The men’s basketball team will head back to the boardwalk next spring if the newly instated head coach and players make the cut for the Atlantic 10 tournament.
For the sixth year in a row the men’s basketball championship will be played in Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., advancing the top 12 seeded teams at the end of the regular season. The top four seeds will earn a bye in the first round, which will be played at campus sites March 6, 2012. The advancing teams will compete in the subsequent rounds March 9 to 11 in Atlantic City.
Men’s basketball head coach Mike Lonergan and his team will have their eyes set on making the trip to Atlantic City, looking to build on the Colonials’ best season in four years. GW posted a 17-14 overall record, finishing fifth in the A-10 after falling in the first round of the league tournament to Saint Joseph’s.
It was the team’s first trip to the tournament in four seasons, and many were surprised when Karl Hobbs was dismissed as GW’s head coach in April after what seemed to be the beginning stages of a program comeback. Lonergan will take the helm of GW’s flagship athletic program after a shaky offseason that saw controversial recruit departures and a complete overhaul of the coaching staff. The team’s upcoming season will be under intense scrutiny as the community looks to evaluate the success of the program’s unexpected shake-up.
The women’s basketball championship will be hosted by Saint Joseph’s University from March 2 to 5, 2012. The top 12 teams at the conclusion of the regular season will advance to the tournament.
Some of the league’s sports saw changes to their championship formats. The women’s tennis championship was extended one day, making it a four-day championship event for the 14 participating institutions.
The back-draw for both the men’s and women’s tennis championships was removed from the championship schedule, resulting in a single-elimination format which will go into effect in 2012. Beginning in 2013, the dates for the men’s and women’s tennis championship were revised. The championships will be played at a later date alternating between the third and fourth weekends in April.
The full list of championship schedules can be seen on the Atlantic 10 website.
