The men’s college basketball landscape approaches crucial weeks as teams have found their footing and can start to imagine what March might look like.
Conference play is a harsh reality check that some teams rise past while others are exposed, and the Atlantic 10 Conference is no different. Each week, the Good Five Cent Cigar sports staff ranks the 15 teams in the conference.
Here is how the A-10 stacks up as of Feb. 3:
15th Place: Richmond University Spiders (7-15, 2-7)
Richmond jumped into conference play with back-to-back wins but has come up empty since then. The Spiders kept games within single digits for the first five of six losses in their rough patch, but things got ugly in their last time out against Virginia Commonwealth University.
A relentless beatdown saw VCU hold Richmond to 13(!!) points in the first half. Although the Spiders nearly tripled their scoring output in the second, it was never going to be enough in a 41-point loss to close out the week.
14th Place: Fordham University Rams (10-12, 2-7)
Fordham had fought Richmond for the bottom of the rankings up until late January. The Rams broke a six-game losing streak with a couple of wins in a row, showing signs of optimism entering February.
Despite closing out the week with a loss to St. Bonaventure, Fordham put on a great fight in the second half to give themselves a chance to win it at the buzzer. It was another promising night for a team that lacked a conference win just over a week prior.
13th Place: La Salle University Explorers (12-10, 4-5)
La Salle has not been turning heads in the A-10 so far, trading wins and losses en route to a sub-.500 conference win percentage. A decisive loss to Fordham this past week helped earn the Explorers their ranking, and things don’t seem to be getting easier soon.
A three-game stretch against VCU, the University of Massachusetts and Saint Joseph’s University waits on deck for La Salle. Following a 22-point loss to UMass in their first meeting this season, the Explorers will have their hands full against some of the best competition in the conference.
12th Place: Duquesne University Dukes (9-13, 4-5)
Duquesne brings the second-longest active losing streak with a four-game skid into this week’s rankings. The Dukes haven’t been able to close out games as of late, dropping both of their games this week by single digits.
After opening the season with a six-game losing streak, Duquesne steadied and started conference play by winning four of five. The Dukes have been down before and will have a golden chance to return to the win column in their next matchup against Richmond.
11th Place: Davidson College Wildcats (13-8, 3-5)
Davidson finished its non-conference schedule with a 10-3 record, but A-10 play hasn’t built on that momentum. Still, the Wildcats have shown some encouraging numbers that can help them win down the stretch.
Ball movement in the Atlantic 10 runs through Davidson, in A-10 play the Wildcats hold the highest assists per game total while turning the ball over less than any of their conference opponents.
Clean basketball will keep Davidson in games and should keep the Wildcats hopeful that they can return to the winning ways that they hoped non-conference play had previewed.
10th Place: University of Rhode Island Rams (15-6, 4-5)
Rhode Island has shared similarities with Richmond after a strong non-conference schedule, concerns have grown facing the A-10. The biggest? Turnovers. URI has the second-highest turnovers per game in the conference, averaging 14.
This sloppiness contributed to the Rams taking a 21-point second-half lead over UMass in their last game and turning it into a narrow six-point win.
The Rams are making themselves work too hard for their wins and have tried their hardest to steal defeat from the jaws of victory. Fordham should come at a good time for Rhode Island to make sure everything is clicking before taking on a strong George Mason University.
9th Place: University of Massachusetts Minutemen (10-12, 5-4)
UMass responded to its Rhode Island defeat with a win over Duquesne to close out the week. The Minutemen have shown that they can score, led by fourth-year guard Rahsool Diggins averaging 25.4 points per game in conference play. The Minutemen have also shown they can be scored on, giving up the third most points per game in conference play this season.
With a 62-53 win over the Dukes, UMass was able to secure its first game in A-10 play without allowing over 60 points. It is a good start, but there is much more to prove in their upcoming matchups this week against Saint Louis and La Salle.
