Atlantic 10 Power Rankings: La Salle reaches No. 2 as VCU stumbles
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
A projection Sunday by John Templon, who forecasts the National Invitation Tournament field for the Big Apple Buckets website, has seven Atlantic 10 teams in the 32-team NIT. For some schools, such as Charlotte, an NIT berth would be an improvement on preseason expectations. For others, like Saint Joseph’s, missing the Big Dance would be a major disappointment.
What should be obvious by now is that the middle of the A-10 is relentlessly beating up on one another. That makes for an exciting regular season. And a desperate environment in Brooklyn for the conference tournament.
The IndySportsLegends.com A-10 Power Rankings have moved to the beginning of the week. Here’s the latest version:
1. Butler (17-3, 4-1 conference)
In tribute to the conference’s currently undisputed No. 1, one thing coach Brad Stevens said last week can be accepted as a mantra: I don’t pay much heed to what’s already been done. That’s a perfect mindset for the Bulldogs, who are headed for an eighth consecutive 20-win season and own the best resume of any team in the league. Butler is building an offensive juggernaut that averages 110.9 points per 100 possessions, a value good for No. 24 in the country.
2. La Salle (14-5, 4-2)
Give it up to the men in gold: Their first victory over a top-10 team since 1980 is followed by a road win at VCU. The Explorers made an undeniable statement last week, and they are impossible to place lower than No. 2 as they enjoy their rewards. A longtime favorite in this space, La Salle is finally getting pub in other places. Dr. John Giannini has this versatile group in the top-100 nationally on both offense and defense. Good enough to climb into the conference’s elite? You bet. There’s plenty of talent here. After 19 seasons without sniffing March Madness, maybe it’s just their year.
3. Virginia Commonwealth (16-5, 4-2)
Life as a ranked team lasted all of two weeks. VCU has never reached the top here all season, and the Rams have more ground to make up after back-to-back losses to Richmond and La Salle. VCU shot poorly in each defeat, and Shaka Smart’s crew couldn’t find the 3-pointers that generally constitute the lifeblood of their offense. Center Juvonte Reddic did all he could, but the Rams need transition buckets. Don’t get panicky. La Salle is really good, and Richmond needed a miracle, last-minute rally to force overtime. VCU still rightly expects to have a great shot at finishing first.
4. Saint Louis (14-5, 3-2)
Defense is not in question, even if that side of the ball inexplicably collapsed in a heap against Rhode Island. The Billikens excel at shutting people down, dating to last season. Saint Louis is on the short list of favorites to finish first. Beating Butler Thursday would be a huge boost. The Billikens would settle for second place and a return trip to the Big Dance, though.
5. Temple (13-6, 2-3)
The Owls have dropped two of three. This space had endorsed Temple as a high-quality outfit all season, but the ship of belief sprung its first leak after the home loss to St. Bonaventure. Seeing the Owls in person over the weekend lent more doubts. Khalif Wyatt bears too much of the offensive burden. Anthony Lee and Scootie Randall aren’t the consistent offensive threats they once figured to be. Still, would anyone be surprised if Temple, even after this slide, finished in the top three yet again?
6. Massachusetts (13-5, 3-2)
UMass split a pair of home games against George Washington and Richmond as it adjusts to life since losing key guard Jesse Morgan for the season. The Minutemen should at least get back to the NIT.
7. Richmond (13-8, 3-3)
Big wins over Charlotte and VCU – without Derrick Williams, mind you – put the Spiders back on the path to relevancy. The next step is winning on the road, where Richmond is 2-6. Darien Brothers’ game-saving 3 to force overtime in the VCU game is one of the plays of the year in the A-10.
8. Saint Joseph’s (11-7, 2-3)
The Hawks slipped further from the top with a home loss to St. Bonaventure. An encouraging sign in the Xavier win Saturday was the monster line of Halil Kancevic: 15 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four blocks. If he’s not suspended and playing well, St. Joe’s receives sorely needed quality depth.
9. Charlotte (16-4, 4-2)
The 49ers squeezed a home win over Xavier in between blowout losses to Richmond and George Washington. Charlotte is still growing up. The Cinderella feel of its season is eroding slightly. Can coach Alan Major guide his team past the recent bumps toward a lasting jump?
10. Xavier (11-8, 4-2)
After a 4-0 start to the A-10 season, Xavier looked ordinary in road losses to Charlotte and St. Joe’s. The roller coaster rolls on. One ongoing complaint is that the Musketeers play at a snail’s pace despite the benefits a faster tempo could offer overworked freshman Semaj Christon. The Rookie of the Year frontunner does a little of everything except shoot 3-pointers.
11. Dayton (12-7, 2-3)
Dayton took care of business at home against Fordham and Duquesne. The Flyers are solid in most aspects and one of the most accurate 3-point shooting teams in the country. One path to a winning record in league play would be to go 4-1 at home and 3-3 on the road the rest of the way.
12. George Washington (10-9, 4-2)
The Colonials won three straight since the last rankings. The road triumph over UMass was very nice, but the 28-point demolition of Charlotte stole the show. Patricio Garino is making a hard Rookie of the Year push, averaging 10 points a game and rating fifth in the conference in steals. Mike Lonergan has the program rising in his second year. The Colonials won five league games last season; they’ve already won four with 10 to play.
13. St. Bonaventure (9-10, 2-4)
The talk of the conference after road wins at Temple and St. Joe’s, coach Mark Schmidt said, It makes it easier when you have a veteran team. The back-to-Earth loss to Saint Louis was not surprising, but Demetrius Conger leads an offense that is taking better care of the ball than it did a year ago. The Bonnies will have had an entire week off by the time they face Duquesne Saturday.
14. Rhode Island (6-12, 1-4)
The overtime win at Saint Louis was a fantastic achievement. Coach Dan Hurley told ISL that the Rams broke out offensively and shot 55 percent from the field for three reasons. They passed the ball better, adopted a more assertive mindset and played more freely and relaxed. What followed were two heartbreaking losses to George Washington and Fordham, but the offense performed well again versus the Colonials, and the magnetic pull of the Saint Louis victory puts Rhode Island above Fordham.
15. Fordham (6-14, 2-3)
Fordham fans could argue their team separated itself from Duquesne and Rhode Island by beating each school, and accordingly should be ranked at No. 14. But Chris Gaston’s knee injury has flared again, causing him to miss the last two games, and Fordham remains 0-10 on the road. Rhode Island plays much better defense, which combined with the Saint Louis upset, puts them over the top.
16. Duquesne (7-13, 0-6)
The only winless team in league play, Duquesne has lost eight in a row, all by at least seven points. Sadly, for a program that hasn’t seen the NCAA tournament since 1977, none of this is all that unusual.
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