The Atlantic 10: a conference filled to the brim with buzzer beater finishes, high intensity play and paradoxical upsets.
Every week, The Good Five Cent Cigar sports staff will vote on these teams to generate a power ranking of the conference’s basketball programs.
Here are the men’s basketball rankings as of Feb. 18:
15th Place: Saint Louis University Billikens (9-16 OVR) (2-10 A-10) (-1)
After a triple-digit performance against La Salle University, SLU’s defense failed to prevail in back-to-back losses to Saint Joseph’s University (87-86) and Virginia Commonwealth University (95-85).
The Billikens’ defense has plagued them all through conference play, and now, in the final three weeks of the season, a drastic improvement is needed if they want to survive the first round of the A-10 tournament in Brooklyn, New York.
14th Place: La Salle University Explorers (12-14 OVR) (3-10 A-10) (+1)
Following a poor 15-point loss to Davidson College (71-56), the Explorers upset the University of Massachusetts 82-81 when fourth-year guard Jahmir Brickus iced the game at the free throw line in the final seconds.
La Salle’s defense has been an issue as of late. The Explorers have failed to hold an opponent to under 70 points for seven consecutive games. The Explorers reside at home this week as they host St. Bonaventure University and the University of Rhode Island.
13th Place: George Washington University Revolutionaries (14-11 OVR) (3-9 A-10) (-)
Through steep competition, the Revolutionaries left a two-game stretch with zero wins, falling to George Mason University (90-67) and the University of Richmond (90-74).
The Revolutionaries allowed their opponents to score 90 or more points in consecutive games for the first time since December of 2000. They have also now lost nine straight games, the longest streak in the A-10. A switch-up needs to begin immediately if George Washington wants to accomplish anything in March.
12th Place: University of Rhode Island Rams (11-14 OVR) (5-7 A-10) (-1)
After a week-long bye, the Rams were wiped off their home floor by Loyola University Chicago 77-67. In a game where Rhody was outrebounded by 15, the Rams are in need of a reset.
Rhode Island has Richmond and La Salle on tap for the following week.
11th Place: Davidson College Wildcats (14-11 OVR) (4-8 A-10) (+1)
The Wildcats were flying high after a 71-56 win over La Salle, but they were quickly shot down by a tough 81-80 overtime loss to St. Bonaventure.
Davidson’s A-10 season has been very inconsistent, as the Wildcats have not been able to record consecutive wins in conference play. More consistency is necessary for success down the stretch.
10th Place: Fordham University Rams (10-15 OVR) (4-8 A-10) (-)
The losers of three straight, Fordham picked up a pair of losses this past week to St. Bonaventure (85-67) and the University of Dayton (78-70).
It should be taken into consideration that the competition level for Fordham has been stiff as of late. A three-game stretch of VCU, St. Bonaventure and Dayton is not for the faint of heart. However, in the end, a loss is a loss, and Fordham will need to pull these out if they want the final game of the year to be a win.
9th Place: Duquesne University Dukes (15-10 OVR) (5-7 A10) (-)
After an initial 75-59 defeat to Dayton, the Dukes were able to tackle a slipping St. Joe’s team 66-56 to come out of the week at .500.
Duquesne’s squad is on the bubble in the A-10 as they claw to receive a first-round bye in the A-10 Tournament. Consistency in their final six games can help them get there.
8th Place: Saint Joseph’s University Hawks (16-10 OVR) (6-7 A-10) (-3)
The Hawks are riding the line between plummeting and flourishing. The losers of three of their last four games, St. Joe’s is in desperate need of a wake-up call.
SJU fell to Loyola Chicago (64-59) and Duquesne (66-56) this past week and have fallen below .500 in conference play for the first time since late January.
7th Place: St. Bonaventure University Bonnies (16-9 OVR) (7-6 A10) (+1)
The Bonnies were able to get the job done this past week with wins over Fordham (85-67) and Davidson (81-80).
With a struggling La Salle team on deck, and a tougher UMass team to follow, the Bonnies are in store for a roller coaster of a week.
6th Place: George Mason University Patriots (17-8 OVR) (6-6 A-10) (+1)
After a massive 90-67 victory over George Washington, the Patriots are knocking on the door of the top-five in the power rankings.
To support their resumé, a 57-55 win over Davidson gave George Mason a 2-0 week, placing them back at .500 in conference play.
5th Place: University of Massachusetts Minutemen (16-9 OVR) (7-6 A10) (+1)
The Minutemen started off the past week right with an upset win over Richmond (69-59). However, soon after, UMass crashed through the floor to La Salle 82-81 in one of their easier games of the year.
More consistency is needed down the stretch for the Minutemen, but they have moved into residing in the top-five this week.
4th Place: University of Richmond Spiders (18-7 OVR) (10-2 A-10) (-2)
After a tough loss to UMass, the Spiders took out their frustrations on George Washington with a 90-74 win over the Revolutionaries.
Richmond, who at one point had won 11 straight games, has now lost two of their last four. In the grand scheme of things, it is better to get these losses out of the way now, rather than in the tournament. However, the recent events cannot become a trend for the Spiders either.
3rd Place: Loyola University Chicago Ramblers (19-7 OVR) (11-2 A-10) (+1)
Winners in nine of their last 10, the Ramblers are one of the hottest teams in the A-10. After defeating St. Joe’s (64-59) and Rhode Island (77-67), things keep seeming to fall into place for Loyola.
With George Mason and St. Bonaventure on tap for the Ramblers, only time will tell if this success is sustainable.
2nd Place: Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (17-8 OVR) (9-3 A-10) (+1)
Taking down a nationally-ranked team will give any squad a rush of adrenaline. VCU’s 49-47 victory last week over Dayton gave the Rams plenty of firepower to top Saint Louis 95-85 in the very next contest.
VCU is slowly moving their way up the power ranking podium as the season crawls to a close.
1st Place: #16 University of Dayton Flyers (21-4 OVR) (11-2 A-10) (-)
Dayton: nationally ranked, the top dog in the fight and a formidable foe to all. The Flyers’ two wins this week over Duquesne (75-59) and Fordham (78-70) kept them atop the conference standings as well as the power rankings.
In the final three weeks of the season, the goal of 14 different schools will be to catch the Flyers.