1: Saint Louis (6-1)
The Billikens were the consensus pick to win the league this offseason, and they’re living up to those expectations through the first month. Not all of their wins have been pretty, but at the end of the day, the they’re 6-1 with two of the league’s best wins (at Seton Hall and against Butler). Had they not lost to Pitt at the Barclay’s center, they’d be the only undefeated team in the conference right now. That’s far from a terrible loss to have as your only one, and they will have plenty of chances to keep piling on impressive victories with games coming up against Oregon State, Southern Illinois, Houston, and Florida State.
While the Billikens do have plenty of weapons on offense, what really makes them dangerous is their defensive ability and tenacity. People will often point out their flaws in terms of shot selection and field goal percentage, but they’re proving that their defense is strong enough to overcome those handicaps.
So far on the season, they are 29th in the country in terms of points allowed at 61.9 per game. If they can find a way to keep up their intensity on that end and continue to gel on offense, they should enter A10 play as the league’s undisputed favorite (as expected).