Saint Joe’s Hawks: Atlantic 10 Tournament Preview

Dec 30, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Saint Joseph's Hawks guard Lamarr Kimble (0) reacts in front of George Washington Colonials guard Matt Hart (30) as time winds down on a victory at Michael J. Hagan Arena. The Saint Joseph's Hawks won 68-63. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Saint Joseph's Hawks guard Lamarr Kimble (0) reacts in front of George Washington Colonials guard Matt Hart (30) as time winds down on a victory at Michael J. Hagan Arena. The Saint Joseph's Hawks won 68-63. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Saint Joe’s Hawks look to make their case for a ticket to the NCAA’s big dance starting with a crucial match-up against UMass in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

On the heels of a regular season that has been less than ideal in terms of results, hopes remain high for the Saint Joe’s Hawks [11-19; 4-14 A-10] as they travel to Pittsburgh to begin their push for an Atlantic 10 title against the Massachusetts Minutemen [14-10; 4-14 A-10] tonight at 6 pm EST.  Having already fallen to UMass in both regular season contests this season, the Hawks will be looking for redemption in their effort to reach the NCCA Tournament for the 3rd time in the last four years.

Their most recent match-up saw Saint Joe’s fall to the Minutemen by a score of 87-76 with freshman standout and A-10 All-Rookie guard Charlie Brown leading the team in scoring with 15 points. That defeat came in the midst of a nine-game losing streak that was broken in their most recent game against Duquesne that ended in a 63-60 victory on the road. Should the Hawks prevail, they will face Saint Bonaventure on Thursday whom they have also been held winless against in the 2017 regular season.

Saint Joe’s find themselves facing more adversity than they could’ve bargained for in their quest to repeat as A-10 champions. Losing their top two scoring threats in Lamarr Kimble and Shavar Newkirk for the season during their campaign, their main spark of offense has come from junior forward James Demery who’s averaging just above 14 points and 6 rebounds per game. While Phil Martelli is no stranger to battling the odds in his 22-year tenure as head coach of the Hawks, he will have to rely on a very young squad that find themselves as the 2nd lowest seed in the entire A-10 Tournament.

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Their toughest task will be to contain junior guard Donte Clark who netted 24 points in their most recent game against Saint Joe’s. With two other double-digit scoring threats in center Rashaan Holloway and guard Luwane Pipkins, the Hawks will certainly have their hands full in both defending the perimeter and protecting the paint.

What’s the Road Looking Like For Saint Joe’s if They Win Out?

  • First Round vs. (12) Massachusetts (Wednesday)
  • Second Round vs. (5) Saint Bonaventure (Thursday)
  • Quarterfinals vs. (4) Rhode Island (Friday)
  • Semi-Finals vs. either (1) Dayton, (8) La Salle, or (9) Davidson.
  • A-10 Final vs. either (2) VCU, (3) Richmond, (6) George Washington, (7) George Mason, (10) Fordham, (11) Saint Louis, or (14) Duquesne.

While expectations are obviously hindered from last year’s for Martelli’s squad, Saint Joe’s has never been known as a team to count themselves out of any match-up. With the odds stacked against them entering tournament play, the Hawks will have to be efficient in possession and gain momentum early on to power through this UMass team.

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The road will only get tougher from there on, but continuing to have something worth fighting for is vital in any underdog’s approach to defy projections and silence critics. Saint Joe’s has been there before and certainly won’t allow themselves to get caught up in those aspects of the game, but only time will tell if it will be enough to come out with a victory tonight in Pittsburgh.