless full contact is allowed now. Do they have a great class coming in or is it just respect for chaney?
No way does Temple finish second. Charlotte, Dayton and GWU will battle it out for 1 thru 3
Im tellin you Dayton will be GOOD next year. They were 18 and 11 last year, and had one stretch where they won 11 of 13. They return almost everyone from that team. They were mostly freshman and sophmores with a few juniors. I hope we dont underestimate these underrated A10 teams. GW will be a force as well with their returning star players.
Niners will finish 1, 2, or 3. GW & Dayton in the mix. Lutz made a good point in the disturber this morning, teams will be after us, we will be considered on of the top dogs in this conference.
[i]Originally posted by 49erCC[/i]@Jul 1 2005, 12:08 PM [b] Lutz made a good point in the disturber this morning, teams will be after us, we will be considered on of the top dogs in this conference. [/b]I noticed that too and thought it was a good point. For years we have been the underrated team that sneaks up on the "bigger" teams. Now we will be playing with a target on our backs and everyone in that league will be giving it their all to knock us off.
[i]Originally posted by Chisox17[/i]@Jul 1 2005, 01:49 PM [b] I noticed that too and thought it was a good point. For years we have been the underrated team that sneaks up on the "bigger" teams. Now we will be playing with a target on our backs and everyone in that league will be giving it their all to knock us off. [/b]Definately a good point chisox, do you think that being at the top will make for less nailbiters that end in 66-62 victories or will we get rolled, I think this first year will be a great gage for just how good lutz is.
First off I know the A10 was really down last year (1 NCAA bid), but the year before that they had 4 NCAA bids. Temple played close games against Duke, Maryland, and Wake Forest last season on lost 1 reserve. With Temple and Xavier getting all starters back they are gonna be very good. UMass, GWU and Dayton only lose 1 starter. La Salle and Duquesne should be improved. Basically I don’t see the A10 being week this year…I think we will get 3 or 4 NCAA bids next year. I’m not trying to disrespect Charlotte I just think the competition is gonna be stiff next year. The difference between 1st and 6th isn’t that much…Go A10
I can see 5 teams getting into the tourney from the A10, seriously. Charlotte, Dayton, GWU, Xavier, and Temple.
We (the A-10), just need to make sure and make some noise out of conference. My biggest fear is that we just beat up on each other and so we will not be viewed the same b/c we are not a “major” conference. You can go .500 in the ACC and get an invite, but I don’t think they will take an A-10 school with a .500 conference mark.
Back to the true topic, I see us finishing 2nd behind GW and then winning the new Lutz invitational (A-10 tourney).
My 2 Cents
Dayton and Xavier are good schools, but realistically Charlotte has been in the Mix with Louisville, Cincy, Marquette, Memphis, etc. for years in and years out. No way Charlotte doesn’t crack top 3 in the A-10. I’m not saying we’ll win the thing b/c I’m not that arrogant. However I don’t expect to be mid pack after being a top team in a better conference.
I don’t think we will finish worse then 4th in this league.
Until October 15th, I can’t narrow it down any better than this…
These teams are capable of being #1-#4 (in any order)- GW, Charlotte, Dayton, St Joes
Above average teams, but not as good as the top 4 - Xavier, Temple
Sleepers - UMass & Fordham
The rest of the league is playing because someone offered most of them scholarships to play.
First of all, welcome to the A-10. I am pumped to see such a quality addition to the league. Although I know that Saint Louis had a down year last year, I think that they will be a quality addition over the long haul also.
I don’t know your team in detail at this point, but have have seen enough over the last few years to convince me that you are coming into the league as a contender among the top teams.
This is the way I see the league pre-season:
Top teams contending for the title: George Washington, Charlotte, Dayton, St. Joseph’s, Xavier
Teams at next level: UMass, Temple
Middle of pack: Fordham, Rhode Island, Saint Louis, Richmond
Bottom: LaSalle, Duquesne, St. Bonaventure
These are some of my impressions of the top teams in this league.
G.W. - Freakish athleticism, lots of depth, they play undiscplined by design, lots of steals, lots of turnovers, they desire a very uptempo game.
Charlotte - ???
Dayton - Still young, good 3 pt shooting, good defense and hustle, lack the size inside to have an effective post game. Lots of young talent. Lots of fan support at home and on the road.
St. Joes - Best coaching in the league, have had a steady supply talented recruits in the last few years, good defense due to the length of players and Jones to swat penetration in the middle.
Xavier - Traditional power in the league. Good size and strength in the line-up. Thin at point gaurd (will freshmen help?). High talent level throughout the team. Most obnoxious message board in NCAA 
(You must understand the UD - XU blood feud to fully appreciate this comment)
I looked into my crystal ball and noticed Charlotte, Dayton, and GW finishing in a 3 way tie for first.