2008 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament

2008 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament
Classification	Division I
Season	2007–08
Teams	12
Site	Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, New Jersey
Champions	Temple (7th title)
Winning coach	Fran Dunphy (1st title)
MVP	Dionte Christmas[1] (Temple)
Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournaments «2007  2009»

The 2008 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament was played at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey from March 12 through March 15, 2008. By winning the tournament, Temple received an automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and was crowned Atlantic 10 Conference champion. Xavier and Saint Joseph's also received at-large bids to the NCAA tournament. Dionte Christmas of Temple was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Seeding

The seeding for the tournament is based on regular-season record during Atlantic 10 Conference play. Each team played a 16-game schedule. Charlotte, Richmond, and Saint Joseph's all finished with records of 9-7. Richmond won the tiebreaker by having a 2-1 record among the tied schools. Saint Joseph's came second from the tiebreaker with a record of 1-1. Also, La Salle and Dayton both finished with 8-8 records. La Salle won the tiebreaker by having beaten Dayton during the regular season. Lastly, Duquesne, Rhode Island, and Saint Louis all finished with records of 7-9. Because the teams were all 1-1 in games amongst each other, the tie was broken by record against the highest ranked teams in the conference. In the end, Saint Louis won the tiebreaker as a result of a 1-1 record vs. Massachusetts. Duquesne (0-1 vs. Massachusetts) then got the tiebreaker over Rhode Island (0-2).

The top four teams receive byes to the second round of the tournament. Because they did not finish in the top 12 in the Atlantic 10, George Washington and St. Bonaventure did not qualify for the tournament.

Bracket

	First round March 12					Second round March 13					Semifinals March 14					Championship Game March 15
	8	Dayton	63*
	9	Saint Louis	62
						1	Xavier	74
						8	Dayton	65
											1	Xavier	53
										5	St. Joseph's	61
						4	Richmond	47
						5	St. Joseph's	61
	5	Saint Joseph's	80
	12	Fordham	62
																5	St. Joseph's	64
																2	Temple	69
	7	La Salle	82
	10	Duquesne	79
						2	Temple	84
						7	La Salle	75
											2	Temple	60
										6	Charlotte	45
						3	Massachusetts	65
						6	Charlotte	69
	6	Charlotte	75
	11	Rhode Island	73

Asterisk denotes game ended in overtime.

References

1. Owls Win Atlantic 10 Championship With 69-64 Victory Over Rival Saint Joseph's