Conference play is where margins disappear, and in the Atlantic 10 that reality is about to hit fast. Non-conference play is over, and the top of the conference did not disappoint A-10 fans. Rhode Island took down NC State on the road where success on the road team does not always happen, Dayton taking down former A-10 foe Xavier on the road, and Saint Joseph’s taking down Cincinnati in the final minutes at home. That is just naming a few of the successes that the conference had in the non-conference slate with the teams playing a combined 36 games against the Power 4 schools and the Big East.
The conference slate brings familiar rivals, physical matchups, and nights where one defensive stop or late bucket can swing the standings. In a league defined by depth and balance, every possession carries added weight as teams begin the grind toward March. Only one team can be named the champion when March hits, and this conference has seen a whole bunch of parity in its champions.
Since the 2019-20 season, six different programs have captured the Atlantic 10 tournament title – George Mason, Richmond, Saint Louis, Massachusetts (UMass), VCU, and Dayton – underscoring the league’s competitive balance. With UMass now out of the conference, that opens the window for teams like Rhode Island, Davidson, and Saint Joseph to fight for the title.
With that all said, let’s dive into all 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 going from title contenders to the teams that are fighting the uphill battle to raise the A-10 Women’s Basketball trophy in Henrico in March.
Title Contenders
Rhode Island
Record: 10-2 (1-0)
NET: 50
Torvik: 57
Top Scorer: Palmire Mbu 13.0 PPG
Tammi Reiss and the Rhode Island Rams are off to their best start in the program’s history through 12 games. Give the credit to the Rams as they made the championship game last season in Henrico where they fell short to George Mason. Rhode Island in the offseason replenished their roster with three transfers that all came to Kingston from other schools in the Atlantic 10. Palmire Mbu has stepped up in her second season with the Rams going from averaging 4.7 points to 13.0 points. Rhode Island brought in Saint Louis transfer Brooklyn Gray who knows what it takes to win champions and first-year Vanessa Harris providing a spark off the bench. The Rams took down a then nationally-ranked NC State in what was the best win in program history and played it close with a Princeton team at home who is now nationally ranked. Rhode Island seems to have all the right pieces to contend for the Atlantic 10 title, and will be a tough team to beat. The Rams took down Saint Joseph’s at the beginning of December and have one of the biggest challengers to fully open up conference play on December 30th in the standalone game for the conference at home. Rhode Island face Saint Joseph’s and Richmond each one more time after their first meetings of the season with them, and do not face any of the other title contenders more than once for the rest of the conference play.
Richmond
Record: 11-3 (1-0)
NET: 45
Torvik: 39
Top Scorer: Maggie Doogan 23.3 PPG
Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom return back to Richmond after making the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team last season. At the start of the season, both Doogan and Ullstrom were named to the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year watchlist. Doogan through 14 games leads the conference in scoring, proving the reason why she was named to the Preseason A-10 All-Conference First Team at the start of the season. Aaron Roussell has managed to retain the talent from not only Doogan and Ullstrom but also in Ally Sweeney and Alicia Newell. The Spiders are not a full season removed from winning the regular-season title, and have their eyes set on going for their third regular season title in three years. Richmond did their best to take care of their opponents in the non-conference, winning almost all of the games that they were expected to win, but also keeping in close for as long at they could to Texas, TCU, and Fairfield. The Spiders started conference play with a win over Loyola Chicago but have Rhode Island on December 30th in a game that will be crucial for Richmond if they would like to keep their hopes alive for their third regular season title in three years. Conference play for the Spiders will not be easy for them as they have to face Rhode Island, Davidson, and George Mason twice, all of whom could easily contend for the championship in March.
Davidson
Record: 9-5 (1-0)
NET: 53
Torvik: 53
Top Scorer: Charlise Dunn 16.6 PPG
The Davidson Wildcats had an extremely tough non-conference schedule. The Wildcats faced four Power 4 opponents, and managed to keep all of those games within 10 points. Gayle Fulks did not schedule the non-conference to be easy knowing that conference play will have stretches where they are facing multiple of the top teams in the conference. Charlise Dunn, Katie Donovan, and Kyra Bruyndoncx all return for Fulks and Davidson from last season. Dunn and Donovan are both averaging over 10 points a game heading into conference play, and will both be crucial for the team. The Wildcats have a star-studded first-year in Ines Garcia Monje who has experience playing for the Spanish national team and in the Junior League in Spain. Garcia Monje has not had a significant impact in scoring so far for Davidson, but has had impacts off the ball leading the team in assists and second in rebounds per game. The future is bright for the Wildcats, and they need to take advantage of playing both Saint Joseph’s and Richmond twice whether that is splitting the series with them or sweeping them. Conference play is the most crucial part for Davidson is to develop their new talent if they want a chance to contend for the title. If they are able to bring their first Atlantic 10 title home, whether it is regular season or tournament, back to North Carolina it would be their first since joining the conference in 2014.
