Over the next few weeks, we will preview the best conferences heading into the 2016-17 season. Let’s continue with Atlantic 10 basketball.
Dayton, St. Bonaventure and VCU finished with a tie atop the regular season standings at 14-4 overall in Atlantic 10 Conference play last season. The Bonnies surprisingly didn’t receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament, but Saint Joseph’s helped send three A10 teams to the Big Dance, as they captured the conference tournament title.
All three teams failed to make it past the second round, however, Saint Joseph’s and VCU gave Oregon and Oklahoma (respectively) a run for their money.
This season looks a bit different in the Atlantic 10. There may be a tie atop the standings at the end of the year, but it does seem like three teams have separated themselves from the pack. Dayton, Rhode Island and VCU all return valuable contributors, have excellent coaching staffs and in the case of the Rhode Island, are hungry to make the NCAA Tournament.
The Flyers and Rams (of Rhode Island) are expected to be top-25 teams for the majority of the season, while VCU takes time to adjust to life without sharp shooter Melvin Johnson.
Beyond the top three teams that are almost assuredly expected to be playing in March, Davidson, George Washington and La Salle also look like very competitive teams. Richmond won’t be an easy out, and while UMass features a young roster, they shouldn’t be counted out in terms of pulling off a couple of big upsets in league play.
Then there’s Saint Joseph’s and Duquesne, two teams that have lost major production from last year. The Hawks are still a solid bunch coached by Phil Martelli, but making the NCAA Tournament is a major stretch for this group in 2016-17.
The story of this conference won’t be about depth (three or four bids seems reasonable), but instead it will be about teams like Dayton, URI and VCU at the top, who will not only be dominant in league play, but could make major runs in March.
Conference Awards
Coach of the Year: Dan Hurley, Rhode Island
Player of the Year: Jack Gibbs, Davidson
Freshman of the Year: De’Riante Jenkins, VCU
All-Atlantic 10 First Team:
Senior guard Jack Gibbs, Davidson
Junior guard E.C. Matthews, Rhode Island
Junior guard Jaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure
Senior forward Charles Cooke, Dayton
Senior forward Tyler Cavanaugh, George Washington
All-Atlantic 10 Second Team:
Senior guard JeQuan Lewis, VCU
Senior guard Scoochie Smith, Dayton
Senior guard Jordan Price, La Salle
Senior forward Hassan Martin, Rhode Island
Senior Center Mo Alie-Cox, VCU
There are a lot of seniors on both All-Conference teams, which shows how much upperclassmen talent the conference possess.
Rhode Island junior point guard Jarvis Garrett, Dayton forward Josh Cunningham and Richmond duo ShawnDre’ Jones and T.J. Cline could easily slide into the Second Team by the end of the year. All four of those players certainly have the skills to do damage in the Atlantic 10.
14. Saint Louis Billikens
2015-16 record: 11-21 overall, 5-13 in Atlantic 10
Head coach: Travis Ford (first year)
Key returning players: Mike Crawford, Jermaine Bishop, Davell Roby, Reggie Agbeko, Aaron Hines
Newcomers: Three-star PF Jalen Johnson, non-ranked SF Zeke Moore, redshirt freshman F Elliott Welmer
With former Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford in the fold, the Saint Louis Billikens are expected to make an upward trend in the Atlantic 10 over the next few years.
However, 2016-17 should be a clear cut rebuilding year with the combination of a new head coach and some significant departures.
Ford will have to implement his new system, get his players to buy in and adjust to life in his first year in the Atlantic 10. On top of that, the Billikens lose three of their top five scorers, Ash Yacoubou, Miles Reynolds and Milik Yarbrough.
Guard Mike Crawford (10.3 points per game) is the only double figure scorer returning for the Billikens, while guard Jermaine Bishop, guard Davell Roby and forward Reggie Agbeko will all have to take the next step if Saint Louis is to have success immediately.
The future is promising when looking beyond this season though. Former Rutgers big man D.J. Foreman, former Michigan State forward Javon Bess and Central Florida transfer guard Adonys Henriquez will all be eligible starting in 2017-18. In addition to the transfers, four-star guard Jordan Goodwin chose the Billikens over Illinois and others.
Things are looking up for Ford and company even though 2016-17 could be a rough year.
