Nicholas Signoretta, Editor

Official branding for this week’s upcoming A10 Men’s Basketball Championship. (courtesy of seatgeek.com)

There is now only one option remaining for the La Salle men’s basketball team if they want to keep playing basketball this spring.  Left with no other ways to preserve their season, the Explorers (13-18, 7-11) must win this week’s upcoming A-10 Tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.  After an appalling run of form (lost five straight), La Salle will hope to run through five straight basketball games to cut down the nets to claim their first ever Atlantic 10 title.

The group that will lead La Salle University to the promised land: The 2023 NCAA Tournament. (courtesy of doms.pov)

What is a 7-11 conference record good for in the modern A10 economy?  That will get you the #11 Seed and a date with the #14 Seed Rhode Island Rams (9-21, 5-13).  The First Round matchup, or as polite society refers to it, the P.I.G. (play-in game) will take place on Tuesday, Mar 6th, at 4:30PM EST and will stream on ESPN+.  La Salle split their season series with Rhode Island, winning 77-75 in OT at Tom Gola Arena on Jan 7th, and losing in the return trip 72-70 at the Thomas M. Ryan Center on Jan 28th.  Neither team has been in form recently, with Explorers rolling in on the previously mentioned five-game losing streak and the Rams losing eight of their last nine.

If La Salle were to win their first matchup and escape the P.I.G., their next two opponents would be set, with their Second Round game being against the Duquesne Dukes (20-11, 10-8) on Wednesday, Mar 8th, at 7:30PM EST.  The Explorers fell to the Dukes earlier this year 91-74 on Feb 22nd at Tom Gola Arena.  If La Salle can somehow avenge that defeat, they earn themselves a Thursday, Mar 9th, 7:30PM EST date with the Fordham Rams (24-7, 12-6).  As you may guess, La Salle also fell at the feet of Fordham.  That game also took place at Tom Gola Arena on Jan 14th, with the Rams winning 66-64 on a buzzer-beater.  Both games would be streamed on USA Network.  The Semifinals and Finals will take place on Saturday, Mar 11th, and Sunday, Mar 12th.  The former will be found on CBS Sports Network while the latter will be on CBS.

The bracket for the 2023 A10 Men’s Basketball Championship. (courtesy of atlantic10.com)

The moral of the story: La Salle might win a game.  Throw a parade?  No.  Rage in next week’s article?  Possibly.