Knocking on the Door
Saint Joseph’s
Record: 9-3 (0-1)
NET: 65
Torvik: 74
Top Scorer: Gabby Casey 16.3 PPG
The Saint Joseph’s Hawks have a little bit of a different look after Tayla Brugler graduated and Laura Ziegler transferred to Louisville. Gabby Casey, Aleah Snead, and Rhian Stokes all return for Cindy Griffin and the Hawks. Saint Joseph’s utilized the portal and grabbed IU Indy transfer Faith Stinson, Penn State transfer Jill Jekot, and American transfer Cecilia Kay. Stinson, Jekot, and Kay each are contributing for the Hawks in significant ways to help bolster the attack. Saint Joseph’s did not have an easy path into conference play as they beat Cincinnati at home, but also had Penn State a home less than five days later where they got their first loss on the season. The Hawks beat Columbia on the road, Drexel at home in a Big 5 Classic matchup, and a tough loss to Villanova in the Big 5 Classic Championship. While Saint Joseph’s sits 0-1 they played Rhode Island short-handed without Casey and kept them close but coulld not pull of the win. The Hawks enter conference play with both VCU and Fordham to start out before they face Davidson for the first time on January 10th. Saint Joe’s has one of the tougher schedules within the conference having to face Rhode Island, Davidson, and George Mason twice in conference.
George Mason
Record: 6-6 (1-0)
NET: 67
Torvik: 69
Top Scorer: Zahirah “Zaza” Walton 20 PPG
The reigning Atlantic 10 Tournament Champions find themselves on the outside looking in for the moment. George Mason struggled to win some of the games that should have been winnable games. The Patriots come into conference play sitting at 0.500, and had a tough non-conference schedule going to this season. George Mason took down teams in James Madison, Georgetown, and Florida Gulf Coast. Some of their losses come against Power 4 opponents and top mid-majors. The Patriots loss to a Liberty team that was a come from behind and to a top-25 Princeton team. Zahirah “Zaza” Walton and Kennedy Harris return to Fairfax and continue to lead the team in scoring. George Mason brought in talent from the portal Rhode Island transfer Hawa Komara and Ball State transfer MJ Johnson to bolster up the roster after graduating Paula Suarez and losing players to the portal. This Patriot team is looking a third player to step up in scoring, but also gain more trust in each other and build chemistry. Mason’s start to conference play has a bit of a lighter tilt to it as they do not face a team within the top five until January 18th. The Patriots have both Saint Joseph’s and Richmond twice, and has an easier path to the top as they face Dayton and George Washington twice who could make things interesting in George Mason’s path towards being at the top.
Could Make Things Interesting
La Salle
Record: 8-4 (1-0)
NET: 185
Torvik:204
Top Scorer: Ashleigh Connor 15.3 PPG
Mountain MacGillivray and the Explorers have found a way to start to right the ship. MacGillivray and his staff were able to retain Aryss Macktoon, Joan Quinn, and Ashleigh Connor all of whom were keys scorers for La Salle last season. This team has exceed expectations that many people set and found ways to win games. The Explorers are still a young team, and they are still looking for ways to play a full 40 minutes. La Salle managed to host both Villanova and Mississippi State in John Glaser Arena. Granted they unfortunately dropped both of those games, but having the ability to host teams of their caliber does not always happen. The Explorers put away wins over Maryland Eastern Shore, Delaware, Lehigh, and Loyola Maryland. The Big 5 Classic is important in MacGillivray’s eyes and to fight for third place to lose in the fourth quarter against Penn. This year is looking up for La Salle heading to conference play with some confidence after taking down VCU on December 3. This team is not fighting for the double bye, but more for the respect that they deserve and will could be a team that could cause some chaos come March.
