Atlantic 10 Power Rankings: Hawks take a hit, Butler rises

admin December 13, 2012 0

By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent

At a time in which most schools hold final exams, only 16 games were played by Atlantic 10 teams in the last week. With a soft spot in the schedule, intriguing storylines broke nonetheless.

The A-10 is open to further expansion that might result in a 21-team super-conference, a connected source told ESPN.com. Seven schools from the Big East reportedly are considering leaving. Trying to make sense of, let alone predict, realignment in college sports these days is impossible. Yet logistically, 21 teams seems beyond reason for a college basketball conference. Do you agree the A-10 would be biting off more than it could chew? Share your thoughts in the comments below or tweet them to @chrisgoff_ISL.

Here’s the weekly edition of IndySportsLegends.com’s A-10 Power Rankings.

1. Temple (7-1)

Duke was too much for Temple, but the Blue Devils are too much for anybody. That’s the best team the Owls will see all season. Temple had far too many lapses in interior defense to slow Duke down, and Fran Dunphy’s big men need to improve at understanding how to seal off angles. What the loss illuminated, though, was that when the Wyatt-Randall-Lee trio struggles, the bench is more than capable of making a contribution. T.J. DiLeo, Dalton Pepper, Jake O’Brien and especially Quenton DeCosey all appeared to be worthy depth.

2. Butler (7-2)

Things are going quite well for the Bulldogs, whose offense performed at a high level on the road at Northwestern. Brad Stevens made another lineup change, starting Alex Barlow at shooting guard the last two games. Where Barlow has helped is in splitting the ball-handling duties with Rotnei Clarke, freeing Clarke to run around screens and play in a more comfortable role. Barlow is a good defender and produces something every time he plays, which is more than several players on scholarship can say.

3. Virginia Commonwealth (6-3)

There’s a bestseller-in-waiting, bookworms: Havoc: The Smart Way of Doing Things. The only question is which national college basketball writer will spend a season embedded with coach Shaka Smart and the Rams to write it. VCU’s turnover-inducing system works like a charm against almost any team in the country, and the Rams are steadily moving up these rankings as they prove they might be the cream of the crop in the A-10.

4. Saint Joseph’s (5-3)

The Hawks are flying closer to the ground these days and left us no choice but to drop them way down. Three games in a row St. Joe’s play has left an empty impression, none more so than Tuesday’s awful loss to Villanova, a team which isn’t any good. Freshman Isaiah Miles was expected to make an impact but has only played 35 minutes all season. Suddenly Phil Martelli’s bunch looks more like the team that went 20-14 a year ago than the preseason conference favorite. Junior forward Halil Kanacevic worsened the vibe with an obscene gesture at fans in the Villanova game and was hit with a two-game suspension by the school.

5. Saint Louis (5-3)

The schedule sets up the Billikens to be 9-3 heading into a New Year’s Eve showdown with No. 17 New Mexico. Saint Louis continues to be an incomplete version of itself without Kwamain Mitchell, and many will wait to fully assess the team until its best player takes his first dribble.

6. Xavier (7-2)

The Musketeers grinded through a home win over Kent State without top scorer Justin Martin. Xavier is perennially great, a winner every season, and before New Year’s, games against Cincinnati and Tennessee should hint at whether this edition is again ready to compete for the very top of the A-10.

7. La Salle (6-1)

Tyreek Duren’s game-winning shot kept the Explorers undefeated on the road (3-0). Most of the key players were freshmen or sophomores last season, meaning perceived improvement is likely very real. La Salle is 67^th in the KenPom rankings, and upcoming road games against Bucknell and Miami offer excellent opportunities to cement La Salle’s place in the NCAA tournament conversation.

8. Charlotte (9-0)

Beat Miami on the road Friday night, and the bandwagon will be turning people away for lack of space. Freshman Willie Clayton is fun to watch inside. Seven 49ers average at least seven points.

9. Dayton (7-2)

Margin of victory is valuable as an indicator of future strength, and a sign of quality is large wins against inferior opposition. Dayton blew out Miami of Ohio and ought to do the same to Florida Atlantic Saturday. Until further notice, Dayton is providing reason to take it seriously as a postseason contender.

10. Massachusetts (4-3)

Ohio’s Dec. 19 visit to Amherst offers UMass its last chance to earn any victory of consequence in the nonconference schedule. The Minutemen had a week off to collect themselves from all their stumbles out of the starting block.

11. Richmond (8-2)

The Spiders have gotten fat on a less-than-daunting schedule. Needing overtime to beat James Madison is a sign losses may shuffle through in the coming weeks. After Saturday’s bout with Stetson, Richmond faces a murderer’s row of Kansas, George Mason and Davidson. Guards Cedrick Lindsay and Darien Brothers are plenty good. Is the team as a whole? Stay tuned.

12. St. Bonaventure (5-3)

Digging a 17-point hole on the road is rarely a recipe for success, even if you charge back to take the lead. That loss to Arkansas State precedes Saturday’s home date with Cleveland State, a top Horizon League contender. How the Bonnies match up in that one should reveal more about whether they lean more toward the middle of the A-10 or the bottom.

13. Duquesne (6-4)

To come from 15 down and squeak by West Virginia is a trophy for coach Jim Ferry’s mantle, a true sign of progress for a rebuilding program. That combination of defense and rebounding could power a few upsets in conference play.

14. George Washington (4-6)

The six teams that have beaten the Colonials have a combined record of 37-13. The last two losses – to Kansas State and at Rutgers – came by a combined six points. Power forward Isaiah Armwood had 30 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks in that pair of impressive showings, which spark the idea George Washington may be a lot better than we think.

15. Rhode Island (2-7)

Going Christmas shopping for Rams coach Dan Hurley? Buy him some offense. Rhode Island is shooting 38 percent as a team.

16. Fordham (1-8)

Sophomore Devon McMillan was granted a release Tuesday and will transfer. He averaged 7.4 points in 28 games as a freshman, so his loss is not insignificant.