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2nd Favorite A-10 Team

7K views 104 replies 52 participants last post by  anXUfan 
#1 ·
I know it is a touchy subject :) but I'm curious to hear from others what is their 2nd favorite team in the A-10?

I'm predicting that an overwhelming majority of Dayton fans will say Xavier and vice versa :p

For me as a UMass fan I'd say Temple. The rivalry between UMass and Temple back in the day when each team was coached by Calipari and Chaney respectively was amazing. I have an incredible amount of respect for Temple basketball.
 
#43 ·
It's really too early to include VCU and Butler into such a conversation for me.

I have tremendous respect for what Temple has been able to do for decades.

I always get a smile on my face when I see that the Bonnies have won (except when they beat my Muskies), so they have to rank way up there also.

I also admire Duquesne because they seem to me to be the "Avis" of the A-10 --- always trying a little harder than the other guy.

When I was a young kid in Cincinnati I used to like watching the Tom Blackburn coach's show on WHIO-TV on Sunday. His demeanor on the show (which I am sure was a "sedative version" of the Dayton coach) always impressed me. He usually featured a player or two from the team and was always rather complimentary of the players. I've had a somewhat soft spot in my heart for UD ever since (but it's limited).

I've always wanted SLU to do well because it is so much like XU (Jesuit run) and its city is so much like Cincy (Germanic, beer, midwest, river city, etc.).
 
#44 ·
It's an easy choice: St. Bonaventure for all the reasons listed by the other posters. They're the little engine that sometimes can. And they have super intense fans.

I'm also an unabashed Phil Martelli fan.

I dislike URI because they beat Dayton regardless of talent disparity.

As for other teams, it kind of goes on a year-by-year basis depending on who is coaching and playing. I liked VCU until I listened to their TV broadcast. Despite my general dislike of SLU (no offense, it's Dayton's second best conference rivalry), it's hard not to cheer for them this year.
 
#53 ·
Mostly joking on that one, but those announcers are intolerable. It's hard to dislike Shaka Smart, though. I like the fast pace at which VCU plays, as well. Since they're newcomers to the A10, I don't really want them winning the conference title, but I suppose I can deal with it.
There are a lot of you on here that have stated similar, and I don't blame any of you for not wanting the newcomers to come in and take the league by storm in year 1. I understand where you're coming from with that.

I hope we disappoint all of you there, and I'm sure you can understand where I'm coming from with that. :laugh:
 
#54 ·
There are a lot of you on here that have stated similar, and I don't blame any of you for not wanting the newcomers to come in and take the league by storm in year 1. I understand where you're coming from with that.

I hope we disappoint all of you there, and I'm sure you can understand where I'm coming from with that. :laugh:
I am cheering for your success in the NCAA tournament, assuming you make it, though! Not cheering for you on Wednesday, though. Go Flyers! (Sadly, I have an 8:30 AM meeting on Thursday (Shanghai time) that will prevent me from watching that one. Feel free to taunt me while I'm away if things go awry for Dayton.)
 
#49 ·
I like Fordham because the folks on this board give them so much crap and Fordham's fans manage to stay above the fray, with class.

A Top rated university.

Next favorite is Temple, they win and they have a La Salle alum As head coach;
And John Cheney helped La Salle get an A 10 invite. Two class guys in a solid academic school.
 
#55 ·
VCU.
And Richmond.
And St Joe's. --I like "the Hawk will never die" thing.

But the VCU game could be ugly this year, so...

Ugh, I liked it when our team was better and some of the rivalries were more heated. Although we did manage to beat Richmond last year. So there's that.

But in the last couple of weeks the western teams have dropped somewhat in my book. :)
 
#56 · (Edited)
I would have to say Fordham even though they're a train wreck. It's a fantastic school, great campus, awesome location etc.

Umass and St. Bonaventure would be the only other teams I can really get behind. I'm old enough to remember Umass-Wake, Umass-GWU, and yes, Umass-Temple so there's some nostalgia there. As for the Bonnies, I believe they get short changed. They have great fans that pack a hidden gem of an arena.

Xavier, St. Joe's, URI, Dayton, Charlotte and SLU do nothing for me. Especially Xavier...
 
#59 · (Edited)
I generally root for Duquesne and Richmond when they aren't playing Dayton. VCU will probably become one of those teams, too. My feelings on GW are directly tied to the number of Eastern Europeans on their roster. More is better, Lonergan!

I don't root against anyone unless Dayton directly benefits, either in standings or bubble positioning, by a team's loss. I hate Michigan, the Cubs, and the Steelers too much to have any more sports hate in me.
 
#61 ·
Great thread.There's so many great programs in the A10 and many of them are unsung on the national level. I root for everybody in the non-con and any time their in the post season. But when it comes to A10 play, i root for anything that benefits the flyers. That said, I've always loved the concept of 'the hawk will never die'. Bonnies fans are the real deal. Richmond is a fantastic school and has that great giant-killing history. It's great adding Butler to the conference on that front, and i never understood why UD never really seemed to play the bulldogs til now. So i'm excited to have them join. And i went to grad school at VCU, and i've loved watching them wreak havoc over the past few years. I also really love watching xu. Kidding. I hate xu.
 
