A month is in the books. Time to look at the offensive and defensive efficiencies of the A10. The efficiency margin (EM) subtracts defense from the offense. Naturally, you would want your EM to be a positive number.
| Record | Off Eff | Def Eff | EM | |
| Dayton | 6-2 | 114 | 101 | 13 |
| Duq. | 5-2 | 112 | 104 | 8 |
| St. Joe’s | 6-2 | 106 | 98 | 8 |
| Rich. | 5-3 | 111 | 103 | 8 |
| GMU | 7-1 | 109 | 102 | 7 |
| St. Bona | 5-2 | 109 | 103 | 6 |
| VCU | 4-4 | 105 | 99 | 6 |
| Loyola | 5-3 | 105 | 100 | 5 |
| Davidson | 5-3 | 110 | 106 | 4 |
| UMass | 4-1 | 107 | 104 | 3 |
| GWU | 6-2 | 106 | 105 | 1 |
| Fordham | 4-4 | 98 | 98 | 0 |
| URI | 5-3 | 107 | 108 | -1 |
| LaSalle | 6-2 | 109 | 111 | -2 |
| SLU | 5-4 | 106 | 110 | -4 |
Notes: St. Joseph’s captured the inaugural Big 5 Classic championship with a 74-65 victory over Temple at Wells Fargo Center.
The Kenpom.com MVP of Saturday’s game was Rasheer Fleming. The 6’9” sophomore scored a career high 22 points with a team high nine boards and four blocks.
Saint Joseph’s advanced to the championship game by upsetting Villanova 78-65 on Wednesday. It was the Hawks’ first victory over Villannova since the Jameer Nelson era. Hawks mentor Billy Lange is a former Villanova assistant.
La Salle sports a .750 winning percentage and a negative EM. Closer look shows the Explorers allow an effective field goal percentage (eFG) of 52%. In addition the offensive rebounding percentage is a -3. On the plus side, La Salle’s turnover percentage is a favorable 15%, good for 37th in the nation.
Speaking of La Salle, Fran Dunphy’s group was involved in two classic games this past week. First, a three overtime thriller at Temple on Wednesday. The Owls emerged victorious in that one 106-99. On Saturday it was another extra session for the Explorers as they defeated Penn 93-92 as Khalil Brantley banked in a long running jumper at the buzzer. La Salle trailed by eight with just under five to play before making a late run. Interestingly, Dunphy faced two schools last week, Penn and Temple, he coached at prior to signing on at his La Salle alma mater.
In their 66-56 win over South Florida on Saturday, UMass forced 18 Bull turnovers (24% TO rate), scoring 20 points off those miscues. Frank Martin’s Minutemen limited South Florida to a 74 offensive efficiency.
Chad Venning tied his career high with 23 points as St. Bonaventure downed Buffalo 80-65. Bonnies rang up a 114 efficiency for their third straight victory. Mika Adams-Woods added 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Next up for Mark Schmidt’s Bonnies is a visit on Wednesday to long time Little Three nemesis Niagara.
Fordham dropped a tough 89-81 decision to Tulane at Rose Hill on Sunday. Rams held a 36-19% advantage in offensive rebounding efficiency rating. Visiting Green Wave however, enjoyed a 32-8 edge in free throws made. Ten unanswered points by Tulane at crunch time allowed the Green Wave to avenge last year’s loss to Keith Urgo’s club.
Tulane game marked the first of several tests for the Rams. Sunday they face North Texas at Barclays Center. The following Saturday calls for a Madison Square Garden date against St. John’s.
Davidson defeated Wright State 82-73 on Saturday. It was the second straight victory and 80 point effort for the Wildcats. A 13-2 run early in the final stanza broke the game open for Davidson. Wildcats shot 11 of 30 (37%) from beyond the arc. David Skogman, a 19 point scorer, was a perfect 4 of 4. Grant Huffman (Kenpom.com MVP) led all scorers with 20, hitting a perfect 7 of 7 inside the arc.
Defense was the key for George Mason as the Patriots defeated Toledo 86-77. Host Rockets entered the game with a 49% field goal percentage, a mark putting them in the top-50 nationwide. George Mason limited them to 43% from the field. Amari Kelly was the Kenpom.com MVP with a team high 24 points for George Mason. The 6’9” senior center did set the game’s pace with 10 rebounds (4 offensive).
Dayton had a Kenpom.com MVP in Nick Santos as the Flyers downed Grambling State 76-46. The 6’7” junior scored a career high 26 points, shooting 6 of 7 from long range. Game at UD Arena saw the 1984 Elite Eight team honored. Flyer coach Anthony Grant was a freshman on that team.
Saint Louis is struggling having dropped four of their last five. Billikens allow an eFG rate of 54% ranking 308th in the country. Known for their rebounding in recent years, Travis Ford’s club has a very pedestrian 22% offensive rebounding percentage.
Richmond has won three of four, the latest an 88-69 victory over William & Mary. Jordan King earned Kenpom.con accolades with a game high 29 points. The 6’ guard added six rebounds for the Spiders.
Loyola’s 75-53 victory over Harvard made it three straight and four of the last five for the Ramblers. Loyola’s Philip Alston (16 points, 7 rebounds) got the Kenpom.com nod in that contest.
VCU has now lost three of four. The modest recent, a 63-60 setback at the hands of Norfolk State the past Friday.
A10 Co-Players of the Week:
Khalil Brantley, La Salle- averaged 26.5 points and 10 rebounds including the previously mentioned game winner against Penn.
David Skogman, Davidson- shot 60 % for two games including a career high 30 points in a win over Charlotte.
Rookie of the Week: Bobby Durkin, Davidson- averaged 15.5 points, canning seven treys against Charlotte, in Davidson’s 2-0 week.