13. Duquesne Dukes
2015-16 record: 16-16 overall, 6-12 in Atlantic 10
Head coach: Jim Ferry
Key returning players: Eric James, Darius Lewis, Jordan Robinson
Newcomers: Two-star PF Isiaha Mike, non-ranked SG Spencer Littleson, non-ranked PG Mike Lewis II, Drake GS F Kale Abrahamson, Niagara GS G Emile Blackmon, Nebraska transfer G Tarin Smith
Jim Ferry’s squad lost a massive amount of production off last year’s .500 basketball team. The Dukes will depart a combined 36.3 points per game between both Micah Mason and Derrick Colter, while also losing another double-figure scorer, L.G. Gill, to Maryland and Jeremiah Jones to graduation.
Junior guard Eric James and senior guard Darius Lewis, the fifth and sixth scorers on last year’s team respectively, return for the Dukes. However, the majority of the roster will consist of players who didn’t maintain consistent roles in 2015-16.
The Dukes do bring in three transfers, Kale Abrahamson, Emile Blackmon and Tarin Smith, though. Abrahamson averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game with the Drake Bulldogs in 2015-16. Blackmon put up nearly 16 points per game for the Niagara Purple Eagles. And Smith played 17.6 minutes per game for a major program, Nebraska, two years ago.
While experience is much needed on a team that is losing their two top talents (and then some), the Dukes still will have a difficult time being competitive in the Atlantic 10 this upcoming season.
12. George Mason Patriots
2015-16 record: 11-21 overall, 5-13 in Atlantic 10
Head coach: Dave Paulsen
Key returning players: Otis Livingston II, Marquise Moore, Jaire Grayer, DeAndre Abram, Jalen Jenkins
Newcomers: Three-star PF A.J. Wilson, three-star SG Ian Boyd, two-star SG Justin Kier, two-star PF Troy Temara, non-ranked SG Karmari Newman
The Patriots return both of their double figure scorers from last season, Otis Livingston II and Marquise Moore, but in this preview they will finish in the same slot as last season.
Big man Shevon Thompson has graduated after averaging 9.9 points and 10.6 boards per game. The next highest rebounder on the Patriots’ team last season was Marko Gujanicic, who also will not be returning to the team.
That means the Patriots will have to do some serious gang rebounding in order to make up for the lack of production up front.
They should have plenty of scoring in the back court though with Livingston returning for his sophomore campaign and Moore back for his final season of college basketball. The Patriots are also not at void of role players as guard DeAndre Abram, guard Jaire Grayer and forward Jalen Jenkins return to Fairfax, VA.
Head coach Dave Paulsen didn’t add any JUCO prospects or transfers, however, they reeled in a nice five man recruiting class that includes two three-star talents. If they can get surprising immediate production from A.J. Wilson and Ian Boyd, maybe the Patriots can climb the standings a bit.
11. Massachusetts Minutemen
2015-16 record: 14-18 overall, 6-12 in Atlantic 10
Head coach: Derek Kellogg
Key returning players: Donte Clark, Seth Berger, Rashaan Holloway, Zach Coleman, C.J. Anderson
Newcomers: Four-star SG DeJon Jarreau, four-star PF Chris Baldwin, three-star C Brison Gresham, three-star SG Unique McLean, three-star SF Tyrn Flowers, redshirt freshman PG Luwane Pipkins, Canisius transfer G Zach Lewis
Let’s get this straight, UMass has loads of potential and should be very competent team in two years or so. But right now, they are way too young to compete for a slot in the Atlantic 10’s upper half.
The Minutemen don’t have Trey Davis, Jabarie Hinds and Antwan Space to carry them in the leadership department anymore. And oh yea, all three of them are pretty darn good on the court as well. Davis averaged nearly 19 points a game last year, while Hinds and Space were top-5 scorers on a team that was four games under .500.
Donte Clark, who was Derek Kellogg’s second leading scorer at 16.1 points per game, returns for his junior campaign. C.J. Anderson, Seth Berger, Zach Coleman and Rashaan Holloway will have to leap into greater roles, but most importantly, the Minutemen need the freshman to do more than normally expected from first year players in the A10.
Even though Baldwin, Gresham and Jarreau should have the biggest impact in year one, they could be lethal as a trio when they master the nuances of the league in a couple years.
