Atlantic 10 Power Rankings: For all the wins, Majerus valued academics
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
There is a change atop these rankings for the first time, but basketball takes a back seat in the opening comment following the terrible news of Rick Majerus’ passing Saturday at age 64 due to heart failure. The longtime coaching sensation had stepped aside from his Saint Louis Billikens prior to the start of the season, hopeful to return in a year, but his condition only deteriorated, leaving a tragic void not only in Missouri but all across the college hoops landscape.
Remember Majerus as a great coach who went 517-216 in 25 remarkable years with just one losing record. But more importantly, remember Majerus in the words of Billikens athletics director Chris May: He truly embraced the term ˜student-athlete,’ and I think that will be his lasting legacy.
The loss of Majerus is a major one for all involved with the Atlantic 10 conference. Here’s the weekly edition of IndySportsLegends.com’s Atlantic 10 Power Rankings.
1. Temple (6-0)
The Owls have their best start since the 1987-88 team won its first 14 – and eventually wound up in the Elite Eight. It’s hard not to love Khalif Wyatt, Scootie Randall and Anthony Lee. Coach Fran Dunphy gets to test drive his No. 1 spot in these rankings tomorrow against Duke, the No. 2 team in the nation.
2. Saint Joseph’s (5-2)
Creighton is awesome, but St. Joe’s got run off the court starting the minute the jump ball was thrown. Worse, the Hawks struggled well into the second half against 1-7 Coppin State. That costs them the top spot for now, even though the Hawks might still be the best team when all is said and done.
3. Butler (6-2)
Butler beat the teams it needed to on a three-game homestand. Tomorrow night the Bulldogs head up to Northwestern for a game televised on the Big Ten Network. The Wildcats are good, but Butler has a definite opening to be more physical, dominate the glass and come away with a third solid nonconference win, this time in a metropolitan area full of Butler alumni.
4. Virginia Commonwealth (5-3)
Darius Theus may be the engine, but Juvonte Reddic is the top scorer. The Rams are up to their same old tricks defensively, but VCU stays a little lower than one might expect because their 3-point shooting so far has not been improved from last season, when it was a middling 33 percent.
5. Saint Louis (5-3)
The black shirts in the stands and the black ribbons on the players’ uniforms left no doubt that the program played with heavy hearts in home victories over Valparaiso and North Texas. It seems as if Rick Majerus was beloved by this group of players in particular.
6. Xavier (6-2)
Losing to Vanderbilt last night in Cincinnati would have been fine when the Commodores had John Jenkins, Festus Ezeli and Jeff Taylor. But those guys are gone, and without them Vandy is probably one of the worst teams in the Southeastern Conference. There’s plenty of time to recover and improve, as Xavier only plays once in the next 12 days.
7. La Salle (5-1)
After thrashing Penn State in a 25-point win, La Salle, loaded with good guards, is perfectly positioned to take advantage of Massachusetts’ struggles and solidify a spot in the top seven for weeks to come.
8. Charlotte (8-0)
The A-10’s hottest team is off to its best start in school history. Charlotte only won 13 games all of last season, and progress is all but certain. Chris Braswell and DeMario Mayfield, perhaps the two best players on the team, have combined for 10 double-figure outings off the bench.
9. Massachusetts (4-3)
What happened to the offense? The Minutemen look as if they are shooting medicine balls in hitting only 39 percent as a team. To make matters worse, after failing a home test against Miami, UMass starting center Cody Lalanne was arrested and is now suspended indefinitely.
10. Dayton (6-2)
After leading 26-5 at halftime over Northern Illinois – that’s not a typo – Dayton impressed in a true road victory over Alabama, a team with NCAA tournament aspirations. Kevin Dillard is one of the best players the A-10 has to offer.
11. Richmond (7-2)
The Spiders have won 46 of their last 54 games at the Robins Center. Freshman Alonzo Nelson-Ododa started from Day 1 and is starting to contribute to the frontcourt.
12. St. Bonaventure (5-2)
The Bonnies forced 35 turnovers and committed just 14 in home wins over Siena and Buffalo.
13. George Washington (4-4)
The Colonials have excellent size at center and both forward spots. Freshman Patricio Garino, a 6-foot-6 wing from Argentina, broke out with 24 points in a loss to Bradley and has a game that reminds of the NBA’s Danilo Gallinari.
14. Duquesne (4-4)
The Dukes are tied with Charlotte for the conference lead in rebounding.
15. Rhode Island (2-7)
Junior Xavier Munford is averaging 18.9 points per game and keyed a victory over Vermont.
16. Fordham (1-7)
Political commentator Ann Coulter brought Fordham into the national news in ways the men’s basketball team cannot.
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