With Richmond on the NCAA Tournament bubble’s First Four Out, and every other program looking to ruin the Spiders’ plans, the Atlantic 10 Championship tips off in Henric, Va. on March 4.
Here’s a little bit to know about each team:
No. 1 Rhode Island (16-2, 25-4 overall)
Brooklyn Gray, Ines Debroise, Palmire Mbu and Vanessa Harris just led Rhode Island to a share of the A10’s regular-season title and now look to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996. Coaches will tell you defense wins championships, well the Rams are holding opponents to a league low 53.8 PPG and have smothered out some of the A10’s best offenses this season.
No. 2 George Mason (16-2, 21-8 overall)
After playing spoiler against Richmond on the way to winning a co-regular season title, can the dynamic duo of Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris ride this hot streak into March and earn George Mason a second straight NCAA Tournament bid? Having the conference’s most efficient defense by Bart Torvik’s metrics will certainly help.
No. 3 Richmond (15-3, 25-6 overall)
Richmond had its blips in conference play on the way to a 25-6 record and fell just short of preseason expectations but the Spiders still have a potential back-to-back Player of the Year in Maggie Doogan. Add into the mix Rachel Ullstrom and Ally Sweeney, and the A10’s highest scoring offense could very well play itself on to the right side of the bubble with a few wins this week.
No. 4 Davidson (12-6, 20-11 overall)
Davidson surmounted the 20 win mark this season for the first time since joining the A10. For a program that’s never been to the NCAA Tournament, 2026 presents a real opportunity to finally break a 38-year dry streak. The Wildcats effort will be led by two-time all-conference selection Charlise Dunn and the league’s best three-point shooter in Katie Donovan, anchored by a strong defensive unit behind them.
No. 5 Saint Joseph’s (10-8, 19-10 overall)
St. Joe’s has easily one of the conference’s best all-around players and a likely all-league selection in Gabby Casey. But she struggled in a recent game at George Mason before ultimately being forced to sit out with an injury against Richmond as the Hawks lost two straight heading into March. With Casey’s status still unconfirmed for the championship, it’ll be an uphill battle for St. Joe’s, but Aleah Snead and Rhian Stokes are still more than capable.
No. 6 La Salle (10-8, 17-12 overall)
Despite being picked 12th in the A10’s preseason poll, La Salle is having something of a renaissance season and will have a chance to surpass its highest win total since 2007. The development from Ashleigh Connor needs to be underscored having become one of the league’s best all-around scorers. Meanwhile, Aryss Macktoon is a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Joan Quinn is a three-point shooting sniper and Kiara Williams is a tough assignment in the frontcourt.
No. 7 Dayton (9-9, 16-13 overall)
It seems long gone are the days of when Dayton made eight NCAA Tournament appearances in nine seasons but head coach Tamika Williams is evidently building some stability in Ohio. Seniors Nayo Lear and Nichole Stephens prepare for one last ride and have been road warriors all season long with wins at Xavier, Fordham, Duquense, La Salle, St. Joe’s, and Loyola Chicago. The Flyers will need to bring that same energy down to Henrico later this week.
No. 8 Loyola Chicago (9-9, 13-16 overall)
Loyola’s struggles were evident to close out the 2025-26 regular-season as the Ramblers managed just one win in their final six games. But this is one of the league’s toughest defensive teams and even in those six games opponents never scored more than 70 points. If a Quarterfinal matchup with Rhode Island awaits, potential Rookie of the Year Alex-Anne Bessette will need to be a difference maker for the Ramblers.
No. 9 St. Bonaventure (7-11, 16-14 overall)
But in order to get to the Quarterfinal, Loyola Chicago will have to advance past St. Bonaventure, a team that’s had some major upsets and some significant losses. That includes taking down higher seeds like St. Joe’s or Davidson, as well as falling to teams below such as Saint Louis, Fordham and George Washington. Ultimately, that makes the Bonnies one of the conference’s biggest wildcards and seniors Laycee Drake and Aaliyah Parker are the fuse that can set this bomb off.
No. 10 George Washington (7-11, 15-16 overall)
We are approaching a decade since George Washington last made the NCAA Tournament but in year-one, new head coach Ganiyat Adeduntan is already making strides to build on last seasons win total. She would undoubtedly love to get the Revolutionaries to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2023 and draws a good matchup against a Dayton team they already upset twice in league play. Will sophomore guard Gabby Reynolds answer the bell once again, having scored double-digits in 11 games straight?
No. 11 Saint Louis (5-13, 11-20 overall)
Three-years removed from an NCAA Tournament and two-years removed from a 22-win season, Saint Louis is in the midst of a rebuild and led by a pair of senior transfers. Zya Nugent and Alexia Nelson will look to carry this youthful and inexperienced roster into the chaos of the A10 Tournament. Freshman like the league’s leading rebounder and shot blocker in Alyssa Koerkenmeier, Jahda Denis and Zhykera Brown will all be better for the experience.
No. 12 Duquesne (4-14, 11-18 overall)
Megan McConnell’s departure for the WNBA loomed large in Pittsburgh and left Duquesne in the midst of its own rebuild with a youthful roster. Mackenzie Blackford returned for her sophomore season and has taken a leap but amongst several good freshmen in this league, Alexis Bordas is possibly the most explosive. Flashback to a Dec. 21 upset over Pitt in which Bordas dropped 38 points followed by Blackford with 14… nobody wants to face that firepower in Henrico.
No. 13 VCU (4-14, 8-22 overall)
VCU announced the firing of head coach Beth O’Boyle on Feb. 2 after an 8-15 start to the season and from there things only plummeted as the Rams lost their last seven under interim Kirk Crawford. Injuries too have plagued VCU but Arizona transfer Katarina Knezevic has been a major bright spot and even dropped 22 points against the preseason favorite in Richmond earlier this year. She makes this team extremely tough on the boards as well and its given opponents trouble at times throughout the season.
No. 14 Fordham (2-16, 10-19 overall)
Fordham has had its struggles in 2025-26 and only managed a pair of wins in conference but you can never count the Rams out for two primary reasons. First is that Fordham is the conference’s best offensive rebounding team and a strong group on the boards overall. Second is because of Alexis Black has become a superstar since arriving from VCU this past offseason. When 100% healthy, she can go for 20+ points on any night which gives the Rams a fighters chance against just about anybody.
