For the GW men’s basketball team, Ohio has been a state of uncertainty over the past few years. Before the Colonials’ stunning last-second road win over Dayton on Feb. 26, they had not won in the in the Buckeye State since 1999. Coach Karl Hobbs is not sure what it is about Ohio that makes his team quiver, but GW hopes to end that trend as they head to Cincinnati for the Atlantic 10 basketball tournament this week.

“We are playing the winner of Fordham and Duquesne,” Hobbs said in a telephone interview. “We aren’t playing Dayton or Xavier. I don’t think it will be a huge crowd problem.”

The tournament begins for the West No. 1 seed Colonials (19-7, 11-5 A-10) on Thursday, playing Fordham at 6:30 p.m. at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. Hobbs is not taking any team lightly. He has repeatedly said that A-10 opponents play their best against GW.

“Teams are coming ready to play,” Hobbs said emphatically. “That’s for sure.”

With their win on March 5 at Rhode Island, GW earned the number one seed in the West in a bracket that includes Fordham, Temple and Dayton. The Colonials have beaten every team in the bracket this year. Still, Hobbs does not see that as a factor going into the weekend.

“You got to play well to win,” Hobbs said. “You can throw it right out of the window and now you focus well and can win.”

The Rams visited Foggy Bottom on Feb. 16 and played the Colonials tight for a half, before taking a four-point lead into the break. A-10 Rookie of the Year Bryant Dunston scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Rams in a game GW pulled out in the second half.

The East No. 1 seed is St. Joseph’s, a team that scorched the Colonials on senior day March 1 at the Smith Center. The Hawks’ side of the bracket appears to be tougher than GW’s side. It includes Xavier, Richmond and La Salle. The Colonials have fallen to Xavier twice and Richmond once, but will not have to face either of those teams until a potential championship match-up.

“I think whoever we play we have to play very well to win. I don’t see anyone specifically right now,” Hobbs said. “I’m focusing on how well we play (Thursday) and not worrying about anything else.”

In all eight out of the last 13 A-10 tournaments, the first overall seed has won the title, but no No. 1 seed has won it since Xavier in 2002. In last year’s tournament, St. Joseph’s entered the tournament undefeated and the No. 1 team in the nation before falling to the Musketeers.

In order for the Colonials to secure an NCAA Tournament bid outright, they must win the tournament. However, with one or two wins, they could potentially earn an at-large bid.

GW’s rankings percentage index (RPI), which measures a team’s regular season performance, is No. 80 in Division I basketball. With only 65 spots in the big dance, at-large bids are not easy to come by. Hobbs said he does not feel the pressure, as he just wants to complete the task at hand: winning A-10s. But with 20 or more wins, Hobbs’ club will have a good shot at the NCAA Tournament.

“There’s no pressure whatsoever,” Hobbs said. “My focus is we are trying to win one game. When you look at our league there’s never been a team in the A-10 with eight losses that hasn’t made the tournament.”