Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament: Schedule, Odds, Predictions

The Atlantic 10 has been aggressive in the expansion market over the last 15 years, adding hot commodities like VCU, George Mason, and Loyola Chicago. The result is a conference that’s as competitive as any mid-major at the top of the table.

This year’s tournament has unique selection drama because of one team in particular, making it one of the most fascinating NCAA conference basketball tournaments to tune in for. 

Naturally, BetMGM has NCAA basketball odds for both the single games and the championship market. 

Atlantic 10 Tournament Schedule

The Atlantic 10 men’s basketball tournament runs March 12-17 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

• Game 1: No. 12 Fordham vs. No. 13 Davidson (March 12)
• Game 2: No. 10 La Salle vs. No. 15 George Washington (March 12)
• Game 3: No. 11 Rhode Island vs. No. 14 Saint Louis (March 12)
• Game 4: No. 8 George Mason vs. No. 9 Saint Joseph’s (March 13)
• Game 5: No. 5 VCU vs. Game 1 Winner (March 13)
• Game 6: No. 7 St. Bonaventure’s vs. Game 2 Winner (March 13)
• Game 7: No. 6 Duquesne vs. Game 3 Winner (March 13)
• Game 8: No. 1 Richmond vs. Game 4 Winner (March 14)
• Game 9: No. 4 UMass vs. Game 5 Winner (March 14)
• Game 10: No. 2 Loyola Chicago vs. Game 6 Winner (March 14)
• Game 11: No. 3 Dayton vs. Game 7 Winner (March 14)
• Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner (March 15)
• Game 13: Game 10 Winner vs. Game 11 Winner (March 15)
• Game 14: Game 12 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner (March 16)

Atlantic 10 Tournament Odds

Atlantic 10 Tournament Prediction

Loyola Chicago (+650) will win the Atlantic 10 Tournament and earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

While Dayton is the team that gets all the hype, the Flyers have played poorly outside of Ohio over the last two months. These odds just shouldn’t be this lopsided.

I’ll take a shot with an experienced Loyola program that’s 10-1 since Jan. 30 and priced at a rich number.

Here are a couple of other notes to consider:

Dayton’s Unique Position

It’s unusual to have the third-place team of a mid-major conference in clear position to earn an at-large NCAA Tournament berth, but that’s exactly what’s happened with the 2024 Dayton Flyers. DaRon Holmes is a likely NBA draft pick, and the Flyers scored nonconference wins against LSU, St. John’s, SMU, Troy, and Cincinnati. 

Thus, Dayton’s presence flips the usual mid-major tournament calculation completely on its head. Typically, a win from a lower-seeded team often creates bid-steal situations in strong mid-majors like the A10. Instead, Dayton could actually save a bid by winning this tournament.

Take this year’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as an example. Indiana State was the No. 1 seed and best team, but the Sycamores lost in the championship round to Drake. Drake secured the automatic bid, and now Indiana State is projected to receive an at-large bid that Drake would have missed. The MVC went from a likely 1-bid league to a likely 2-bid league because of a conference tournament upset.

If chalk holds in the Atlantic 10, No. 1 seed Richmond will receive the automatic bid, and Dayton will receive an at-large bid. But because none of the remaining A10 teams have a strong enough team resume to merit at-large consideration, a Dayton tournament championship would actually reduce the conference’s representation in the NCAA Tournament.

This leaves the Atlantic 10 in the uncomfortable but logically inevitable position of rooting against the Flyers in their own conference tournament. There’s something you don’t see every day. 

Can VCU Figure It Out Yet Again?

Since the Rams won that fateful NCAA Tournament bid with Shaka Smart in 2011, VCU has been on something of a qualifying tear. 

The team has rarely been the clear top team in its conference – it was the No. 4 seed in the 2011 CAA Tournament – but often finds a way into a conference autobid or a worthy at-large profile. (Speaking of which: here’s the VCU tournament resume for this season.)

VCU is the No. 5 seed in this year’s tournament and ended the regular season with consecutive losses to Richmond, Duquesne, and Dayton. But the Rams have still made the Big Dance in 10 of the last 12 years the tournament has been held. Can they do it again this year?

Conference Tournament Previews & Predictions