Projo College Hoops

URI fans might be able to begin making plans for the team's participation in the Atlantic 10 Tournament by the end of the night.

If Xavier beats Dayton tonight _ and the Muskies have the home court advantage _ it will lock in URI in as the second seed for the A-10 tourney regardless of what happens over the weekend.

Rhode Island could still tie Xavier for first, but Xavier would win the tiebreaker because it beat the Rams by two at the Ryan Center. URI could lose to Massachusetts Saturday and finish in a two or three-way tie for second, but the Rams would have all the tiebreakers in their favor and be the second seed.

That would mean Rhody opens play in Atlantic City Thursday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of the game that will pit the seventh seed against the 10th seed on Wednesday, March 11.

Don't ask who that could be. It could be any of a half dozen teams. But if you want an educated guess, the most likely pick might be Duquesne. That assumes a lot, including that the Dukes lose their regular-season finale at Dayton. That would be a tough start for URI. Duquesne is playing well _ it just had a two-point game with the Rams _ and is a legitimate dark horse pick for the A-10 event.

If Dayton wins tonight, forget all of the above.

URI, like most other schools, would have to wait until all games are completed this weekend to know its seed. A Dayton victory would mean URI could finish as the 1, 2 or 3 seed, depending on what happens over the weekend.

The Rams continue to get good news even as they get a six-day rest. Ten days ago they dropped as low as 68 in the RPI rankings. With so many bubble teams losing, they are up to 49 as of today.

 Tags  Dayton Duquesne URI Xavier

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