2017–18 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball season

The 2017–18 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball season was the 42nd season of Atlantic 10 Conference basketball. The season began with practices in October 2017, followed by the start of the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. League play began in late December and ended on March 3, 2018.

2017–18 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportBasketball
Number of teams14
TV partner(s)CBSSN, NBCSN, CBS
Regular season
Season championsRhode Island
Season MVPJaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure & Peyton Aldridge, Davidson
Tournament
ChampionsDavidson
  Runners-upRhode Island
2017–18 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Rhode Island15–3 .833  26–8  .765
St. Bonaventure14–4 .778  26–8  .765
Davidson †13–5 .722  21–12  .636
Saint Joseph's10–8 .556  16–16  .500
VCU9–9 .500  18–15  .545
Saint Louis9–9 .500  17–16  .515
George Mason9–9 .500  16–17  .485
Richmond9–9 .500  12–20  .375
Dayton8–10 .444  14–17  .452
Duquesne7–11 .389  16–16  .500
George Washington7–11 .389  15–18  .455
La Salle7–11 .389  13–19  .406
Massachusetts5–13 .278  13–20  .394
Fordham4–14 .222  9–22  .290
† 2018 A10 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

With a win over La Salle on February 20, 2018, Rhode Island clinched at least a share of the A-10 regular season championship, their first title since 1981.[1] Three days later, the Rams clinched an outright A-10 title for the first time in school history.[2]

The 2018 A-10 Tournament was held at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. from March 7 through 11, 2018. Davidson defeated Rhode Island in the championship game to win the tournament and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.[3]

Davidson, Rhode Island, and St. Bonaventure were invited to the NCAA Tournament. The schools went a combined 2–3 in tournament play.

Head coaches

Coaching changes

George Washington head coach Mike Lonergan was fired on September 17, 2016, after the school concluded a two-month investigation into alleged emotional abuse against his players.[4][5] Maurice Joseph was named interim head coach on September 27.[6][7] On March 27, 2017, the school removed the interim tag and named Maurice Joseph full-time head coach.[8]

On March 9, 2017, UMass fired head coach Derek Kellogg after nine years and a 155–137 record.[9] On March 31, the school announced they had hired Chattanooga head coach Matt McCall.

Will Wade left VCU to take the head coaching position at LSU following the firing of Johnny Jones.[10] On March 21, 2017 the school hired Rice head coach Mike Rhoades, who had served as associate head coach under Shaka Smart from 2009–2014.[11]

Duquesne fired head coach Jim Ferry on March 13, 2017 after five seasons.[12] The school then hired Akron head coach Keith Dambrot on March 28.[13] Dambrot had a 305-139 record in his 13 years as the Akron head coach.

On March 25, 2017, Dayton head coach Archie Miller left the school to accept the head coaching position at Indiana.[14][15] The school hired Dayton alum Anthony Grant as the new head coach on March 30.[16]

Coaches
Team Head coach Previous job Seasons at school Overall record A-10 record A-10 Championships NCAA Tournaments NCAA Final Fours NCAA Championships
Davidson Bob McKillop Long Island Lutheran High School 29 554–330 (.627) 45–27 (.625) 1 9 0 0
Dayton Anthony Grant Oklahoma City Thunder (asst.) 1 14–17 (.452) 8–10 (.444) 0 0 0 0
Duquesne Keith Dambrot Akron 1 16–16 (.500) 7–11 (.389) 0 3 0 0
Fordham Jeff Neubauer Eastern Kentucky 3 39–55 (.415) 19–33 (.365) 0 0 0 0
George Mason Dave Paulsen Bucknell 3 47–52 (.475) 23–30 (.434) 0 0 0 0
George Washington Maurice Joseph George Washington (asst.) 2 35–33 (.515) 17–19 (.472) 0 0 0 0
La Salle John Giannini Maine 14 212–226 (.484) 99–131 (.430) 0 1 0 0
UMass Matt McCall Chattanooga 1 13–20 (.394) 5–13 (.278) 0 1 0 0
Rhode Island Dan Hurley Wagner 6 113–82 (.579) 58–46 (.558) 1 2 0 0
Richmond Chris Mooney Air Force 13 237–195 (.549) 118–97 (.549) 0 2 0 0
Saint Joseph's Phil Martelli Saint Joseph's (asst.) 23 430–309 (.582) 212–164 (.564) 6 7 0 0
Saint Louis Travis Ford Oklahoma State 2 29–37 (.439) 15–21 (.417) 0 0 0 0
St. Bonaventure Mark Schmidt Robert Morris 11 192–152 (.558) 95–89 (.516) 1 2 0 0
VCU Mike Rhoades Rice 1 18–15 (.545) 9–9 (.500) 0 0 0 0

Notes:

  • All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
  • Overall and A-10 records are from time at current school and include the 2017–18 season.