George Washington
Record: 9-5 (1-0)
NET: 132
Torvik:146
Top Scorer: Gabby Reynolds 15.5 PPG
Ganiyat Adeduntan in her first season at the helm in Washington D.C. has started to turn the ship around for the Revolutionaries. George Washington started the non-conference slate on a side that looked like it was going to be a complete rebuild. After starting 1-4, the Revolutionaries started to right the ship and play Miami (Fla.) close into overtime in the Cayman Islands Classic. The next day the Revs took down former A-10 foe in Charlotte which started the team’s seven-game win streak. Two of their most notable wins come against Delaware and Northwestern. Coach Adeduntan retained some of the talent from last year in Gabby Reynolds and Sara Lewis. George Washington also added in talent from the portal in Loyola Chicago transfer Emma Theodorsson, Georgetown transfer Jeada Wilson, and Kentucky transfer Tanah Becker. Reynolds leads the team in scoring and is the sole player averaging double figure scoring. The Revolutionaries have both George Mason and Rhode Island twice which could cause some chaos for both teams. Overall, the rest of the season is looking up for George Washington under Coach Adeduntan.
St. Bonaventure
Record: 9-4 (0-1)
NET: 209
Torvik: 229
Top Scorer: Laycee Drake 16.1 PPG
Jim Crowley appears to have corrected the Bonnies chances to compete for the title. Crowley, in his second stint in Olean, was handed a program that was consistently sitting at the bottom of the conference. This season things seem to be looking up for St. Bonaventure as they are entering conference play with more wins in the last three full seasons. The Bonnies started their season out 5-0 before falling to UAlbany prior to Thanksgiving. St. Bonaventure’s future is bright this season as they have the opportunity to cause some chaos for the conference. The Bonnies saw several of their top scorers from last year leave, but Crowley replenished with graduate student Laycee Drake from UAlbany, first-year Aaliyah Parker, and first-year Ivona Djikanovic. St. Bonaventure does not have the easiest start to conference play as they are facing a George Washington team that is on a seven-game winning streak, Richmond, Rhode Island, and Saint Joseph’s within their first five games in conference play.
Dayton
Record: 7-5 (0-1)
NET: 198
Torvik: 222
Top Scorer: Nayo Lear 16.7 PPG
The Dayton Flyers are heading into conference play with a chip on their shoulder. The Flyers took down Xavier on the road and Kansas at a neutral site right after Thanksgiving. Dayton also faced tough losses to Belmont, Butler, and Purdue. The Flyers are still looking for another scorer to support Nayo Lear. Lear stepped up into the leading scorer this season and does not have a back up scorer could have cause an issue for Dayton entering into conference play. That issue was seen when the Flyers faced George Washington where they scored a season-low 42 points, and Lear did not score in that game. Finding a second or even third player to step in to help her score could push Dayton towards the top of this tier. Conference play will test Tamika Williams-Jeter’s squad as they face George Mason in Fairfax on December 31st to fully open conference play. Dayton faces George Mason a second time later in the season, and avoids playing more of the top teams twice.
Outside Looking In
Fordham
Record: 8-4 (0-1)
NET: 206
Torvik: 187
Top Scorer: Alexis Black 20.5 PPG
Bridgette Mitchell and the Fordham Rams have started to take steps in the right direction in the non-conference. The Rams no longer have Taylor Donaldson who was a key asset to the team last season, but has found a replacement in VCU transfer Alexis Black, who is averaging a career-high 20.5 points per game. One thing Fordham will need to establish going into conference play is a secondary scorer outside of Black. Ugne Sirtautaite could be the next option for the Rams as she is the second leading scorer for the team with 9.2 points per game. Fordham’s non-conference slate was all over the place on what they could do to string together wins. The Rams kept it close with Seton Hall on the road, and took care of the games that were games that should have been won.