10. Saint Joseph’s Hawks
2015-16 record: 27-7 overall, 13-5 in Atlantic 10, NCAA Tournament 2nd round exit
Head coach: Phil Martelli
Key returning players: James Demery, Shavar Newkirk, Lamarr Kimble, Markell Lodge, Jai Williams
Newcomers: Three-star SF Charlie Brown, one-star PF Gerald Blount, non-ranked SG Nick Robinson, non-ranked PF Lorenzo Edwards
Say so long to the Hawks’ top three scorers, DeAndre Bembry, Isaiah Miles and Aaron Brown. Bembry and Miles, in particular, are the biggest losses, as Bembry was a valuable do-everything forward and Miles was a versatile stretch five man that made St. Joe’s offense run smoothly.
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The backcourt looks all set to run full steam in 2016-17 with the returns of Shavar Newkirk and Lamarr Kimble. But the front court production will be a different story.
Without Bembry and Miles, the Hawks will be thin up front, won’t have much experience and won’t have the level of flexibility they maintained in 2015-16.
Charlie Brown, Markell Lodge and Lorenzo Edwards are gaining a lot of hype this summer and could be the next best set of forwards to come through the St. Joseph’s program. The problem is that it would be unrealistic to expect them to match the numbers that Bembry and Miles put up during last season’s NCAA Tournament run.
James Demery is also solid, but he only averaged 3.6 rebounds per game last season.
Also, expecting St. Joe’s to repeat as conference tournament champions and fourth place finishers would be impractical.
Then there’s the fact that Pierfrancesco Oliva is missing the entire season due to a knee injury suffered in practice.
Yes, it’s officially a bridge year in Philadelphia.
9. Fordham Rams
2015-16 record: 17-13 overall, 8-10 in Atlantic 10
Head coach: Jeff Neubauer
Key returning players: Joseph Chartouny, Christian Sengfelder, Antwoine Anderson, David Pekárek, Nemanja Zarkovic
Newcomers: Three-star PF Papi N’Diaye, two-star PF Chuba Ohams, JUCO SG Will Tavares, JUCO PG Perris Hicks, Eastern Kentucky GS G JaVontae Hawkins
The Fordham Rams were a surprise in Jeff Neubauer’s first season as head coach. Now departed big man Ryan Rhoomes and guard Mandell Thomas kept them afloat as they finished four games above .500.
But there was also a special freshman that broke on to the scene late in the year and became the team’s third leading scorer.
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That man is Joseph Chartouny, who returns for his sophomore campaign in 2016-17. The 6’3″ guard had his ups-and-downs during the non-conference portion of the schedule, but he scored in double figures in his last six games. The 6’3″ guard put up a season high 24 points, dished out 13 assists and grabbed seven rebounds in a win over Davidson at the end of February.
He has the chance to be a special performer in his second year of college basketball.
Beyond Chartouny, the Rams still maintain some intriguing pieces, including big man Christian Sengfelder and Antwoine Anderson. Both players were top-five scorers last year for Neubauer.
Also, the Rams have five key newcomers with the biggest name coming in as a transfer from Eastern Kentucky. Guard JaVontae Hawkins averaged 17.0 points and shot 50 percent from the field last season with the Colonels. He will give Chartouny some much needed help on the perimeter.
If there is one sleeper team to watch in the Atlantic 10, it really could be the Fordham Rams.
8. Richmond Spiders
2015-16 record: 16-16 overall, 7-11 in Atlantic 10
Head coach: Chris Mooney
Key returning players: T.J. Cline, ShawnDre’ Jones, Marshall Wood, Khwan Fore
Newcomers: Three-star SG Nick Sherod, three-star SF De’Monte Buckingham, three-star PF Grant Golden, non-ranked SF Solly Stansbury, Northeastern GS F Kwesi Abakah
Chris Mooney’s squad may have finished .500 last season, but they showed flashes of potential. The Spiders of Richmond beat George Washington on the road in double OT and knocked off Northern Iowa, California (then ranked 14th) and Wake Forest in non-conference play.
Two of their top three leading scorers, T.J. Cline and ShawnDre’ Jones, return for their senior seasons at the forward and guard positions respectively. The Spiders won’t have the services of their second leading scorer Terry Allen, but they do bring back Marshall Wood (8.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game) and Khwan Fore (6.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game).
