A-10 Championship Central Website | 2012 Bracket
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The 2012 Buick Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, featuring a 12-team field, vying for the conference's NCAA Tournament automatic bid, will be held March 2-5 at Michael. J. Hagan ‘85 Arena on the campus of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
The University of Dayton, vying for the program's first-ever Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball title, will play Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of the first round match up of #6 Charlotte vs. #11 Saint Louis.
The top four seeds earn a first-round bye in the Championship. No. 19/22 St. Bonaventure (27-2/14-0) earned the #1 seed after capturing the league’s regular season title for the first time in program history with a 14-0 record against conference opponents. For the second consecutive year, Temple (20-8/13-1) garnered the second seed in the tournament, while Dayton (20-6/12-2) claimed the third seed and Richmond (23-6/9-5) earned the fourth seed over Saint Joseph’s by virtue of the league’s tie-breaking procedures. In the two teams’ only meeting this season on Jan. 7, UR picked up a 78-59 victory over SJU. The four teams will all begin play in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 3.
St. Bonaventure, currently riding an Atlantic 10-best 16-game winning streak, is looking to become the 10th team in league history to win a title, while Temple, which has won 13 straight contests, seeks its fifth title and first since 2006. Dayton, which made the program’s first appearance in the Championship finale last season, receives its second first-round bye in three years and is in search of its first A-10 crown. Richmond, the event’s fourth seed for the second consecutive year will also look to claim its first Conference Championship.
Saint Joseph’s (19-9/9-5) earned the fifth seed and Charlotte (16-12/8-6) is the sixth seed, while Duquesne (19-10/7-7) and La Salle (13-16/7-7) tied for the seventh spot with even 7-7 records in league play. The Dukes, however, defeated the Explorers, 82-52, earlier this season and are therefore the seventh seed and La Salle is the eighth seed.
Defending champion Xavier (8-19/5-9) claims the ninth-seed outright and will make its 17th straight appearance in the A-10 Championship. The Musketeers, winners of a league-best six titles, have advanced to the league’s Championship every season since joining the A-10 during the 1995-96 academic year.
George Washington (11-17/4-10) and Saint Louis (10-19/4-10) both posted matching 4-10 records against Conference foes and tied for the 11th seed. GW earns the higher-seed after defeating SLU in a head-to-head match-up on Jan. 25 (68-58). Lastly, Fordham (12-17/3-11) secured the 12th and final spot with its regular season finale win over Saint Louis earlier today.
First round action commences at 11:30 am on Friday, March 2, as #8 La Salle takes on #9 Xavier before tournament host #5 Saint Joseph’s takes the floor against #12 Fordham at 2:30 pm. Seventh-seeded Duquesne will take on #10 George Washington at 5:00 pm, while #6 Charlotte and #11 Saint Louis close out the first day of competition at 7:30 pm.
First round and quarterfinal matchups can be viewed live on www.atlantic10.com, free of charge. Sunday's semifinal contests will begin at Noon on March 4, and televised nationally on CBS Sports Network, while the title game of the 2012 A-10 Championship on Monday, March 5, will be shown live on ESPN2 and ESPN3 at 5:00 pm.
2012 A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship Seeds
1. St. Bonaventure (27-2/14-0)
2. Temple (20-8/13-1)
3. Dayton (20-6/12-2)
4. Richmond (22-7/9-5)
5. Saint Joseph’s (19-9/9-5)
6. Charlotte (16-12/8-6)
7. Duquesne (19-10/7-7)
8. La Salle (13-16/7-7)
9. Xavier (8-19/5-9)
10. George Washington (11-17/4-10)
11. Saint Louis (10-19/4-10)
12. Fordham (12-17/3-11)
