Race for the Women's Basketball Title is Wide Open

Last Year's Winners, Teams on the Rise
Make for Competitive A-10 Top to Bottom

Don’t count anybody out. That’s the level of anticipation that greets the 2012-13 Atlantic 10 season. Among the 16 teams comprising the league – which now includes newcomers Virginia Commonwealth and Butler -- six received first-place votes in the league’s preseason poll voted on by coaches.

Dayton emerged as the frontrunner with seven votes followed by Richmond and Charlotte, each with a vote apiece. Duquesne nabbed four of the votes, Temple one and defending regular season champion St. Bonaventure notched three.

So it’s a guess which team will hold the trophy on March 16 when the Atlantic 10 culminates with an historic championship game televised by the ESPN Networks in Brooklyn’s state-of-the-art Barclays Center? A handful of questions to consider:

•Will preseason favorite and defending A-10 tournament champion Dayton prevail despite losing four of its top six scorers?

•Can St. Bonaventure follow its most successful season in school history with another storied run?

•Will Richmond return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 behind all-league picks Genevieve Okoro, Becca Wann and Rachael Bilney?

•How dangerous is Charlotte, led by senior forward Jennifer Hailey, one of five starters back for the 49ers?

This much we know. The A-10 continues to evolve as one of the top conferences in the sport.

http://www.atlantic10.com/sports/w-baskb...12aaa.html

2012-13 PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
TEAM (1st-place votes) POINTS 11-12 RECORD (FINISH)
1. Dayton (7) 239 23-7/12-2 (3rd)
2. Richmond (1) 207 23-9/9-5 (T4th)
3. Charlotte (1) 206 16-14/8-6 (6th)
4. Duquesne (3) 204 20-12/7-7 (T7th)
5. Temple (1) 201 23-10/13-1 (2nd)
6. Saint Joseph's 195 22-11/9-5 (T4th)
7. St. Bonaventure (3) 172 31-4/14-0 (1st)
8. George Washington 139 11-18/4-10 (T10th)
9. La Salle 114 14-17/7-7 (T7th)
10. Xavier 111 8-20/5-9 (9th)
11. Fordham 96 12-18/3-11 (T12th)
12. Butler 80 13-17/9-9 Horizon
13. VCU 71 19-15/9-9 CAA)
14. Saint Louis 64 11-20/4-10 (T10th)
15. Massachusetts 56 8-21/3-11 (T12th)
16. Rhode Island 21 1-28/0-14 (14th)

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools...2-...elease.pdf