2026 Atlantic 10 Tournament: Quarterfinals Recap

The quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament are the ultimate test for the concept of rest vs. rust. As the top 4 seeds entered the mix on day 3 of action, recent trends were not in their favor. In the last 8 Atlantic 10 quarterfinal games before Friday, 5 saw the lower seed advance. In a year where the A10 looks to send multiple bids to the dance, could their top 4 seeds survive into Saturday?

Game 7: Saint Louis 88, George Washington

The 1-seed Saint Louis Billikens were the first team tasked with shaking off the cobwebs on Friday, as they took on a GW team fresh off a win over Fordham. In their first game in almost a week, the Billikens looked solid out the gate, up 6-4 in the early goings thanks to 2 early three-pointers from Dion Brown and Trey Green.

SLU’s Robbie Avila, playing through plantar fasciitis, looked strong in the early goings. The reigning A10 Player of the Year was very mobile in the opening minutes, setting lots of screens both on and off the ball to keep SLU down just 14-11 by the 14-minute mark of the half.

However, once Avila subbed out of the game, the Revs made their run. Avila checked out of the game with 14:03 left in the half, and by the time he checked in at the 9:37 mark, SLU trailed 25-13. GW’s 40% performance from three in the period was led by Trey Autry, who shot 3-6 from deep en route to 14 first half points.

“I think just in the first half, we weren't able to get stops, weren't able to get rebounds,” Avila said after the game. “So it was tough for us, because I think they had 12 more shots than us in the first half, 12 more possessions. And so it's always hard to win a half like that.”

Even with Avila back in the game, GW had complete control over the tempo. After leading by as much as 21 points, the Revs entered the break up 38-24.

Despite the deficit, a big comeback against GW was not out of the question. After leading Fordham by 21 at halftime the day before, the Revs barely escaped with a 66-62 win.

It wasn’t much of a surprise once the Billikens found their rhythm. Saint Louis opened the half with a 7-2 run to get back within single digits, but GW’s Luke Hunger and Trey Autry hit back-to-back threes to retake an 11-point lead with 15:30 to play.

Rinse and repeat these back-and-forth runs until the final 10 minutes of the half. Down 64-59, Robbie Avila trots in transition to the right wing. Catching a pass from Kellen Thames, Avila casually pulled up for a three-point jumper to bring SLU within 64-62. As soon as the shot left his hands, Avila stepped back on defense, never doubting its trajectory.

On transition about a minute later, Avila sank another three from the same spot to put the Billikens up 65-64, their first lead since 11-8. Aranguren hit a three on the other end to retake the lead at 67-65, but on the ensuing possession, Avila made himself open on a screen to hit another three from the top of the key to go back up 68-67.

The lead changed two more times in the final 2 minutes of play before Saint Louis could put the game away on free throws, advancing to the semifinals with an 88-81 win.

“I think we just have some tough guys, some resilient guys,” Avila said. “That's been the key word for us all season, especially this conference run. We've been in multiple situations like this, where we start out not the way we want to and we go down by double digits. But we always find a way.”

In even more positive news for the Billikens, Stu Durando reported Friday morning that SLU head coach Josh Schertz, whose name has been thrown around several looming high-major openings, agreed to a long-term contract to stay at Saint Louis. Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 later reported Schertz' extension to be for 6 years.

“I came to Saint Louis,” Schertz said. “I had really high expectations for what I thought it could be in terms of commitment and people and infrastructure, and it's been everything I thought and more.”

Schertz was named head coach of Saint Louis in 2024 following a three-year stint at Indiana State.

Saint Louis will take on Dayton in the first semifinal game on Saturday. Tip-off is at 1:00 PM.

Game 8: Dayton 68, St. Bonaventure 63

After 2 consecutive wins in this year’s tournament as the 13-seed, outgoing St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt looked to continue his team’s historic final run through the Atlantic 10 Tournament. While the Bonnies’ run ended with a loss to Dayton on Friday, Schmidt's squad fought until the final whistle.

The Bonnies matched up very well against the 4-seed Flyers, never trailing by more than 6 and breaking out into runs as large as 7-0. Frank Mitchell was once again a huge difference-maker for the Bonnies. So dynamic as a big man, Mitchell used his size and speed to power his way to the hoop, then frequently faked out defenders with soft floaters once he found space. Along with Center Andrew Osasuyi, Mitchell’s frontcourt presence helped Bona outscore Dayton 26-16 in the paint. In what ended up being his final game under Coach Schmidt, Mitchell wanted to make sure he left it all out on the court.

