Atlantic 10 Power Rankings: Butler still reigns on eve of league play
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Finally, all of these teams start to go head-to-head when the Atlantic 10 schedule opens Wednesday night. Each school plays a 16-game slate and will face each opponent once and one twice.
It will be the middle of the league that determines how exciting the conference tournament is. The early results indicate a strong mid-section that could create some flip-a-coin competition at the Barclays Center. But it’s a long season. Keep in mind, only 12 bids are available to the tournament, so four teams won’t participate.
Happy New Year. Here are IndySportsLegends.com’s weekly A-10 Power Rankings.
1. Butler (11-2)
Brad Stevens is growing happier with the defense after wins over Vanderbilt and Pennsylvania, and the Bulldogs proved they could survive a terrible game from Rotnei Clarke. Butler has a good chance to finish with the No. 1 seed heading to Brooklyn in March. Anything less than 12 wins in league play would be a disappointment. Over the last five games, Butler has developed a trend of playing close first halves before doing its best work after intermission.
2. Virginia Commonwealth (11-3)
It’s settled; the Rams can shoot 3s. Oh, can they ever. Nobody in America is hotter from distance at the moment than Troy Daniels. On top of that, Juvonte Reddic, VCU’s best player, is an inside presence and ought to make first team all-conference. Lehigh and C.J. McCollum (25.7 points per game) have the unenviable task of stepping in front of this freight train Saturday. McCollum at least should give a sense how VCU’s impermeable defense holds up against a brilliant individual scorer.
3. Temple (10-2)
Temple gets love in this space almost every week, so what’s a little more? The Owls have faced Duke and Syracuse and now travel to face No. 6 Kansas on national television Sunday. It’s good to see a team craft a bold schedule and face the best.
4. Saint Louis (10-3)
Welcome to the party, Saint Louis! Welcome back, Kwamain Mitchell! On New Year’s Eve, the Billikens had the No. 20 team in the land down 33-13 at halftime before winning impressively, 60-46. Saint Louis is 7-0 on a nine-game homestand. Handling New Mexico is what gives Missourians every right to say the A-10 has a Fabulous Four and not just a Terrific Three.
5. La Salle (9-3)
La Salle was far more competitive against Miami than Charlotte was, but the result was the same. No signature nonconference win occurred, although the Explorers didn’t face a double-digit deficit until 8 ½ minutes remained. La Salle’s 43rd-ranked RPI still fits an at-large profile nicely.
6. Dayton (9-4)
The West Coast broke their hearts in a 63-61 overtime loss to USC. Had the Trojans been any good to that point? No. And though it was on the road, the Flyers as a group are built to win now. Dayton has to feel that was a lost opportunity. The good news is, Dayton’s offense and defense are both ranked in the top 100 nationally.
7. Charlotte (12-2)
The 49ers closed nonconference play on an uninspired note by needing overtime to beat UNC Asheville. Charlotte has improved. They have surpassed expectations. The schedule has been fairly easy, and in league play they will be more of an 8-8 or 7-9 team.
8. Massachusetts (9-3)
These guys just decided to stop losing. Chaz Williams has saved a couple wins with late heroics in the six-game streak. Are they a good team? There are some positives in the ability to pass and get to the foul line. But having both an offense and defense rated outside the top 200 is a red flag.
9. Saint Joseph’s (7-4)
Wins over Iona and Drexel stop the bleeding for now, but check back Wednesday when Butler visits. It’s not out of the question for nine teams in the A-10 to have 20 victories this season, but do the Hawks have a 20-win feel? Not yet.
10. Richmond (10-5)
The Spiders had lost three in a row before easily dispatching Air Force. On Dec. 29, Richmond fought back from a 19-point halftime deficit to tie Davidson before falling 70-64 in its first loss this season at the Robins Center. That defeat, combined with the earlier loss to George Mason, gives pause. Because those schools are comparable to A-10 competition, Richmond may not be a legit, upper-half contender. We’ll see.
11. Xavier (7-6)
Add Wake Forest to the list along with Pacific, Vanderbilt and Wofford. Bad losses are piling up, and to offset them, the Musketeers must crush league play in order to find enough quality wins.
12. St. Bonaventure (7-5)
Wanting to like these post-Nicholson Bonnies is easy. But yet again, they couldn’t guard the arc in a 93-74 home loss to Iona. And why does 5-foot-10 senior guard Eric Mosley play only 18 minutes a game? His performance (10.4 points, 49.2 percent 3-point shooting) merits a lot more burn.
13. Duquesne (7-7)
The Dukes, just 1-5 on the road, open league play at Fordham. Height is an issue, as no player who averages at least 11 minutes a game is taller than 6-foot-7.
14. George Washington (6-6)
The Colonials have as much international flair as any team in the A-10, with players from Canada, Argentina, Greece, Serbia and Denmark.
15. Rhode Island (4-8)
After a week off, the Rams return to action tonight against Brown, then go to Richmond. One shudders to think how poorly Rhode Island will shoot against the VCUs and Butlers of the world.
16. Fordham (4-10)
With Chris Gaston healthy, the suspicion is these Rams might be slightly better than Rhode Island’s, but that’s window dressing. The league schedule is cluttered with potential blowout losses.
Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrisgoff_isl.
Follow Indy Sports Legends on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbrunt_isl.
