I'm a GW graduate and a long-time season-ticket holder. We're 14-1, with victories over Maryland and Charlotte, and a group of patsies, and we got whacked at NC State in December for our only loss. We're a top-20 team, not a top-10 team. But the conference gets no respect.

We have Xavier, St. Joe's, Dayton, Charlotte, Richmond and GW, among others, all of which have had some level of success in the NCAAs. We'll never be the ACC or Big-10 or Big East, but we still get no respect.

Anyone out there wanna show me some love??

I hear ya and feel for ya.

Problem is that there's too many St.Bonaventures in the mix.

Thank goodness they added St. Louis and Charlotte to bring some more good schools to the mix.

I actually love the A-10 from the days of WVU being in the conference back in the 80's.

This conference always seems to have a team capable of having a run to the elite 8 and challenging for the Final 4.

George Washington is a very good team & has Final 4 talent. GW should have scheduled like Gonzaga and played 5 ranked teams & 6 other schools from the top 6-7 conferences OOC.

Still, the A-10 had some good wins OOC this year.

Fordham beat UVA
Rhode Island beat Providence
St. Joesphs beat Kansas
GW beat Maryland
Temple over Alabama
Temple over South Carolina
Xavier over Purdure
Xavier over Cincy
Dayton over Cincy
Charlotte over Rutgers

I think the talent is down a bit though. You don't have the Dolonte West's, Jameer Nelson's, David West, Romain Sato, and others the league had in the past. The A-10 has produced National Player of the year 2 of the last 3 years.


Also, the poster above mentioned there are too many St. Boneventures in the league. Actually, the Bonnies have been a solid contributing member to the A-10 for the most part. they have rabid support for basketball and have been to many Nit's and a few NCAA's in the last 10 years. The probation scandal hurt them, but they will bounce back.

I do agree though its Duquense & Fordham that really hurt the A-10. It would serve in their best interests to look for other conferences and not feed off being affiliated with the A-10. It would make the conference a lot stronger as a whole.

GW's problem is that no one wants to play them at their home court in DC - the Smith Center - because it only seats 5000 and GW cannot guarantee the kind of gate that these schools can get by going to places with 20000-seat arenas.

No one wants to schedule a home-and-home. We have a sophomore named Maureece Rice who currently comes off the bench, who will be receive All-American consideration in his senior year. He's in the backcourt, and comes from Philly, where he broke all of Wilt Chamberlain's city scoring records.

My concern is that we may lose our coach - Karl Hobbs - for a fatter contract. It happened with Mike Jarvis who went for the bucks at St. John's and fizzled.

I appreciate these comments! I wish I had known this site existed awhile ago. It's nice to be able to have this type of discussion with other gay people!

not to worry, your guys should have no fear of missing the big dance, even wo winning the A10 tourney.

And welcome Keith .

Just a note of thanks to blueraider for the welcome. I appreciate it!

Rhody beats UMass!!! Go Rams!!!

Talk about no respect... Watch the Providence Journal's Sports coverage through March. PC (Providence) could very well finish last in the Big East, but they will always have front page coverage over Rhody.

Sigh.

We go through the same nonesense in DC. Maryland reigns, and now that Georgetown has beaten Duke, GW (even though we are ranked in the top 15 in the country) gets third billing!

GW breaks the top 10 this week sliding in at #8.

Then there the other end of the A-10 just down the road from me.....poor St. Bonaventure, still winless in the conference. I bets their wishing they never let that guy into school with only a welding certificate.

GW comes to St. Bonaventure last night with Monsah Bensu out.....and for 33 minutes has the scare of its life before pulling away.

It was nice to see the Reilly Center and St. Bona rocking again, things have been bleak around those parts for the past three seasons.

Hopefully the Bonnies will start to march up the conference ladder next season.

Carl Elliott saves the streak for George Washington against Charlotte in one of the crazier finishes of the season.

Charlotte led by 2 in the last 10 seconds of OT before a technical on Charlotte after a foul on GW's Mike Hall gave the Colonials new life. DeAngelo Alexander made one of the 2 FT's for Charlotte and Hall hit both the technical shots to close the gap to 1. With the ball back GW tried a deperation 3 which completely missed, when Elliott came out of nowhere to tip in at the buzzer.

I've been a season ticket holder for 27 years, after having graduated from GW. I have never seen a more emotional victory than what I saw today. Everyone is pulling for GW to lose - the polls, the selection committee, etc. What if they run the table and win the A-10 tournament? They would be 29-1. What seed do they get? I've heard the argument that they have a soft schedule, but they have beaten everyone they have played, except for NC State in December. I hope they get respect as either a #2 or #3 seed.

Xavier wins the tournament in wild fashion, 62-61. I wonder whose bubble this pops.....

Was there another team that was likely to make it after GW? Once they lost whoever's bubble was burst.

nah, a one bid league(a far cry from two years ago when four got in)just thinking about which club got bounced as a result of the GW loss.

The A-10 will bounce back. Too many good programs, coaches, and up and coming players in the league to just have one to two teams each year in the Dance.


Charlotee has the #3 HS player in the country coming in year after next along with an excpetional recruiting class. Also, Xavier has a very good player coming in next year too.

UMASS is going to be good eventually.

Next year will be a very good year fot the A-10.

My poor Colonials keep getting based in the press for playing a "soft" schedule. Our challenge is that nobody wants to come to our 5000-seat arena to play us (for $$ reasons). So we either have to accept all non-conference games on the road (like Temple used to do) or beat up on lesser teams who are willing to play us home-and-home. And since the Selection Committee does look at Ws and Ls, that's what we will have to continue to do.

I appreciate everyone's comments!

But playing the Big boys in road games works very well for a power mid major conference like the MVC or MAC.For example Wichita State played in EL, No Iowa played Iowa and at LSU,So Ill is willing to take on all comers.IU finished up a home and home with Charlotte this year,and St Joe has always seemed willing to travel.

I don't know enough about the GW situation to comment on it specifically,and with a 5000 seat gym you don't have much to offer to teams that have a great distance to travel.I'm sure any Big East or ACC team would welcome you into their place,and you might even get a Va Tech or Miami to do a home and home.

[ March 12, 2006, 10:14 AM: Message edited by: Tim ]

Tim-

Thanks for the reply and especially for the Springsteen quote from Jungle Land. ACC teams won't play GW in DC because they play Maryland and Big East teams won't play GW in DC because they play Georgetown.

You are welcome!I was a little perplexed when you mentioned the Bruce quote,because I didn't recall including one.You are actually referring to my tag line,which is included on all my posts.
I've been rotating various lines from BTR in honor of the 30 yr anniversary,but am always appreciative of anyone who recognizes a Bruce classic.

Bad luck on your 8 seed,undoubtedly it wasn't really fair.IU fans are ecstatic,and if we just don't overlook SDSt we could have a nice ride to the Sweet 16.

As a Jersey boy, I have seen Bruce more than 100 times, starting with the early days at the Stone Pony.

As far as GW, giving them an 8 seed, and playing against a team from NC in the first round (UNC - Wilmington) is a complete and total lack of respect. If they get past this team, they get to play another NC team named Duke!

Yeah I'm pissed off.

Don't blame you!

I forgot to mention in my post that GW is playing in Greensboro! Definite game against an NC team, and if they win, a second game against an NC team in their home state! Ridiculous.

The GW 8 seed is the biggest crock of them all, that and Air Force getting into the Big Dance.

My Uncle(GW point guard from about 40 years ago) must be fuming right about now.....