Duquesne
Record: 7-5 (0-1)
NET: 194
Torvik: 186
Top Scorer: Alexis Bordas 15.6 PPG
The Megan McConnell era ending last season is apparent this season for the Dukes as they do not have a consistent scorer on the team. First-year Alexis Bordas has tried to fill in the shoes, becoming the team’s leading scorer. The Dukes have three players that have been averaging at least ten points playing in at least 11 games. Mackenzie Blackford and Gabby Grantham-Medley have been helping the scoring, but neither have broken out to support the first-year Bordas. Duquesne’s non-conference slate was a stretch that they should have won all of the games that they won, but could have fought better against Robert Morris and Eastern Michigan as both of those games were decided by two points. Looking at conference play, the Dukes faced Davidson at the beginning of December and loss by 17 points to one of the top teams in the conference. Duquesne can ease their way into conference play with games against Saint Louis, Dayton, St. Bonaventure, and VCU. The Dukes lucked out and only have to face Saint Joseph’s twice as the only team from the current top five in the most recent edition our Women’s Basketball Power Rankings. Duquesne could be a team that is not fighting to be playing in the first day depending on how the teams above them do and how they make it through conference play.
Saint Louis
Record: 7-7 (1-0)
NET: 187
Torvik: 192
Top Scorer: Alexia Nelson 14.2 PPG
The Saint Louis Billikens saw great talent enter the portal this past offseason. The Billikens started the season out rough two straight losses. It looked like they were starting to right the ship with a win over Northern Iowa but then went on a three-game losing skid going into the Music City Classic, where they beat SMU by three points and then lost to Stetson by ten. Since November, Saint Louis started to correct the errors they had and won five of their last six games in December. The Billikens reloaded their scoring this offseason and current have four players averaging double figures and a fifth players working their way into that scoring buffer. Heading into conference play, having multiple players who can score could make it harder for their opponents to defend them. Saint Louis will be tested starting conference play with Davidson on January 3. The Billikens if they can play smart and not be held to low-scoring night could become a problem for some of the top teams in the conference.
VCU
Record: 4-9 (0-1)
NET: 208
Torvik: 234
Top Scorer: Katarina Knezevic 12.1 PPG
This year’s team for Beth O’Boyle has been a tough one to get a full read on. The Rams have been without Mary-Anna Asare since November 24 and only played in five games for them prior to then. There is no clear timeline for Asare’s return for VCU, and she has been a crucial player for the Rams since the start of her collegiate career. With or without Asare the Rams struggled through a very tough non-conference schedule. VCU faced a total of five Power 4 opponents all at neutral sites. VCU lost to La Salle by eight points at the start of December, and enter conference play to face Saint Joseph’s and George Mason in their first two games of the full conference slate. The Rams need to find more players to get to the basket and provide scoring if they want to avoid playing on the first day of the conference tournament.
Loyola Chicago
Record: 4-8 (0-1)
NET: 260
Torvik: 281
Top Scorer: Alex-Anne Bessette 12.0 PPG
The Ramblers are entering their fourth season in the Atlantic 10 and Coach Allison Guth has been great for Loyola Chicago to help them figure the conference out. Guth has been able to gain talent from the surrounding area, embracing the Chicago-area at its finest. First-year Alex-Anne Bessette has became the leading scorer for the Ramblers and is embracing the shift to collegiate level in the best way possible. Brooklyn Vaughn has stepped up significantly in her sophomore year with Loyola Chicago in the best way possible. Kira Chivers, who has been with Guth since they started in the conference, has been finding ways to contribute to the Ramblers scoring efforts as best as they possibly could. The best win that Loyola Chicago had this season was on the road at Northwestern. The Ramblers do not have an easy start to conference play as they already faced Richmond and lost by 23 points, and host both Davidson and Rhode Island within the first two games of the full conference slate. The Ramblers have to face Dayton, Saint Louis, George Mason, La Salle, and St. Bonaventure all twice. Those ten games could tell whether this team has the chance to make it out of the first day of action or if they are locked into playing on the first day in Henrico.
Conference play is officially here for the Atlantic 10 and this is potentially one of the best seasons to sit down and watch the A-10. With one of the biggest games of the season in Richmond at Rhode Island to open up the full swing of conference play on December 30th, the conference knows how to schedule for all of the 12 other teams to sit down and watch two of the top teams compete to stay undefeated. This is just the start of some of the best basketball from the Atlantic 10 this season, and best will come in conference play.
Kaily “KG” Godek is a current student at Western New England University (WNE). She has been a supporter of Women’s Basketball for close to 15 years. Kaily focuses on all 14 Women’s Basketball teams in the conference. While writing for A10 Talk, she works in the athletic departments at WNE and Amherst College. When she graduates from WNE she wants to go into either Sports Broadcasting and Journalism or Sports Information. You can follow Kaily on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kgodek23.