#62 ·
Of course I root for every A-10 program when I can or I wouldn't waste time on the game threads. Do I have a 2nd though? I don't think I do. I mean this year I may root a little harder for Charlotte only because we are in their pod so it impacts us a little more but for just personal reasons I think I respect every team. Butler and VCU probably have better thoughts in my head because we haven't played them so there is no history to have negative feelings and I also spent time rooting for them in the tournament as the classic underdogs to the big teams. You have to have a little higher respect for Xavier for what they have done for the league with their NCAA wins, I love the way SLU operates and remind me of Temple in that they get the job done in a very low key way without too much added.

I do like the Bonnies and if you had asked this last year I would have picked them as my 2nd because of the quality player/person Andrew Nicholson is and I will fully admit I wanted them to win the A-10 Tourney last year (Outside of Temple) not only for bids but because he deserved to be in the NCAA Tourney with his skill level. La Salle and St Joes have rivalry feelings that are pretty respectful in terms of rivalries. We have our crazy moments but those Big 5 games are fun and we all share our hatred of Villanova.
 
#68 ·
True, Bonaventure is a charter member of the "Atlantic 10". The only fully contiguous members since inception of the Eastern 8 are UMass and GW. Duquesne left for a year in a head-scratching move. The original Eastern 8 was quite the cast of schools, public, private, large, small - it didn't matter. They got together a bit too soon, because when the Big East was formed every single school in the E8 wished they had gotten into that conference. SBU didn't get an invite and took immediate refuge in the E8 which became the A10. What I find interesting is conference affiliation wasn't a new thing. The south, southwest, midwest, and west had all been "conference-ized" long before the northeast schools even gave it a thought, with all the schools operating as independents with their general cast of opponents.
 
#67 ·
If WHIO (local station that carries the flyers) has a similar arrangement as they've had with other media partners (and assuming VCU & UD are still in the A-10 next season) I'll assume you'll get the reverse feed next season w/ the UD broadcast being sold to your local TV partner. I know UD has done this in the past w/ Rhody and another team or 2 in conference.

I'm not familar w/ your announcers, but they can't be any worse than what we're subjected to. Looking forward to the game, hope UD is ready for VCU's press.
 
#72 ·
HA! Yeah they've taken branding of that term to a completely new level over there.

You'd be dead by the first media timeout. I totally understand how unbearable they can be if you're not a VCU fan. They're paid by VCU and the production is done for VCU's online video feed. Unfortunately our local CBS affiliate just piggy backs off that feed to reduce production costs and so everyone watching in Central Virginia and now Ohio for this game will get to hear VCU's AD spin on everything that occurs in this game.

Apologies, but take it with a massive grain of salt. Oftentimes I advise opposing fans to simply mute the video feed and listen along with their own program's radio feed. You'll be thankful you did. Our guys can be admittedly frustrating from an opposing fan perspective.
 
#70 ·
My second is our old CUSA pals in St Louis. Charlotte, along with SLU, never got the press that the overrated Cards and Tigers got, but we won the games, won the tourneys, and made the dances.
Watching SLU making Bobby Huggins sweat was always a good time.
My third favorite is Duquesne, as I'm a huge Pirates fan and have always enjoyed my time in Pittsburgh.

The least favorites are Dayton (due exclusively to this board), Fordham and Bonnie.
 
#104 ·
Great summation. Hate playing SLU, love rooting for them.

But my second favorite team will be the school that replaces Fordham in the A-10. Seems that program can singlehandedly embarrass the conference and bring everyone's RPI down. It would be different if the school leaders would try, but they don't care about athletics. That's fine, but get of the Athletic conference then.
 
#71 ·
Temple would probably be mine if they weren't perennial chokers in the NCAA Tournament.

I would say Richmond. I like Mooney and loved Anderson and Harper, although its a borderline joke KA got poy award over Crawford 2009-10 season
 
#87 ·
Is Toronto the centre of the universe? lol

If so, yes, born and raised. Only came down to Richmond for school. Toronto is home. I had a friend and neighbor go down to St. Bonaventure for undergrad. He's at GW for med school now.
 
#88 ·
Is Toronto the centre of the universe? lol
You must be kidding. Surely, you must know the feelings of the rest of your countrymen and the nickname they have given you.

btw, a number of years ago, I was returning from a Leafs-Wings game at MLG (the final year) and was grilled at the Lewiston-Queenston bridge. I was wearing my Sabres hat and driving a car with Virginia tags and US customs wasn't buying my story that I had just been to the Great White North to see the Leafs and visit the hockey HOF. He was asking me a number of questions and finally asked me if I were driving through to Virginia. I said, no, I was going to spend the night with my mom in Olean. That was the elixir, I was no longer a potential drug runner or terrorist, I was all right and he waved me through. So, I guess you are right. We must be salt-of-the-earth people.
 
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