Atlantic 10 Basketball: VCU, Dayton among most likely to grab autobid

Atlantic 10 Basketball: VCU, Dayton among most likely to grab 2019 autobid

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 08: A general view as the George Washington Colonials play the Saint Louis Billikens during the second half in the Second Round of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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DAYTON, OH – MARCH 13: Courtney Stockard #11 of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies celebrates the basket against the UCLA Bruins during the second half of the First Four game in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 13, 2018 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

#4: Saint Bonaventure Bonnies

The Bonnies are proof of how important good coaching is in a relatively open league. To be sure, Mark Schmidt has some good players to work with in Courtney Stockard, Kyle Lofton, and LaDarien Griffin, but the roster is by no means overwhelmingly talented.

What has made them successful, beyond just having the Reilly Center as a home venue, has been their chemistry and a knack for playing flat-out harder than their opponents. In their last ten contests, they’ve racked up eight wins, and the only team to beat them over that span have been (as you may have guessed) Davidson, and VCU.

In their most recent five, they’ve beaten their opponents, which have included George Mason and Duquesne, by an average of 18.4 points per game. The Bonnies should stay hot with a visit to GW up next, and they could even conceivably kick in the doors of the top four before long.

#3: Davidson Wildcats

Despite their recent loss to La Salle, Davidson is still just about as dangerous at their best as any team in the conference. Jon Axel Gudmundsson is the current favorite to win A10 Player of the Year with a line of 17 points, 4.7 assists, and seven rebounds per game, and Kellan Grady, although not dominating to the degree expected of him, is still an NBA-level talent that can put 30 on anybody.

Just as with Dayton, depth is a valid concern for the Wildcats, but the top of the rotation has been, and should continue to be, enough on most nights. Freshman Luke Frampton has emerged as one of the conference’s most legitimate threats from deep and Luka Brajkovic, also a freshman, has the footwork and hands of a seasoned veteran in the post. Those two alone have combined to average over 20 points and nine rebounds per game, and that’s not to mention the additions of other solid role players like Carter Collins and KiShawn Pritchett.

The team has come down to earth in the last couple of weeks after a hot start, but Bob McKillop has to be respected when the stakes are as high as they will be in a couple of weeks.

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