If Wood and Fore increase their scoring and rebounding totals, the Spiders could have a good quartet of players.
Their recruiting class also enhances their talent level, as Mooney added three three-star recruits and a graduate transfer from Northeastern, Kwesi Abakah.
However, behind Cline, Jones and possibly Wood, there are a lot of question marks. There is no guarantee that the freshman adjust well and Abakah averaged only 13.0 minutes and 1.5 points per game last season with the Huskies.
7. St. Bonaventure Bonnies
2015-16 record: 22-8 overall, 14-4 in Atlantic 10
Head coach: Mark Schmidt
Key returning players: Jaylen Adams, Denzel Gregg, Idris Taqqee, Nelson Kaputo
Newcomers: Two-star SF Tareq Coburn, two-star C Amadi Ikpeze, non-ranked F Josh Ayeni, JUCO G/F Courtney Stockard, Syracuse GS F/C Chinonso Obokoh, Central CT State transfer G Matt Mobley, Liberty transfer F David Andoh
Marcus Posley, Jaylen Adams and Dion Wright were an unstoppable trio that helped St. Bonaventure finished tied for the Atlantic 10 Conference title. However, the Bonnies were robbed an NCAA Tournament berth and collapsed in the first round of the NIT against Wagner.
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Posley and Wright won’t be returning to St. Bonaventure in 2016-17. But Adams is.
The now-junior guard is ready to set the conference on fire with his knack for scoring the basketball. Adams averaged 17.9 points, shot 45 percent from the field, drilled 44 percent of his threes and knocked down an efficient 87 percent of his free throws. If Jack Gibbs wasn’t a member of the A10, Adams would definitely be the top scorer in the conference in 2016-17.
Unfortunately, for Adams his junior season is likely to end in a disappoint from a perspective of team success. The Bonnies will need Denzel Gregg to replace Wright’s interior punch, but there is no one that could possibly make up for the 19.6 points that Posley scored per night.
Head coach Mark Schmidt does add three quality transfers in Chinonso Obokoh, Matt Mobley and David Andoh. Mobley averaged 17.2 points per game at Central Connecticut State two years ago and Andoh averaged 10 points and nearly six boards at Liberty. But Obokoh was a lightly used role player at Syracuse.
While St. Bonaventure won’t be a poor team by any means, they will not match last year’s results.
6. La Salle Explorers
2015-16 record: 9-22 overall, 4-14 in Atlantic 10
Head coach: John Giannini
Key returning players: Jordan Price, Cleon Roberts, Johnnie Shuler, Tony Washington, Yevgen Sakhniuk, Amar Stukes
Newcomers: Three-star SF Saul Phiri, one-star C Cian Sullivan, Memphis transfer G Pookie Powell, Syracuse transfer F B.J. Johnson, South Carolina transfer F Demetrius Henry
There’s no other way to put it: The La Salle Explorers weren’t a very good basketball team last season. They only won nine games overall, with most of them coming at the beginning of non-conference play.
But John Giannini’s team was also very competitive in a number of games, including upset wins over Dayton and St. Bonaventure. Despite what their record says, they did beat two out of the three conference regular season champs.
The reason the Explorers didn’t win enough games was because of their youth.
Now in 2016-17, Giannini’s squad is ready to emerge in the Atlantic 10.
They return their top six scorers (senior guard Jordan Price remains in the mix) and add three major transfers in B.J. Johnson, Demetrius Henry and Pookie Powell. All three of the newcomers come from major programs, Syracuse, South Carolina and Memphis respectively, and all have differing skill sets that will help the team.
The Explorers could’ve been ranked higher than 6th in our preseason preview, but they lost graduate transfer Savon Goodman after he opted to withdraw from classes in early June.
Regardless, Price is ready to lead the Explorers to a possible NCAA Tournament. Price, who is also an ex-transfer from Auburn, dropped a team high 19.2 points per game last season. His scoring average will likely dip with all the help he has in 2016-17, however, his impact will be felt on a nightly basis.
Remember, La Salle’s best team was back in 2013 when they were filled with transfers.
Ty Garland and Ramon Galloway led the Explorers to their first Sweet 16 of this century.
