Friday, March 4, 2005

Where: Smith Center.

Favorite: Defending Atlantic 10 tournament champion Temple has not lost since Dec. 4, winning 21 straight games. The Owls, who became only the fourth team in conference history to finish undefeated, have won two of the last three Atlantic 10 tournaments. They are stingy on defense, allowing opponents only 54.6 points per game.

Dark Horse: Richmond, which opened the season winning 14 of 15 games, finished third behind George Washington and Xavier in the tough West Division. The Spiders are the best shooting team in the league, making close to 45 percent. They are also one of the top rebounding teams in the league. Richmond lost by two to Temple in last year's semifinals.

Local Angle: George Washington has more tournament titles (four) than any other team in the league. Only Saint Joseph's has been to more finals than the Colonials, who last won the tournament in 2003 at Smith Center. This GW team isn't as strong as recent years, but the Colonials continue to be a title contender. Playing on their home court should be an advantage.

First Round, today: East No. 5 Saint Joseph's (6-22) vs. West No. 4 La Salle (12-15), noon; West No. 6 Duquesne (9-17) vs. East No. 3 Massachusetts (13-14), 2; West No. 5 Dayton (12-15) vs. East No. 4 Fordham (9-19), 4; East No. 6 St. Bonaventure (9-18) vs. West No. 3 Richmond (21-6), 6.

Quarterfinals, tomorrow: Saint Joseph's-La Salle winner vs. East No. 1 Temple (24-3), noon; Duquesne-Massachusetts winner vs. West No. 2 Xavier (19-8), 2; Dayton-Fordham winner vs. West No. 1 George Washington (20-7), 4; St. Bonaventure-Richmond winner vs. East No. 2 Rhode Island (8-19), 6.

Semifinals, Sunday: Early quarterfinal winners, 2; late quarterfinal winners, 4.

Final, Monday: Semifinal winners, 5.