As voted on by our staff, here is this week’s Atlantic 10 Power Rankings.
1. Davidson Wildcats
Advancing to 8-1 on the young season, Davidson moves up to #1 in our power rankings. The Wildcats have the grunt of their non-conference schedule coming up though; if they can down Temple and Wake Forest, both away from home, they’ll be in great shape heading into a road test against North Carolina.
2. VCU Rams
VCU makes the jump to #2 this week after taking down Texas on the road in one of the best (if not the best) wins for the league this year. The Rams followed that up with a gutsy performance against Virginia that came down to the wire. Give Mike Rhoades credit; his pesky defense can hang with absolutely anyone.
3. Saint Louis Billikens
The Billikens remain one of the more frustrating teams to watch this year, as a stifled offense struggled against Southern Illinois on the road in a very winnable game; the Bills responded with a nice home win over Oregon St. without Tramaine Isabell, but it featured a frustrating scoring drought. If Saint Louis figures out fouls, free throws, and can get healthy, this team will be in much better shape.
4. Dayton Flyers
Despite the turnover fever, Dayton lost to Auburn by just 10 on the road and kept the game competitive at points. The Flyers will look back on their non-conference schedule and see missed opportunities against Oklahoma and Mississippi St., but this still looks like a team that can win the Atlantic 10 this year.
5. Duquesne Dukes
The Dukes jump up to 5 this week after a spirited comeback at home against Longwood. They looked deflated in the first half but sped up the defensive intensity and delivered in the 2nd half. Credit Keith Dambrot for avoiding a loss like that at home. The Dukes have a nice home stand coming up.
6. Saint Joseph’s Hawks
The Hawks are down to 6 this week, though they did put up a solid fight on the road against Villanova without leading scorer Charlie Brown. He’s imperative to the Hawks’ scoring, but Lamarr Kimble had a real strong showing against the Wildcats in a game that was much more competitive than last year…
7. Massachusetts Minutemen
Massachusetts pulled off one of the biggest wins of the non-conference season, coming from behind and taking down Providence on the road after trailing by 20. It was one of the most entertaining A-10 games of the season, and credit Carl Pierre and co. for heating up and staying in the game. When this Massachusetts team is hot, it’s hot. Matt McCall just needs to find more consistency from his guys.
8. Rhode Island Rams
Rhode Island had arguably its best showing of the year on the road against Holy Cross in a 16 point win. If Cyril Langevine can hang with a gritty West Virginia team, things could get interesting.
9. George Mason Patriots
The Patriots stay at #9 after losing to Vermont at home but responding with a win over James Madison. Not much changes in terms of their outlook after a pretty predictable week.
T10. Fordham Rams
Fordham took down Rutgers at home in one of the biggest Jeff Neubauer non-conference wins I’ve seen in awhile. Nick Honor was, and continues to be, absolutely lethal in his freshman season. Rams are coming up.
T10. St. Bonaventure Bonnies
After a 42 point rout over Siena, hopes were high for the Bonnies hosting #17 Buffalo at home. Unfortunately, the Bulls were way too much to handle for Stockard and company.
12. Richmond Spiders
A home test for Old Dominion next week will be a great contest for this team. The Spiders need to keep Grant Golden going, as he’s been absolutely on fire.
13. La Salle Explorers
La Salle is 0-10 and not even the last team on these power rankings. Ouch.
14. George Washington Colonials
Now 269 in Kenpom, the Colonials continue to fall…