5. George Washington Colonials
2015-16 record: 23-10 overall, 11-7 in Atlantic 10, NIT champs
Head coach: Maurice Joseph (interim)
Key returning players: Tyler Cavanaugh, Yuta Watanabe, Matt Hart, Jordan Roland
Newcomers: Three-star C Kevin Marfo, three-star PF Arnaldo Toro, two-star SG Jair Bolden, non-ranked C Collin Smith, non-ranked SG Justin Williams, Harvard GS G/F Patrick Steeves, Seton Hall transfer G Jaren Sina
George Washington went from the ultimate high to the ultimate low in a matter of months.
The Colonials won the NIT postseason tournament at Madison Square Garden in April.
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Months later, the Washington Post published a story about former players accusing then-head coach Mike Lonergan of verbal and emotional abuse. George Washington opened an investigation during the summer and opted to fire Lonergan three weeks ago.
Assistant coach Maurice Joseph, who has never been a head coach, was elevated to the interim position and will try to guide what is a very solid roster in 2016-17.
The transition may not be all that difficult given that Joseph is likely to run the same system as Lonergan, but it is an adjustment in terms of in-game X’s and O’s. Obviously Joseph doesn’t have the experience that Lonergan had, so this could be bad news in critical situations for the Colonials.
When looking just at their roster, this is a potential sleeper team in the Atlantic 10. Forward Tyler Cavanaugh will be in the running for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, forward Yuta Watanabe is a versatile player who is a year older and George Washington adds talented newcomers, Jair Bolden, Kevin Marfo, Jaren Sina, Patrick Steeves and Arnaldo Toro.
Joseph might be the X-factor, but the roster is good enough to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
4. Davidson Wildcats
2015-16 record: 20-12 overall, 10-8 in Atlantic 10
Head coach: Bob McKillop
Key returning players: Jack Gibbs, Peyton Aldridge, Jordan Watkins, Nathan Ekwu, Oskar Michelsen
Newcomers: Non-ranked German PG Jon Axel Gudmundsson, Boston College transfer F Will Magarity, redshirt freshman G Kishawn Pritchett, redshirt freshman PF Dusan Kovacevic
The Davidson Wildcats are a very top heavy team. Their two best players are forces at their respective positions though.
We’ll start with guard Jack Gibbs, who averaged 23.5 points per game last season and was one of the top scorers in the entire nation. Gibbs is the current front runner for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and should once again be the top “bucket getter” in the conference.
He will never be Stephen Curry, but he is the 2016-17 Davidson savior. If the Wildcats are going to reach the NCAA Tournament (and beyond), Gibbs has to put forth his own imitation of the Golden State Warriors star.
With Gibbs having the reigns in the backcourt, Peyton Aldridge is the go-to man up front. Aldridge averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 2015-16, while shooting 49 percent from the floor. He also blocked a shot per outing and shot 85 percent from the free throw strike.
However, beyond Gibbs and Aldridge, the Wildcats don’t have much to scare opposing teams. Will Magarity comes over from Boston College, but he’s never averaged more than 16 minutes per game in a single season. They have just one recruit joining the roster and two redshirt freshman stepping in, but that certainly won’t be enough to compliment their two stars.
Look for guard Jordan Watkins and forward Nathan Ekwu to step up this upcoming season, or the Wildcats could fall further than this projection.
3. VCU Rams
2015-16 record: 24-10 overall, 14-4 in Atlantic 10, NCAA Tournament 2nd round exit
Head coach: Will Wade
Key returning players: JeQuan Lewis, Mo Alie-Cox, Justin Tillman, Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed, Jordan Burgess, Doug Brooks, Jonathan Williams, Samir Doughty
Newcomers: Four-star SF De’Riante Jenkins, three-star SG Malik Crowfield, non-ranked SG Marquell Fraser
In their first year post-Shaka Smart, Will Wade led the VCU Rams to a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Rams lost to Oklahoma in the second round of the Big Dance, but they put up a solid fight against Buddy Hield and company.
Wade transitioned VCU to a more half-court oriented defensive team while still keeping the ‘Havoc’ principles that Smart always preached. The Rams were once again a difficult team to crack defensively, but weren’t nearly as feisty as when they had Briante Weber in their backcourt.
The Rams won’t have their best offensive player, Melvin Johnson, in 2016-17, as he graduated in May. However, they will still be excellent on the defensive end and return three of their top five scorers.
