The most wonderful time of the year is back once again! After one of the strongest Atlantic 10 seasons in recent years, there is no shortage of A-10 teams still playing well into March! Despite only receiving one-bid to the NCAA Tournament, three teams got invites to the new second-tier NCAA-sponsored WBIT, and two additional teams accepted bids to the WNIT  (now the third-tier postseason tournament). Let’s take a look at the matchups in the week ahead!

NCAA Tournament

#10 Richmond vs #7 Duke, Friday March 22, 2:30PM (ESPNEWS)

This season for Richmond has been nothing short of electric. The Spiders won the Atlantic 10 regular season for the first time ever, won the A-10 tournament for the first time ever, and are heading to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.

Put on the dancing shoes! @SpiderWBBall is heading to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005! #A10WBB pic.twitter.com/8dGrCUkeCQ

— Daniel Frank (@n1a2v3y4) March 10, 2024

The Spiders face a familiar opponent in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament- the very same team that they began their season with. On November 6, the Spiders opened the 2024 campaign with a tough 83-53 loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium to Duke, in a game that pretty much everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. The Spiders shot a season-low 35% from the field, had their second-worst three point shooting performance of the season at 29%, and shot a season-low 36% from the line. Richmond also had a season-low 26 rebounds in that game, and had their second-most turnovers in any game of the season at 23. Finally, the Spiders were held a season-low 52 total points while Duke had their third-best scoring output of the season at 82.

Overall, Duke had one of their best games of the season, post their third-best shooting percentage of the year at 54%, their third-best three point shooting performance at 44%, grabbed their second-most rebounds of year with 47. The point here is, the numbers from that game and the numbers that panned out over the next five months indicate strongly that that November afternoon is not at all likely to be an indication of how this matchup will go.

Comparing stats for the season as a whole, Richmond averages a 47% field goal percentage, 38% from three, 80% from the line, 34 rebounds per game, and 73 points per game. Duke on the other hand shoots 44% from the field, 32% from three, 76% from the line, 38 rebounds per game, and 69 points per game. The Spiders are all the much hotter team entering the NCAA Tournament, having won five straight games, and 12 of their last 13. Duke is coming of a loss to NC State in the ACC Quarterfinals, and having lost four of their last 10 games. This should be an excellent matchup, and will be appointment television on Friday afternoon! Don’t be surprised at all if these Spiders avenge their November loss and are dancing into the 2nd Round on Sunday.

If Richmond advances, the Spiders would face the winner of #2 Ohio State and #15 Maine.

WBIT

George Mason at #1 Penn State, Thursday March 21, 6:00PM (ESPN+)

This postseason birth for George Mason has been a long time coming. After consecutive last place finishes in the Atlantic 10 in 2021 and 2022, the Patriots have positioned themselves as one of the front runner teams in the A-10 for potentially years to come. I wrote earlier this season about the magical ride the Patriots have been on this year, and how they have broken records seemingly every single night. The Patriots are one win away from tying the program record for wins in a season at 24, they set the record for most conference wins in a season (14), fewest loses in conference play (4), not to mention this season is just the sixth ever 20-win season in the 50 year history of George Mason Women’s Basketball. A win over Penn State would be just the second ever postseason victory in program history, the only other one coming back in the 2018 WNIT over Stephen F. Austin.

OUR MOMENT 💛💚#BelieveBIG | #Ubuntu pic.twitter.com/YowOLwjDtc

— George Mason Women’s Basketball (@MasonWBB) March 18, 2024

Penn State, like George Mason, last appeared in the postseason in 2018. The last meeting between the two schools came in the 2019-2020 season, when the Patriots defeated the Nittany Lions 78-68 in Happy Valley behind 41 points from Nicole Cardaño-Hillary. Penn State checks in with a final NET ranking of #27, meaning a win on Thursday for George Mason would be the highest rated win in the NET era. The Nittany Lions are a confusing team, as I suppose all bubble teams are this time of year. They’re 1-8 against NET 1-25 with the win being over Nebraska in January. They split the season series with Maryland (only common opponent with Mason) and their best non-con win is Kansas. Penn State is 9-11 against the top 100, and their worst loss was to #127 Wisconsin. They also boast the #7 offense in the country, scoring 83.6 points per game. Penn State’s downfall, without question, is their defense. Ranked #316 in the nation, they allow 71.6 points per game. They allowed 111 points to Iowa, but have broken 100 points on four separate occasions this season, maxing out at a 119-point onslaught en route to a 76-point win over Saint Francis (PA).

If George Mason advances, they would play the winner of #4 Ball State and Belmont on Sunday.

#3 Saint Joseph’s vs Seton Hall, Thursday March 21, 7:00PM (ESPN+)

After a 26-win regular season, the Hawks have been selected as one of just 16 seeded teams in the inaugural WBIT tournament, while the remaining 16 teams round out the field and were bracketed primarily regionally. Saint Joseph’s started the 2024 season on fire once again, winning each of their first eight contests, and posting an 11-1 non-conference record. What followed was a 15-3 A-10 record, including a 3rd place finish overall in the Atlantic 10. However, the Hawks hit some bumps in the road down the stretch of the season, losing three of their final five contests, including an 11-point loss at VCU, a five-point loss to Fordham at home, and a 10-point defeat at the hands of 6th seeded Rhode Island in the A-10 Quarterfinals. If the Hawks are able to snap out of the funk they closed the season on, they could be a very dangerous team in the WBIT.

