Rhode Island Headlines Trio Of Dangerous A-10 Teams

Rhode Island Headlines Trio Of Dangerous A-10 Teams

Once thought to be a one-bid league, the A-10 — with a trio of dangerous teams — looks to make noise in March.

Mar 12, 2018 by Kolby Paxton
Rhode Island Headlines Trio Of Dangerous A-10 Teams

E.C. Matthews had to have it.

Eleventh-seeded Rhode Island erased an early eight-point deficit, led by as many as 11, and controlled most of the second half against No. 3 seed Oregon in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament — all of it practically in spite of its best player, Matthews, who’d limped to just 4-of-13 shooting by the time the game rested in his hands.

Still, trailing by three with the clock racing toward zeroes, Matthews was the clear choice to take the last shot. The Ducks switched off a ball screen and the Rams’ point guard found himself matched up with 6-foot-7 forward Jordan Bell. 

That would make a difference. 

As Matthews created space with a little step back on the right wing, Bell’s length instantly erased his comfort zone, forcing a high, arching, off-balance attempt from the lefty.

Two minutes earlier, Matthews’ ninth miss of the game was tipped back by Stanford Robinson to give Rhody a four-point lead. Now, his 10th miss of the game was sailing errantly long, effectively ending the Rams’ season.


Oregon would go on to defeat Michigan and Kansas before falling to eventual national champion North Carolina by a single point in the Final Four. That could’ve been Rhode Island.

That should’ve been Rhode Island.

The Rams were no fluke. Sure, Danny Hurley’s team played its way into the NCAA Tournament by winning its conference tournament. But Rhode Island’s bubble status was a problem of perception, not a problem of potential. Even with a No. 11 seed, the Rams' display of strength during what was a short stay in the national tournament surprised no one who’d seen them play.

The fourth-best regular-season team in the Atlantic 10 was good enough, had it held off Oregon, to create the same run to the national semifinals that the Ducks did? Sure it was.

This isn’t your father’s A-10.

It has happened, in large part, without acknowledgment, but the Atlantic 10 has transformed itself into the deepest mid-major league in the country in recent years.

Make no mistake, losing Xavier and Butler to the Big East hurt. But the A-10 swung its way out of the corner, adding VCU, Davidson, and George Mason to its storied group of tenured members — the result of which was the compilation of a league that is filled to the brim with Selection Sunday nightmare fuel.

Rhode Island isn’t going anywhere — but it isn't alone. Like the Rams, the A-10 is built to last, with a collection of teams the very sight of which strikes fear into the hearts of Power Five opponents in March.

VCU, in a down year, took Rhode Island to the brink before falling in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinal on Friday. But, would anyone really have been surprised to watch the other Rams find some of that 2011 magic and go on a run?

Think Kentucky is glad to see Davidson?

Not a chance.

Speaking Of Davidson

Bob McKillop is among the most underrated coaches in college basketball and he just proved it again

For the ninth time in McKillop’s 28 seasons as the Davidson head coach, the Wildcats are dancing — and this most recent run has already become something special.

After falling to Rhode Island on Feb. 9, Davidson was barely an A-10 afterthought at 13-10 overall. All the Wildcats have done since is win eight of nine — the lone setback, a four-point overtime loss to St. Bonaventure — including back-to-back wins against the Bonnies and Rams in the conference tournament.


For all the attention that Davidson’s first-round opponent, fifth-seeded Kentucky, is receiving for entering the NCAA Tournament hot, the same can be said for the A-10 Tournament champs.

Senior forward Peyton Aldridge has been on a tear for the Wildcats, averaging 27 points and nine boards per game over his last five contests while shooting at an astounding 77 percent clip from behind the three-point line.

The A-10 Tournament MVP is a matchup disaster — even for a team as long and athletic as Kentucky. Should Davidson pull the upset, fourth-seeded Arizona figures to be waiting in the second round. So, while the draw might not be favorable, a Sweet 16 run by McKillop’s troops would ruin some brackets.

The Bonnies Are Back

St. Bonaventure is back in the NCAA Tournament field for the first time since 2012, with its first at-large bid in 17 years.

The Bonnies didn’t exactly start their season in a way that screamed “NCAA at-large team,” dropping the home opener to Niagara and winning just two of their first six conference games.

But St. Bonaventure got hot. Real hot. Mark Schmidt’s group won 11 straight to end the regular season — a run that reached 13 wins in a row before Davidson knocked off the Bonnies in the A-10 semifinals — jumping off of the bubble and into the field sans conference title.


Now that it’s in the field, St. Bonaventure could be a major problem.

Senior Jaylen Adams (20.5 PPG, 5.3 APG) is among the best scoring guards in the country, while classmate and sidekick Matt Mobley (18.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG) gives the Bonnies one of the best 1-2 backcourt punches in the tournament.

With that dynamic duo stalking the perimeter, St. Bonaventure is a terror from behind the arc — and not just on the offensive end. The Bonnies rank 21st nationally in 3-point shooting and ninth in 3-point defense.

If the shots are falling from deep — and if Mobley and company can keep opponents from double-teaming Adams — Bona could be primed for a deep run. Before they can get started, however, the Bonnies will have to get through a First Four play-in game vs. UCLA on Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio. Should Schmidt’s bunch dispatch the Bruins, an inconsistent Florida will be waiting in Dallas two days later.

A Dark Horse's Second Chance

E.C. Matthews made it cool to go to Rhode Island again.

The Romulus, Michigan, native was a top 100 prospect when he chose the Rams over the likes of Arizona, Xavier, and Southern Cal in 2013 — the first big recruiting splash for Danny Hurley’s staff.

A year later, Jared Terrell — the 13th-ranked shooting guard in the country — became the highest-rated prospect to join the Rams since Lamar Odom found his way from Las Vegas to Kingston.

Together, the pair has been the catalyst of a Hurley-led return to prominence for Rhode Island.

The Rams defied the odds in reaching their first NCAA Tournament since 1999 last March, and a first-round dispatching of sixth-seeded Creighton may have seemed like a bonus for those outside of the URI locker room — but not on the inside.

Inside the program, Hurley’s group knew it was capable of much more. Inside the program, Matthews and Terrell knew they could handle Oregon — and, hell, Michigan, Kansas, and North Carolina, too, while we’re at it.

That’s why the collapse — and, for Matthews, that last shot — hurt so much. That’s also why the Rams are among the most dangerous teams in this year’s field.

Failure, along with the clarity and context that often follows, can be a powerful thing for those afforded a second chance.


Despite falling by a point to upset-minded Davidson in the A-10 final, Rhode Island enters the NCAA Tournament with its best seeding — No. 7 — in program history. And if this group should be downtrodden and lacking for confidence after coming up short on Sunday, it didn’t seem to get the memo.

“We’re very excited. We’re not scared of anybody,” Matthews told the Providence Journal. “We think we can play with anybody in the country — respectfully.”

First up? Highly scrutinized 10th-seed Oklahoma, which finished the season with 11 losses in its final 15 games after starting 14-2 — a matchup that appears to heavily favor the Rams.

Past that, a blue-blooded trio of Duke, Michigan State, and Kansas could separate Rhody from the Final Four, which may seem daunting, but — assuming the Rams are hitting on all cylinders — a long run is certainly in play for a well-coached group with four impact senior guards.

Just how long, exactly? Well, 1,982 miles separate the University of Rhode Island from Final Four host city San Antonio.

So, yeah, about 2,000 miles long.