Point guard JeQuan Lewis will run the show (along with Jonathan Williams and Doug Brooks) with Mo Alie-Cox and Justin Tillman continuing to anchor the paint.
With Korey Billbury and Michael Gilmore joining Johnson on the way out the door, the Rams need production from their role players, Brooks, Jordan Burgess, Samir Doughty, Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed and Williams. Most importantly, they need a big freshman campaign from De’Riante Jenkins.
The small forward is ranked 59th in ESPN’s top 100 and will give the Rams a long, versatile wing player who can create in the open court and improve their half court sets with his slashing ability.
VCU isn’t Sweet 16 material just yet, but this roster could develop into a dangerous team come March, especially if Jenkins finds his comfort zone.
2. Dayton Flyers
2015-16 record: 25-7 overall, 14-4 in Atlantic 10, NCAA Tournament 1st round exit
Head coach: Archie Miller
Key returning players: Charles Cooke, Scoochie Smith, Kendall Pollard, Kyle Davis, Darrell Davis, Sam Miller, Xeyrius Williams
Newcomers: Three-star SG Trey Landers, Bradley transfer F Josh Cunningham
The Dayton Flyers are normally very dangerous when March rolls around. The Flyers won three games in the Big Dance in 2014 and reached the Sweet 16 in 2015.
Even though the Flyers won a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season title, they failed to advance past the NCAA Tournament’s first round in 2015-16. On the bright side, they lost to eventual Final Four participant, Syracuse.
Dayton has all the requisites to not only repeat as Atlantic 10 regular season champs, but they have the depth, talent and experience to go far in March.
While the Flyers lose senior Dyshawn Pierre, they played half of last season without the forward as he was dealing with a one semester suspension. The Flyers return Charles Cookie, Scoochie Smith, Kendall Pollard (who is currently dealing with a knee injury), Kyle Davis, Darrell Davis, Sam Miller and Xeyrius Williams, among others.
Returning four double digit scorers is excellent news, but adding a solid three-star recruit Trey Landers and most importantly, a valuable transfer in Josh Cunningham, puts the Flyers over the top.
Cunningham will be a major addition based upon Dayton’s lack of size. Unfortunately, they lost Steve McElvene to devastating circumstances and will be searching for someone to make up for their lack of size up front.
The best asset the Flyers have though is their experience. They are old, and that’s fantastic news if you want to win in college basketball.
Dayton has four players -- Scoochie Smith, Kendall Pollard, Charles Cooke, & Kyle Davis -- that will be 22 during A 10 play. Tough to beat.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 4, 2016
The only issue currently concerning me with Dayton is their lack of strength inside and Pollard’s knee injury.
If they can correct those two issues, they have a chance to jump our team who is projected at number one.
1. Rhode Island Rams
2015-16 record: 17-15 overall, 9-9 in Atlantic 10
Head coach: Dan Hurley
Key returning players: E.C. Matthews, Jared Terrell, Jarvis Garrett, Hassan Martin, Kuran Iverson, Christion Thompson, Andre Berry, Nicola Akele
Newcomers: Three-star C Mike Layssard Jr., three-star PG Jeff Dowtin, three-star C Michael Tertsea, three-star PF Cyril Langevine, Indiana transfer G Stanford Robinson
Rhode Island was dealt a brutal hand in 2015-16. In a season that was expected to result in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999, the Rams lost their best player, E.C. Matthews, to a season ending ACL tear in the first game of the year and also lost Jarvis Garrett, Hassan Martin and Kuran Iverson to injuries throughout the course of the year.
The good news for Dan Hurley and company is that everyone is back, including Matthews, who has been cleared to play. Jared Terrell should be one of the top scorers on the team, Garrett matured with Matthews out for one season, Martin has recovered from his knee injury and Iverson is a versatile piece who is perfect as the fourth option.
Add in role players Stanford Robinson, Christion Thompson, Andre Berry, Nicola Akele and four freshman, and the Rams have a deep team with a plethora of talent.
Their experience in big games is limited and they will need to prove that they can stay healthy, but Rhody’s ceiling is clearly very high.
Most importantly, this team is hungry to secure that berth to the Big Dance.
Expect Rhode Island to win the Atlantic 10, be a top-25 team for the majority of the season and go dancing in March. From there, it will be up to Matthews and company to play their A-game if they want to advance in college basketball’s grand event.