Preseason

Preseason poll

Prior to the season at the conference's annual media day, awards and a poll were chosen by a panel of the league's head coaches and select media members.[17]

Rank Team
1Rhode Island (27)
2St. Bonaventure (1)
3Saint Joseph's
4VCU
5Dayton
6Davidson
7Saint Louis
8Richmond
9La Salle
10George Mason
11George Washington
12Massachusetts
13Fordham
14Duquesne
(first place votes)

Preseason All-Conference Teams
Award Recipients
Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team Peyton Aldridge, Davidson
E. C. Matthews, Rhode Island
Jaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure
Matt Mobley, St. Bonaventure
Justin Tillman, VCU
Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Second Team Yuta Watanabe, George Washington
B. J. Johnson, La Salle
Jared Terrell, Rhode Island
De'Monte Buckingham, Richmond
Shavar Newkirk, Saint Joseph's
Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Third Team Mike Lewis II, Duquesne
Joseph Chartouny, Fordham
Otis Livingston, George Mason
Charlie Brown, Jr., Saint Joseph's
Lamarr Kimble, Saint Joseph's

Regular season

Early season tournaments
Team Tournament Finish
Davidson Diamond Head Classic 7th
Dayton Charleston Classic 6th
George Mason Cancun Challenge 4th
George Washington Las Vegas Invitational 4th
La Salle Hall of Fame Tip Off 4th
UMass Barclays Center Classic 0–2
Rhode Island NIT Season Tip-Off 2nd
Richmond Cayman Islands Classic 4th
Saint Joseph's Wooden Legacy 7th
Saint Louis 2K Sports Classic 2nd
St. Bonaventure Emerald Coast Classic 2nd
VCU Maui Invitational 6th

Conference matrix

This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play. Each team played 18 conference games: one game vs. eight opponents and two games against five opponents.

  Davidson Dayton Duquesne Fordham GM GW La Salle UMass Rhode Island Richmond St. Joseph's St. Louis St. Bonaventure VCU
vs. Davidson –1–00–10–20–10–20–10–11–12–00–10–11–10–1
vs. Dayton 0–1–1–10–11–00–11–02–02–00–11–01–10–11–1
vs. Duquesne 1–01–1–1–10–10–20–11–01–01–01–01–12–01–0
vs. Fordham 2–01–01–1–0–11–02–00–11–00–12–01–01–02–0
vs. George Mason 1–00–11–01–0–1–11–00–21–01–10–20–11–01–1
vs. George Washington 2–01–02–00–11–1–0–10–11–01–10–11–01–01–1
vs. La Salle 1–00–11–00–20–11–0–1–12–01–01–11–11–01–0
vs. UMass 1–00–20–11–02–01–01–1–2–01–01–11–01–01–0
vs. Rhode Island 1–10–20–10–10–10–10–20–2–0–11–00–11–10–1
vs. Richmond 0–21–00–11–01–11–10–10–11–0–1–02–01–00–2
vs. Saint Joseph's 1–00–10–10–22–01–01–11–10–10–1–1–01–10–1
vs. Saint Louis 1–01–11–10–11–00–11–10–11–00–20–1–2–01–0
vs. St. Bonaventure 1–11–00–20–10–10–10–10–11–10–11–10–2–0–1
vs. VCU 1–01–10–10–21–11–10–10–11–02–01–00–11–0–
Total 13–58–107–114–149–96–107–117–1115–39–910–89–914–49–9

Conference Awards

On March 6, 2018, the Atlantic 10 announced its conference awards.[18]

Award Recipients
Coach of the Year Dan Hurley, Rhode Island
Player of the Year Peyton Aldridge, Davidson

Jaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure

Defensive Player of the Year Yuta Watanabe, George Washington
Rookie of the Year Kellan Grady, Davidson
Chris Daniels Most Improved Player of the Year Luwane Pipkins, Massachusetts