“I love Schmidt to death,” Mitchell said after the game. “Of all of my coaches, he's probably the closest I've been with anyone. He's a father figure to me, and I'm happy I laid it all on the ground, and I hope he's proud of me.”

Mitchell finished the game with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Buddy Simmons led all Bonnies scorers with 20 points.

With his almost 40-year coaching career now at a close, Schmidt took some time after the game to reflect on his 19 seasons at St. Bonaventure. Talking about this season first, the 19-year head coach of the Bonnies was proud of this team’s final run through the tournament, regardless of the 15-16 regular season that preceded it.

“In essence, we had six or seven guys [in our rotation],” Schmidt said. “We had three injuries, season-ending. The guys just stuck together. It was a fun group. Disappointing in some of those losses, but I think it showed the character of our guys, the competitiveness that they didn’t lay down.”

In 19 seasons at St. Bonaventure, Schmidt finishes with an overall record of 340-255, 2 A-10 Tournament titles, 2 Coach of the Year Awards, and 3 NCAA Tournament appearances. Schmidt also led the Bonnies to the 2022 NIT semifinals.

“It's a great place,” Schmidt said of St. Bonaventure and Olean. “Basketball is the fabric, it's the heartbeat. Expectations are high, but it's a good place with good people. You've got to make sure that you become a part of the community.”

Including his 6 seasons at Robert Morris, Schmidt retires with an overall head coaching record of 422-345.

Following the 88-83 Flyers win, Schmidt and Flyers head coach Anthony Grant embraced for just a few seconds longer than you’d usually see in a post-game handshake line. When asked about their relationship, Grant praised both Schmidt's ability as a coach and his loyalty to St. Bonaventure.

“Going against him for nine years, just his mind for the game, the things he does from an offensive standpoint, they challenge you defensively,” Grant said after the game. “And then he's always finding a way, no matter what teams he has.”

While bittersweet to have played Schmidt for the last time, Coach Grant and his Flyers look forward to their first appearance in the A10 semifinals since 2023. After this round of the tournament eluded the Flyers in recent years, this year’s team looks ready to take on any of the other top 4 seeds this weekend. Javon Bennett, in his third season with the Flyers, talked about what it means to make it this far with this year’s squad.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Bennett said. “You come in every year trying to play as far as you can in March. Just being able to win and do it with this group of guys and what we’ve been through this season, it means a lot.”

Bennett was lights out for the Flyers. Off the screen, on catch-and-shoot opportunities, or driving inside for a floater, Bennett was fully in his bag en route to 27 off of 8-12 shooting from the field, 6-10 from three-point range. Amael L’Etang, who recorded 11 points and 12 rebounds, complimented Bennett’s performance as a solid stretch four.

Advancing to the semifinals, Coach Grant now shifts his team’s focus to Saint Louis, a team Dayton split the regular season series with this year.

“We're looking forward to a chance to prepare tonight,” Grant said. “Obviously, they [Saint Louis] were able to get a hard-fought win today. We were able to get a hard-fought win today. So we've got to be able to get our guys to focus on the next thing to put this behind us and get to the next thing. So we're excited for a chance to continue to play.”

Dayton and Saint Louis tip off in the first semifinal game at 1:00 PM.

Game 9: VCU 71, Duquesne 66

Fresh off a second round win over URI in which they only committed 1 turnover, Duquesne looked confident and comfortable in the early minutes against 2-seed VCU. Tarence Guinyard opened the scoring for both sides with a three-pointer from the top of the key, while David Dixon hit two early dunks to help the Dukes lead 15-11 by the first half under-12 media timeout.

“What we try to lean into, what we strive to get better at, is to get better,” Dukes HC Dru Joyce said after the game. “The players talked about it. We had to become a better defensive team. You've seen it on the floor today, just how we were able to defend.”

Duquesne lost 93-80 in their first game against VCU back in January.

Despite the early Dukes advantage, VCU was never out of this one. All-Rookie freshman Nyk Lewis helped keep things close in the early goings for the Rams with 5 first half points. After slowly chipping away at the Dukes’ lead, VCU finally took the lead with a Terrence Hill Jr. trip to the line to put the Rams up 27-26. In the final three minutes of play before halftime, VCU exploded into a 12-3 run to enter the break up 39-29.