Do your thing, 𝟐𝟏 😎#THWND | https://t.co/lLpjPqlHTH pic.twitter.com/gFDxXhxOzq

— Saint Joseph's WBB (@SJUHawks_WBB) March 5, 2024

Saint Joseph’s has the fifth best offense in the A-10 during the regular season, averaging 66.0 points per game, led by four different players averaging in double figures, Talya Brugler (15.8PPG), Laura Ziegler (14.6), Mackenzie Smith (12.8), and Chloe Welch (10.5). When the Hawks are playing well, they can score the ball exceptionally well. What has really been their Achilles heel down the stretch has been their offense, averaging just 50.7 points per game in their last three loses. Seton Hall is a team that, on paper, seems to be pretty evenly matched with SJU. The Pirates are ranked #64 in the NET, two spots behind Saint Joseph’s at #62 (with George Mason sandwiched in the middle at #63). SHU finished the regular season 16-13 and 8-10 in the Big East, earning a 7th place finish. The team averages 64.9 points a game, but has just one player averaging in double figures, Azana Banes at 14.7 points per game. Seton Hall also has a pair of familiar faces for A-10 fans, including for UMass Minutewoman Makennah White and for St. Bonaventure Bonnie I’yanna Lops.

If Saint Joseph’s advances, they would play the winner of #2 Cal and Hawaii on Sunday.

VCU at Villanova, Thursday March 21, 7:00PM (ESPN+)

VCU has enjoyed a massive rebound season from a year ago, improving from a 7-22 record to a 26-5 mark. The Rams currently boast the #4 defense in the nation, and for a good part of the year held the #1 spot. VCU allows just 52.5 points per game, and is led by Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, Sarah Te-Biasu. The Rams won 9 of their final 11 regular season contests, including wins over three of the top four teams in the A-10 during that stretch. However, their A-10 Tournament run was cut short at the hands of Saint Louis, suffering a 65-63 defeat in Henrico.

🚨 #A10WBB 𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙔𝙀𝙍 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙔𝙀𝘼𝙍…@VCUWBB's Sarah Te-Biasu 🚨

🏀 1st Ram to be named POTY
🏀 averaged 15.6 ppg & 17.3 ppg in A-10 play
🏀 added 2.9 apg and 3.4 rpg during A-10 play
🏀 rank 33rd nationally in 3's made per game (2.5)

📰: https://t.co/cJG6wu97Lt pic.twitter.com/Dh3t6ejgcv

— Atlantic 10 WBB (@A10WBB) March 5, 2024

Villanova is another strange team led by just one scorer averaging in double figures, Lucy Olsen who scores 23.2 points per game. The Wildcats enter with an 18-12 record and posted an 11-7 mark in the Big East, finishing 4th. There is likely to be some familiarity for Villanova in facing VCU, and the Rams will be the fourth A-10 opponent they will have seen this year, after defeating Richmond 67-57 on November 30, beating La Salle 74-60 on December 21, and falling to Saint Joseph’s 73-67 on December 9.

If VCU advances, they would play the winner of #4 Virginia and High Point on Sunday.

WNIT

Saint Louis vs Central Arkansas, Thursday March 21, 7:30PM (ESPN+)

After another A-10 Tournament run, the Billikens played their way into another postseason appearance. After finishing a disappointing 7th place in the A-10, Saint Louis overcame a double-digit deficit to GW in the Second Round, and knocked out 2-seed VCU in the Quarterfinals to reach the A-10 Semifinals for a second-consecutive season. SLU is led by an experienced bunch of returners from last season’s NCAA Tournament team, including Julia Martinez, Kyla McMakin, Peyton Kennedy, Tierra Simon, and Kennedy Calhoun.

Nothing better than a March celebration! @SaintLouisWBB is dancing on to the Semifinals tomorrow afternoon! #A10WBB https://t.co/R8NYsK9Lls pic.twitter.com/VKeqXGfwmZ

— Daniel Frank (@n1a2v3y4) March 9, 2024

The Billikens and Sugar Bears are ranked one spot apart in the NET, at #150 and #151 respectively. Central Arkansas enters with a 21-11 record and reached the ASUN Championship game before falling to FGCU.

If Saint Louis advances, they would play Northern Iowa on either Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.

Duquesne vs Buffalo/Monmouth, March 23-26, TBA (ESPN+)

Duquesne received a First Round bye in the WNIT, and will await the winner of Buffalo and Monmouth. In the new WNIT format, 16 teams receive a single-bye into the Second Round, while 32 teams will play in the First Round.

The Dukes reached the A-10 Semifinals this year for the first time since 2019, after an easy win over UMass in the 2nd Round, and a rather controversial finish against 4-seed George Mason in the Quarterfinals. The Dukes were upended by eventual champion, Richmond, in the semifinal round. Megan McConnell is the difference maker for this season, as she leads the team in scoring (13.1), assists (4.7), rebounds (8.6), steals (62) and free throws (88).

.@DuqWBB is moving on! Big one tomorrow against #4 Mason 👀#A10WBB https://t.co/3k5Brvv4ni pic.twitter.com/gLBavpUumG

— Daniel Frank (@n1a2v3y4) March 7, 2024

If Duquesne advances, the winner of Purdue and Butler/Bowling Green on either Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.

https://www.a10talk.com/2024/03/2024-a10wbb-postseason-guide/

#A10WBB #MarchMadness #NCAATournament #WBIT #WNIT