Busting Brackets
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Atlantic 10 Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19

By Tristan Freeman

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images /
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SPOKANE, WA – MARCH 18: Shavar Newkirk #1 and Aaron Brown #2 of the Saint Joseph’s Hawks celebrate their 78-76 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on March 18, 2016 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SPOKANE, WA – MARCH 18: Shavar Newkirk #1 and Aaron Brown #2 of the Saint Joseph’s Hawks celebrate their 78-76 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on March 18, 2016 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

4. St. Joseph’s (If healthy)

2017-18 season record: 16-16 (10-8)

The “if healthy” part had to be included with the Hawks based on the injury woes the past couple of years. But St. Joes still managed to be strong overall, despite losing Lamarr Kimble and Charlie Brown for the entire season. In the 2016-17 seasons, the duo averaged nearly 30 ppg together and will need to do the same to replace the two leading scorers of Shavar Newkirk and James Demery, who combined to average 34.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg and 5.0 apg.

In terms of overall talent, St. Joe’s in total returns a good amount of talent besides the injuries. Taylor Funk was great as a freshman (11.8 ppg and 4.9 rpg) and will be paired with 6’8 forward Pierfrancesco Oliva, who’s an underrated all-around performer on the frontline. His 3.0 apg was second on the team.

Guard Chris Clover returns as well, forming a well-rounded starting lineup for the Hawks. It’s concerning though that none of the perimeter players expected to play major minutes are good shooters from deep. That’ll hurt the big men when it comes to spacing but Brown’s playmaking abilities should help alleviate those issues. Having a pair of big men who are adept passers also helps too.

It’s going to be hard to judge the Hawks based on their past but on paper, this should be one of the deepest teams in the A-10. They might just need that depth if the injury bug arrives once again.

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