Each week, A10 Talk’s staff ranks each team in the Atlantic 10 conference (1-14) based on where they believe each team places overall. Each team’s ranking is averaged, and A10 Talk creates a compiled ranking to represent the site. 11 different contributors vote in each week’s rankings. Be sure to check out last week’s power rankings post. Here are this week’s power rankings.
1. Rhode Island Rams (Avg: 1.00)
Rhode Island won its opening contest over Dartmouth this weekend, as E.C. Matthews and Hassan Martin put on impressive displays Friday night. The Rams will have quite the slate of games this week as they’ll face Marist on Monday, Brown on Wednesday, and Cincinnati on Saturday as part of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Naismith.
2. Dayton Flyers (Avg: 2.00)
Dayton rolled over Austin Peay in its opening night as the Flyers beat the Governors 96-68 thanks to 31 impressive points from Charles Cooke. The Flyers also shot 54.4% from the floor and hit 13 threes. Dayton has a very difficult week as it travels to play Alabama on Tuesday and then hosts #17 Saint Mary’s on Saturday.
3. VCU Rams (Avg: 3.25)
VCU shot the ball well from the field (55.4%) in order to skate away from UNC Asheville and get an 80-65 win to open the regular season. Mo Alie-Cox led the Rams with 15 points and 6 rebounds. VCU doesn’t have the toughest week as it’ll travel to play Liberty on Tuesday and then host Binghamton on Friday.
4. Davidson Wildcats (Avg: 4.00)
Davidson struggled in the early-going but still found a way to beat Appalachian State 86-74. The Wildcats didn’t have Jack Gibbs in their season opener but Peyton Aldridge picked up the slack with 31 points and 7 rebounds. Davidson will begin the Puerto Rico Tip-Off this week against Clemson on Thursday.
5. St. Bonaventure Bonnies (Avg: 5.50)
St. Bonaventure struggled early on but pulled away late against St. Francis (PA) on Saturday. The Bonnies took the win 92-82 behind 23 points from Jaylen Adams and Denzel Gregg. St. Bonaventure will get a great test this week when it faces off against Florida in an away game on Thursday.
6. La Salle Explorers (Avg: 6.00)
La Salle almost got a great road win over Temple this weekend, but the Explorers fell to the Owls 97-92 in overtime. B.J. Johnson had 23 points while Jordan Price added 22 and a game-tying three at the end of regulation. The Explorers will host Delaware on Tuesday and Texas Southern on Saturday.
7. Richmond Spiders (Avg: 7.50)
Richmond barely survived a scare this weekend as Virginia Military took the Spiders all the way to the buzzer. Despite their good play, ShawnDre’ Jones’ 31 points helped the Spiders take the 72-69 win. Richmond gets two more home games this weekend as it hosts Old Dominion on Monday and Robert Morris on Sunday.
8. Massachusetts Minutemen (Avg: 8.00)
Massachusetts got a nice win over UMass Lowell 90-76 on Friday behind some impressive individual performances. Rashaan Holloway had 21 points while Luwane Pipkins had 8 steals. UMass gets two tough tests this week when it plays at Ole Miss on Monday and at home against Temple on Thursday. They’ll also host Holy Cross on Sunday.
9. George Washington Colonials (Avg: 8.50)
George Washington survived a scare from Maryland-Eastern Shore on Friday but managed to win its season-opener 75-71. The Colonials were led by Tyler Cavanaugh and Yuta Watanabe with 24 and 18 points respectively. The Colonials host Siena on Tuesday and Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday.
10. Saint Joseph’s Hawks (Avg: 9.25)
Saint Joseph’s snuck past Toledo 77-76 this past Saturday after the Rockets played them tight all night long. Shavar Newkirk led the way for the Hawks with 28 points, and Lamaar Kimble added 16 of his own. Saint Joseph’s will face Columbia on Monday and turn around to face Loyola (IL) at home on Friday.
11. Duquesne Dukes (Avg: 11.00)
Duquesne was the only A-10 team to play two games this weekend, as the Dukes beat Loyola (MD) 65-60 on Friday and lost to Penn State 82-74 on Sunday. Freshman Michael Lewis II had 19 against the Nittany Lions. Duquesne faces off against St. Francis (PA) on Wednesday and Canisius on Friday.
12. George Mason Patriots (Avg: 12.50)
George Mason suffered a tough loss to Towson to start the season, though both teams were competitive throughout the entire contest. Jalen Jenkins had 19 points, but the Patriots lost 67-61 in their season-opener. George Mason faces Lebanon Valley on Tuesday and Mt. St. Mary’s on Friday.
13. Fordham Rams (Avg: 13.00)
Fordham had a rough start to the regular season as the Rams got absolutely destroyed on the road. Eastern Tennessee State obliterated the Rams 96-59; Javontae Hawkins led Fordham with 18 points on the night. Fordham will host NYIT on Monday and then Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday.
14. Saint Louis Billikens (Avg: 13.50)
Saint Louis got crushed in its season opener, dropping an 85-64 home loss to Ball State. The Billikens struggled to hit shots from the field but were led by Davell Roby with 14 points. They’ll try to bounce back this week when they face Southern Utah at home on Monday and Eastern Illinois on Thursday.
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