“I think it was just our intensity on defense and locking in on our scout,” Terrence Hill said regarding VCU’s defense in the first half. “Coach [Phil Martelli Jr.] was saying a lot of these guys are right-hand drivers, so we wanted to take that away.”

VCU definitely created an advantage by locking down those drivers, as they entered the break outscoring Duquesne 18-14 in the paint.

Despite a second half that saw the Dukes outscore the Rams 37-32, Duquesne could not overcome the damage done from that late first half run. With a 71-66 win, VCU clinched their fifth appearance in the Atlantic 10 semifinals over the past 6 seasons. Terrence Hill Jr. led all VCU scorers with 20, tying Duquesne’s Alex Williams as the game’s leading scorers.

“It's March, right? Yeah, it's March,” Martelli said. “You've just got to find a way. The last three have really been like that. We played three tournament-level games with George Mason, at Dayton, and now this one, right? So you test yourself and you figure it out. We need more of this, we need less of this, we need to make this play down the stretch.”

VCU will face St. Joe’s in the second semifinal game at 3:30 PM.

Game 10: St. Joe’s 70, Davidson 58

It’d be hard to write a start to a season more tumultuous than this year’s St. Joe’s Hawks. Two months before the start of the season, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that after 6 seasons with the Hawks, head coach Billy Lange would be leaving the program to take a job as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks. That same day, assistant coach Steve Donahue was elevated to the permanent position of head coach for the season in lieu of a national search. Donahue joined the program just a few months before after head coaching stints at Cornell, Boston College, and Penn.

Following a 7-5 start to conference play, the Hawks tore through the end of February for 6 straight wins heading into the tournament. After grabbing their 7th win in a row with a 70-58 victory over Davidson in the quarterfinals, Donahue gave a lot of credit to his team for maintaining continuity throughout the season despite such a huge change at the top.

“More than anything, I'm grateful for the opportunity,” Donahue said after the game. “Our AD had [the] courage to make me the coach when Billy [Lange left]. The other thing I think you've got to realize, the program was in pretty good shape. They've been very good for two years. And we brought back four of those players, which is unusual at this time of year.”

With his newly-inherited program relatively intact, Donahue led the Hawks to the 3-seed in the Atlantic 10 tournament, a Conference Coach of the Year win, a Co-Defensive DPOY in Justice Ajogbor, and three total players named to All-Conference teams.

Against Davidson, the Hawks got out to an early 13-9 lead by the first half under-12. Despite some early threes from Davidson, each of SJU’s 3 All-Conference selections kept the Cats in check. Justice Ajogbor (All-Defense) slammed down 2 powerful dunks; one in the fast break, the other off a screen for a powerful finish at the hoop. Jaiden Glover-Tescano (All-A10 Second Team) hit a step back three from the right wing to put the Hawks up 12-7. Grabbing a deflected board a few possessions later, Derek Simpson (All-A10 First Team) took it coast-to-coast in transition for an and-1 layup. He’d sink the ensuing free throw to put the Hawks up 7.

Ajogbor in particular had a fantastic offensive game for the Hawks. Normally a defensive-focused player, Ajogbor scored 18 points against the Wildcats, the second-highest of his career after a 20-point performance against La Salle last Saturday.

“It’s great,” Jaiden Glover-Toscano said regarding Ajogbor’s offensive progression. “He got Co-Defensive Player of the Year for a reason. For him to perform the way he has the last two games offensively, it’s been amazing.”

Glover-Toscano scored a game-high 19 for the Hawks, while Simpson dropped 16.

After taking a 4-point lead into halftime, the Hawks gave up a few early jumpers from Sam Brown to bring their lead down to just 1, but thanks to a push just ahead of the second half under-12, punctuated by another Ajogbor layup, the Hawks brought their lead up to 11 and, outside of a Parker Friedrichsen 3 to make it 49-40, held a double-digit advantage for pretty much the rest of the game.

“We're disciplined. We don't foul,” Donahue said of his team’s defense. “We really guard. We make it difficult. I thought there were stretches in that game that we took Davidson out of what they wanted to do. And when we do that, you can feel the energy go.”

With the win, the Hawks move on to the semifinals, where they will face 2-seed VCU. That game tips off at 3:30 PM.