8th Place: George Washington University Revolutionaries (15-7, 4-5)
George Washington did not make it easy to rank with the results they produced. They took down Saint Louis in a six-point victory just over a week ago, and a week before that it took conference-leading George Mason two overtimes to beat the Revolutionaries.
George Washington can compete with top teams in the conference, but with a loss to La Salle in its last game they can not be ranked like one. The Revolutionaries have shown a lot of fight, but they need to make sure to not play down to their opponents.
7th Place: Saint Joseph’s University Hawks (13-9, 4-5)
Saint Joseph’s has not won back-to-back games yet this season in conference play, but has snuck into seventh place thanks to key wins most recently over Davidson and Duquesne.
It certainly hasn’t been all good for the Hawks, losing to Loyola University Chicago in their most recent game. This loss comes following a 36-point win over the same Loyola Chicago team earlier in the season.
The Hawks could have a hard time separating themselves from the middle of the pack with their upcoming schedule. Saint Louis is next up for Saint Joseph’s, a team that defeated them by 16 points in their first meeting.
6th Place: Loyola University Chicago Ramblers (13-8, 4-4)
Loyola Chicago received two first-place votes in the A-10 preseason poll, but has not lived up to those expectations. The Ramblers are another team that has not been able to secure multiple wins in a row yet this season.
Before closing out the week with the win over Saint Joseph’s, Loyola had George Mason on the ropes. An overtime loss to the Patriots is nothing to blink at. While the standings might not reward the effort, it certainly helped earn the Ramblers the sixth place in our power rankings.
5th Place: Saint Louis University Billikens (13-9, 6-3)
Here is where the conference shows real separation; the top five have been a clear step above the rest. Saint Louis sits in third place in the conference, with a big win to knock off VCU on Jan. 28 standing as the team’s top victory.
With three double-digit wins, the Billikens can win big. They looked primed to be higher on this week’s rankings until the University of Dayton took them down to finish the week.
Saint Louis will play next week on the road, facing UMass and Saint Joseph’s. Their conference-leading 46.3% field goal percentage should play a key role in keeping them near the top of the A-10.
4th Place: University of Dayton Flyers (15-7, 5-4)
Dayton was placed second in the A-10 preseason poll, and with wins in four of their last five, the Flyers have quickly shaken off an early three-game losing streak.
A date with Davidson awaits before taking on VCU for the first time this season just three days later. It will be an important matchup to see if Dayton can keep up with a red-hot Rams team.
3rd Place: St. Bonaventure University Bonnies (17-6, 5-5)
St. Bonaventure has jumped up to third place in our power rankings with back-to-back wins. The Bonnies dismantled Dayton with an impressive 22-point win before closing out the week with a victory over Fordham.
The beauty of power rankings allows for a team that had just dropped three straight prior to burst up to the top three thanks to two strong wins. Now the goal shifts to making the standings agree.
This week will bring two first-time matchups for the year’s campaign as St. Bonaventure faces Loyola Chicago on the road before hosting George Washington.
2nd Place: Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (17-5, 7-2)
The A-10 preseason poll landed VCU at the top of the conference with 14 first-place votes, and the Rams could be well on their way to making that a reality.
A six-game win streak came to an end with a tough loss to Saint Louis on Jan. 28. VCU responded to the defeat by giving Richmond a 41-point beatdown. Thanks to that victory, the Rams now lead in conference scoring margin with 13.9 points.
La Salle and Dayton are on the table for the week ahead as VCU looks to start another win streak.
1st Place: George Mason University Patriots (17-5, 8-1)
After VCU’s loss, it was indisputable that George Mason should hold the top spot this week, but the Patriots had plenty of a strong case prior.
Now up to a seven-game win streak, George Mason has kept its games close. The Patriots have taken five of the victories by single digits, two of which came in overtime.
Although games have been tight, don’t credit the streak to luck. George Mason has held opponents to a conference-low 38.1% from the field. Next week could be sweet for the Patriots with a game against George Washington before getting a chance to avenge their lone conference loss against Rhode Island.