Atlantic 10 Basketball Power Rankings: VCU on top after non-conference

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 09: Virginia Commonwealth Rams fans cheer against the Rhode Island Rams during the first half in the Quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 9, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 10: Miles Brookins #4 of the La Salle Explorers grabs a rebound and is fouled by Jermaine Samuels #23 of the Villanova Wildcats in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center on December 10, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

#13: La Salle Explorers

At 2-10, the Explorers took well over a month to get their first win, which fittingly came against fellow winless squad Alabama A&M. Between that and the fact that their other win was over a far from intimidating Towson Tigers team, one might think it only fair to peg the Explorers as the A10’s worst team to this point. I was heavily considering doing just that, but one thing stopped me is the recently improved health of the team’s top options. La Salle has played twelve games overall, but three of their top four scorers – Pookie Powell, Jack Clark, and Saul Phiri – have only played a combined sixteen. Those three combine for 40.3 points per game, so one has to think that first-year head coach Ashley Howard will begin to right the ship with all of them finally available.

Despite the good news about their stars’ current health status, however, one thing that will work against the Explorers finding any sort of A10 success early on is their murderous schedule. After traveling to Amherst to take on the Minutemen on January 5th, they’ll head to Richmond to play VCU and then return to Philly for a game against league-favorite Saint Louis. If they can find a way to steal even one of those games, they’ll have a chance to pick up a head of steam in their next three against GW, Rhode Island, and Fordham. If they fail to do so, the wheels could completely fall off the bus. However you slice it, this will be a trial by fire for coach Howard.

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