A-10 Basketball: 2019-20 tiered preseason power rankings

VCU Rams

Not much needs to be said about the Rams beyond the fact that they went 16-2 last season and will have an even deeper roster to work with this year. The key to the Rams’ success is their defense – they held A10 opponents to just 59.4 points per game on 38.5% shooting (both league bests) – but they can be a handful on the other side of the court as well. Marcus Evans is the leader of the offense and a potential candidate for A10 Player of the Year (if he can stay healthy), and De’Riante Jenkins, Marcus Santos-Silva, Issac Vann are all upperclassmen and solid scorers themselves.

Those four alone were good for a combined 46 points per game last season and they’ll be joined by a bevy of role-players and the league’s most highly-touted freshman class. Simply put, there’s not much to complain about as far as the Rams’ overall makeup. They’re deep, talented, experienced, and they play with more defensive tenacity than any other team in the league. Expect them to cut down the nets next March, and don’t be surprised if they’re a consistent member of the AP Top 25 either.

Davidson Wildcats

Bob McKillop is 106-58 in conference play since Davidson joined the A10 in 2014, and it’s possible that this current Wildcats roster is the most talented one since the beginning of that span. Jon Axel Gudmundsson is the reigning A10 Player of the Year and a strong candidate to be the first repeat winner since La Salle’s Steven Smith in 2005/2006. He’s a ~40% three-point shooter that averaged 4.7 assists per game last season while somehow corralling 7.3 rebounds as a point guard.

JAG would enough to make the team competitive without any fellow stars, but the combination of him and Kellan Grady in the same backcourt is downright lethal. Grady is no longer being discussed as a possible first-round NBA draft pick, but he’s still good enough to average upwards of 20 points per game and to go off for the occasional 35 when the team needs it.

Those two will obviously provide the bulk of the Cats’ offensive production, and Luka Brajkovic, KiShawn Pritchett, and Luke Frampton make up a dangerous supporting cast. Depth could potentially be an issue, but McKillop usually prefers a short rotation and has proven himself adept at filling in the gaps with previously unheard-of players whenever injuries have occurred. The bottom line is that I wouldn’t bet on Davidson taking home the league’s auto-bid, but it certainly wouldn’t shock me if they did either.

Dayton Flyers

Dayton might be the most talented team in the conference on paper. Obi Toppin is a near-consensus prediction for A10 Player of the Year at this point, and Jalen Crutcher is a top-five point guard and incredible number-two option. After those two the Flyers will run about ten deep in terms of solid role players, most notably Trey Landers (8.2 points, 6.7 rebounds), Ryan Mikesell (10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds), three big-time transfers, and a solid incoming Freshman big man in Moulaye Sissoko.

It could take some time for the Flyers to reach their ceiling with so many newcomers to the program, but they should be rolling by the time conference play comes around. One question mark with this team is Anthony Grant’s ability to coach down the stretch in big games, but a roster as experienced and poised as this one should be easier to manage than the ones he’s worked with over these last two seasons. The Flyers will start out their A10 schedule with games against La Salle, Saint Joe’s, and UMass before taking on VCU in UD Arena. If they can run the table over that stretch, which is a fairly likely outcome, they could end up keeping their hold on first place for the rest of the year.