With two games to play, Loyola women’s basketball still has a lot to play for before the A10 tournament.
With two games to play, Loyola women’s basketball still has a lot to play for before the A10 tournament.
Despite having two games left on their regular season schedule, Loyola women’s basketball has begun turning their attention to the Atlantic 10 (A10) conference tournament in Henrico, Va., March 4-8.
The Ramblers have already exceeded preseason media expectations, which predicted the team to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the A10. Currently, Loyola sits sixth in the conference with a 9-7 conference record and 13-14 overall.
The team looks to continue what’s been their strongest season since joining the A10, with a record nine conference wins and potential to have their highest seeding in the tournament since earning the eight seed in 2023-24 — the only time they have ever won an A10 tournament game.
Loyola has the potential to rise as high as fourth seed to as low as eighth in the conference. The road to fourth depends not only on Rambler victories but also Davidson and Saint Joseph University losses. If Loyola wins their upcoming games, and both Davidson and Saint Joseph’s lose out, the Ramblers rise to fourth seed.
With losses to both the Wildcats and Hawks earlier this season, Loyola has to finish with a better record than both teams if they want to improve their seeding, as they lose the tiebreakers to both squads.
In their final games Loyola faces the two teams directly behind them in the standings. First comes the University of Dayton Feb. 25, where Loyola will look for their second win over the Flyers who sit eighth with a 7-9 conference record. The Ramblers last game will take place Feb. 28 at La Salle University, where they will look for their second win over the Explorers who sit seventh at 8-8.
If Loyola finishes tied with La Salle in their conference record, the Ramblers would lose the tiebreaker after splitting the season series and the Explorers having the lead in common opponents with the only win in the A10 over regular season leader University of Rhode Island.
The Flyers have a slim chance at passing Loyola, needing the Ramblers to lose out and winning out themselves. With a split head to head record, Dayton and Loyola’s highest ranked common opponent would be George Mason University, with Loyola coming away with an 0-2 record, worse than Dayton’s 0-1.
Once the Ramblers head to the tournament at the Henrico Sports & Events Center, they will at the very least have the first day off. The opening day of the tournament March 4, will feature the 12 versus 13 seed game and 11 versus 14 seed matchups.
If Loyola finishes between the 5-7 seed, they will then play the following day March 5. If they end as the five seed, they will play the winner of the 12 vs 13 seed match. As the six seed, they would face the winner of 11 vs 14, or if they end as the seven seed, they will play the 10 seed.
Loyola still has a chance to earn a double bye if they end up as the fourth seed, where they would face the winner of the five seed game on March 6. After the quarterfinals March 6, the semifinals follow March 7, where Loyola could face any mix of teams atop the A10.
The finals are the following day, closing the tournament March 8 at 4 p.m. to determine who will hoist the trophy. The winner of the tournament would also clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, Loyola’s only chance to make the tournament, and what would be the programs first appearance in March Madness.
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