Rhode Island’s unbeaten season has them firmly in front at the halfway point
The Atlantic-10 basketball season is a roller coaster of events, filled with rivalries and upsets on any given night. However, now at the halfway point of conference play, four student newspapers from across the conference have come together to vote in the first ever collaborative WBB power rankings. The Hawk, The Duquesne Duke, Loyola Phoenix, and The Good Five Cent Cigar came together and voted for Women’s Basketball, here are the results.
15th: St. Bonaventure (9 pts)
The Bonnies are still trying their footing this season, collecting a total record of 4-20, and a conference record of 1-8. That one win came against another struggling team in Dayton., so it does not hold much merit. Tack that onto an 0-5 start, and you have your last place team.
14th: Dayton (14 pts)
After losing nearly their entire starting lineup to graduation, a down year was expected for the Flyers. However, this level of struggle was not anticipated. Losing their last five has not helped matters and Dayton is on a path not heading up.
13th: Loyola Chicago (20 pts)
The Wolves started out their A-10 campaign on a high note, with a victory over St. Louis. However, seven straight losses have extinguished pretty much any momentum that was present.
12th: VCU (27 pts)
A win against Loyola Chicago recently snapped a three game losing streak for VCU. However their winning ways need to be much more consistent. Their tight loss to Fordham proved that they have what it takes, but a more recent loss to UMass 83-57 proves that there is still a long way to go.
11th: St. Louis (36 pts)
The Bilikens have posted a mediocre 3-5 conference record halfway through their A10 campaign. They have posted impressive wins such as last week’s 87-84 victory over Fordham. But two sub-50 point performances earlier in the schedule against St. Joes and Loyola Chicago continue to hold them at bay in the power rankings.
10th: Richmond (44 pts)
Coming off of an intense 94-90 overtime victory over St. Joes, the Spiders are hoping they are turning a corner in 2023. However, prior to this, their 2-4 conference record was underwhelming. Featuring losses to a sub-par VCU team, and poor efforts against higher seeded teams like Rhode Island and Fordham.
9th: George Mason (51 pts)
An up and down year for George Mason has seen them both win and lose a number of close contests. They struggle to score often, not eclipsing the 70 point mark once. Until they can score at a consistent pace, it will hold them back in the power rankings.
8th: Davdson (59 pts)
Davidson’s recent four game winning streak was recently snapped by George Mason, but that does not take away from the momentum that a win streak causes. The Wildcats however have not yet had to take on a top A-10 program yet, they will encounter that this coming Sunday against Rhode Island.
7th: Duquesne (62 pts)
Duquesne has had a tough early schedule facing three out of the top four teams in the Atlantic 10. They lost all of those contests, however they have gotten the job done elsewhere, with wins over St. Bonaventure, St. Louis, and Dayton.
6th: George Washington (66 pts)
After winning their past three, George Washington is on an upward trajectory heading into the second half of the conference schedule. With Rhode Island and UMass still on their schedule to follow, they certainly have a challenge ahead of them, but that does not discount them from their recent success.
5th: St. Joseph’s (79 pts)
The Hawks have dropped four out of their last five, but a four game winning streak to open up conference play continues to support their power ranking standing. However, the hard part of the schedule being over brings a sigh of relief to St. Joes.
4th: La Salle (81 pts)
A red hot Explorers team currently rides a five game winning streak, however, their losses against Rhode Island and St. Joes display their current incapacity to compete against top conference programs; which is what holds them out of the top three.
3rd: Fordham (89 pts)
Fordham’s 0-3 start continues to buoy their A10 status as inconsistencies start to reveal themselves. A tight 87-84 loss to St. Louis last week serves as the most recent stain on their record as they attempt to rebound.
2nd: UMass (98 pts)
A 7-1 start to a conference schedule is excellent by any means, especially when the only loss comes from the one team ranked above you. In their wins they have been excellent, allowing a high of only 61 points.
1st: Rhode Island (105 pts)
Perfection is impossible to beat, which is why Rhode Island finds themselves in first place. On pace for their best season ever, the Rams are red hot and undefeated at home. With their remaining contests only exclusively being against top-5 programs, staying undefeated will be difficult. However, if any team can do it, it’s the Rams.