LaDarien Griffin, St. Bonaventure

Sixth Man of the Year Tarin Smith, Duquesne
First Team Peyton Aldridge, Davidson

Jared Terrell, Rhode Island

Jaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure

Matt Mobley, St. Bonaventure

Justin Tillman, VCU

Second Team Kellan Grady, Davidson

Otis Livingston II, George Mason

B. J. Johnson, La Salle

Luwane Pipkins, Massachusetts

Shavar Newkirk, Saint Joseph's

Third Team Josh Cunningham, Dayton

Yuta Watanabe, George Washington

E. C. Matthews, Rhode Island

Grant Golden, Richmond

James Demery, Saint Joseph's

All-Academic Team Joseph Chartouny, Fordham

Prokop Slanina, Fordham

Patrick Steeves, George Washington

B. J. Johnson, La Salle

Jeff Dowtin, Rhode Island

All-Defensive Team Joseph Chartouny, Fordham

Yuta Watanabe, George Washington

Stanford Robinson, Rhode Island

Javon Bess, Saint Louis

Justin Tillman, VCU

All-Rookie Team Kellan Grady, Davidson

Jalen Crutcher, Dayton

Eric Williams, Jr., Duquesne

Grant Golden, Richmond

Hasahn French, Saint Louis

Postseason

2018 A-10 Tournament
Main article: 2018 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament
  First round
Wednesday, March 7
Stadium		 Second round
Thursday, March 8
NBCSN		 Quarterfinals
Friday, March 9
NBCSN		 Semifinals
Saturday, March 10
CBSSN		 Championship
Sunday, March 11
CBS
                                               
1 Rhode Island 76  
    8 VCU 67  
8 VCU 77
9 Dayton 72  
  1 Rhode Island 90  
  4 Saint Joseph's 87  
4 Saint Joseph's 68
    5 George Mason 49  
5 George Mason 80
    13 Massachusetts 75  
12 La Salle 67
13 Massachusetts 69  
1 Rhode Island 57
3 Davidson 58
2 St. Bonaventure 83  
    7 Richmond 77  
7 Richmond 81
10 Duquesne 68  
  2 St. Bonaventure 70
  3 Davidson 82  
3 Davidson 78
    6 Saint Louis 60  
6 Saint Louis 70
    11 George Washington 63  
11 George Washington 78
14 Fordham 72  

* denotes overtime period

NCAA Tournament
Main article: 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament

The winner of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, Davidson, received the conference's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Two other conference school received at-large bids to the Tournament: Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure.

Seed Region School First Four First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Championship
7 Midwest Rhode Island N/A defeated (10) Oklahoma 83–78OT eliminated by (2) Duke 62–87
11 South St. Bonaventure defeated (11) UCLA 65–58 eliminated by (6) Florida 62–77
12 South Davidson N/A eliminated by (5) Kentucky 73–78
W–L (%): 1–0 (1.000) 1–2 (.333) 0–1 (.000) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) Total: 2–3 (.400)
gollark: The US hasn't handled it well itself.
gollark: The "try and cover it up" thing wasn't very good of them.
gollark: Also, lots of minor vaguely relevant habits will stick around.
gollark: It'll spark a bunch of people talking about how it'll change society forever, but people will mostly forget in a few decades until the next one comes along.
gollark: We may have to stop licking eyeballs as a greeting, for instance.

References
  1. "Rhode Island vs. La Salle - Game Recap - February 20, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  2. "Dayton vs. Rhode Island - Game Recap - February 23, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  3. "Davidson vs. Rhode Island - Game Recap - March 11, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  4. "Mike Lonergan is out as GW basketball coach after investigation into verbal abuse". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  5. "George Washington fires Lonergan amid inquiry". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  6. "GW basketball promotes Maurice Joseph to interim coach to replace Mike Lonergan". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  7. "George Washington names Maurice Joseph interim coach in wake of Lonergan firing". USA Today. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  8. "GW names Maurice Joseph full-time men's basketball coach". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  9. "UMass fires basketball coach Derek Kellogg - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  10. "VCU's Will Wade hired as next coach at LSU". ESPN. espn.com. March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  11. "VCU moves quickly to hire Mike Rhoades from Rice to fill coaching vacancy". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  12. Spencer, Sarah K. (March 13, 2017). "Jim Ferry out as Duquesne men's basketball coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  13. Goodman, Jeff (March 28, 2017). "Akron's Keith Dambrot taking Duquesne coaching job". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  14. Goodman, Jeff; Katz, Andy (March 25, 2017). "Hoosiers hire Dayton's Archie Miller as coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  15. "Archie Miller 'a great hire for IU, great hire for the state'". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  16. "Anthony Grant Named New Dayton Men's Basketball Coach" (Press release). Dayton Flyers. March 30, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  17. "Rhode Island Picked to Win A-10 Men's Basketball". Atlantic 10 Conference. Atlantic10.com. October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  18. "Aldridge, Adams Named Atlantic 10 Co-Players of the Year, Rhode Island's Hurley Voted as Coach of the Year". Atlantic10.com. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
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