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 women’s basketball rankings as of Jan. 29.
15th Place: St. Bonaventure (3-16 Overall) (1-8 A-10)
The first half of conference play has not been kind to the Bonnies, who are tied for last in the standings and sitting at the bottom with a point differential of -13.7 in conference play.
With their one A-10 victory coming back in December, the Bonnies have been hungry to get back in the win column for a while now. However, back-to-back losses to Saint Joseph’s University and The University of Dayton will delay their return to the winner’s circle until further notice.
14th Place: UMass (3-18 Overall) (1-8 A1-0)
The University of Massachusetts’ consecutive sub-50 point performances against Davidson University and the University of Rhode Island have been the story of the season for the A-10’s bottom feeding organization in 2024.
With their defense ranking dead last in the conference, allowing 71.8 points per game, there is very little room for error; making victories come few and far between.
13th Place: George Washington (8-12 Overall) (1-7 A-10)
The losers of four straight, the Revolutionaries’ only win this season came to our last place team, St. Bonaventure.
Since then, they have yet to score 60 points. However, the strange part about it is that George Washington’s defense has not allowed more than 71 points in A-10 play, making their 1-7 record even more concerning.
12th Place: La Salle (6-13 Overall) (3-5 A-10)
After winning three straight games, the Explorers seemed to be turning around a rather lackluster season. However, after being held to 50 points or less in their last three contests, that no longer seems to be the case.
A 75-47 loss to Rhode Island served as the most recent outing, and La Salle is hoping to stop the bleeding this coming week.
11th Place: Fordham (7-13 Overall) (2-7 A-10)
Prayers were answered in the Bronx when a 60-55 win against George Washington stopped a five-game skid dating back to Jan. 6.
The losing streaks are not exclusive to A-10 play for Fordham, as they concluded non- conference play on a separate five-game slide.
10th Place: Dayton (9-11 Overall) (3-6 A-10)
Dayton, as of late, is a squad winning the games they should and failing to compete in games in which they are not favored. With a 2-2 record over their last four games, the Flyers have taken down two of the worst three teams in the A-10 in St. Bonaventure and George Washington; they fell to two top-five teams in Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond.
In order to jump up the power rankings, Dayton will need to take a stab at some higher level competition.
9th Place: Saint Louis (8-13 Overall) (3-5 A-10)
The reigning A-10 champions are enduring somewhat of a “super bowl hangover”, not recording consecutive wins since November.
Granted, at this time last year the Bilikens had a similar A-10 record before winning eight of their last nine. They will definitely be looking for a similar result this season.
8th Place: Davidson (14-6 Overall) (4-5 A-10)
After playing polar opposite opponents with polar opposite results, it makes sense that Davidson comes in near the middle of these power rankings.
A 30-point win against UMass followed by a 26-point loss to Saint Joseph’s are the paradoxical means that warrant further investigation in the near future about what the Wildcats are all about this season.
7th Place: Loyola Chicago (11-9 Overall) (5-4 A-10)
A frustrating 73-57 loss to Duquesne spelled the end of a three-game winning streak that proposed signs of a switch for a Ramblers squad in need of a turnaround in conference play.
Their upcoming schedule of Saint Joseph’s and George Mason is one of the toughest imaginable, so exiting the next week 1-1 would be considered a win in many regards.
6th Place: Rhode Island (14-8 Overall) (6-3 A-10)
At this point it is evident that Rhode Island is not the same team they were last year. While their defense is powerful, they lack offensive firepower, especially from beyond the arc which was a main strength for them last year.
For the Rams, it boils down to execution. The talent is there, it just has to connect. Approaching February, the time for the connection becomes ever so more urgent.
5th Place: Duquesne (12-8 Overall) (7-2 A-10)
Winners in four straight contests, Duquesne saw themselves hand Richmond their only loss in A-10 competition on Jan. 24, earning themselves a spot in the top-five.
Their only losses come from top-three programs in George Mason and Saint Joseph’s, solidifying their resumé as a contender even further.
4th Place: VCU (17-3 Overall) (6-2 A-10)
George Mason served as the executioners of VCU’s five-game win streak on Sunday, which catapulted them towards the top of the standings.
The only downside about VCU is that they haven’t beaten a “top quality” opponent, losing to both Richmond and the previously mentioned Patriots.
3rd Place: George Mason (16-3 Overall) (7-1 A-10)
Currently riding a six-game winning streak, tied for the longest in the conference with Saint Joseph’s, George Mason is one of the most dominant teams in the A-10.
The best offense in the conference is a major contributor to their success. Conversely, their sixth-ranked defense is nothing to ignore either. The Patriots look like they could possibly be a deep contender come the beginning of March.
2nd Place: Richmond (18-4 Overall) (8-1 A-10)
A loss to Duquesne serves as the lone stain on a rather dominant start to conference play for Richmond. The Spiders, who are undefeated at home this season, are widely regarded as the best home team in the A-10.
On the flip side, their road play is a small concern, not recording a win of double digits on the road in A-10 play this season. If the Spiders can nail down dominant play away from the Robins Center, they just might be unstoppable.
1st Place: Saint Joseph’s (19-2 Overall) (8-1 A-10)
Contrary to Richmond, the Hawks have the skill the Spiders want the most, road dominance. 10-0 is the road record for Saint Joseph’s this season, making opponents look silly in their own building since they took down Yale by 21 points back in early November.
With their one A-10 loss coming to Richmond, the Hawks fully expect to be one of the two teams featured in the Sunday matchup in Henrico, Virginia come March.