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

Duquesne Dukes

Keith Dambrot led the Dukes to their first winning A10 record since 2012 last season, and he’ll have the resources needed to continue building on that success this year. Sincere Carry is going to be one of the best players in the conference as a Sophomore, and there are very few weaknesses as far as rotation around him. Utah-Valley transfer Baylee Steele and Michael Hughes should form a strong tandem in the post while Marcus Weathers, Tavian Dunn-Martin, Frankie Hughes, and Lamar Norman can all score the ball from the wing/backcourt. Maceo Austin is a three-star (247Sports) 6’5” Freshman guard that should have an immediate impact on offense as well because of his shooting ability.

Considering their overall depth, star-power, and experience, the Dukes have a real chance to sit-out two games at the A10 Tournament. Losing Eric Williams Jr. is never a particularly good thing, but Sincere Carry is talented enough to replace him as the primary load-carrier and the supporting cast will only be a better version of what it was a season ago. Look for Carry to end up on the shortlist for Player of the Year and for the Dukes to build momentum in a hot start to conference play – three of their first five games are against Saint Joe’s, George Washington, and Fordham, while the other two are at home (Davidson and Saint Louis).

Rhode Island Rams

Rhode Island has a lot in common with Dayton heading into this season; an extremely deep, talented roster with potential chemistry issues, a young coach still trying to prove himself, and, finally, an expectation to be one of the best teams in the league. That expectation is slightly lowered for Rhody, if only because they don’t have Obi Toppin on their roster, but it’s still there and understandably so. Jeff Dowtin and Cyril Langevine are both top-five players at their respective positions, and the level of both returning and incoming talent is remarkable. The rest of David Cox’ rotation is set to include Fatts Russell, highly-touted Freshman and Sophomore classes, and two promising transfers in Antwan Walker (Georgetown) and Jeremy Sheppard (JUCO). As a 44% three-point shooter, Sheppard should be particularly useful as the Rams struggled mightily from deep last season.

Simply put, Rhody has all the tools needed to contend for a double-bye, but their conference schedule will be a real obstacle. They are the only team that has to play VCU, Davidson, and Dayton twice apiece, and their only matchup with Saint Bonaventure will be in Olean. They may steal a few of those games, but it will be extremely difficult for them to dominate the standings like they may have if the pairings had shaken out differently. Still, expect them to be right there in the mix.

Saint Bonaventure Bonnies

This past Bonnies’ season was a great example of why it’s never a good idea to bet against Mark Schmidt. The general view around the A10 throughout the offseason was that it would be tough for the Bonnies to recover from the losses of Matt Mobley and Jaylen Adams and that they shouldn’t be thought of as a true contender. Fast forward to March, and there they are just one shot away from cutting down the nets in the A10 Tournament after finishing fourth in the regular season.

This time around for Schmidt and co., there will again be noticeable absences – namely Courtney Stockard and LaDarien Griffin – but again there will still be plenty of talent left to work with. Kyle Lofton emerged as one of the premier point guards in the league, and his fellow rising Sophomores Osun Osunniyi and Dom Welch should be ready for significant production boosts as the now clear-cut number two and three options. The Bonnies depth is far from fantastic, but they have enough role players to be extremely competitive if they can stay healthy – something they had trouble with at the beginning of last season. Mount St. Mary’s-transfer Bobby Planutis will be someone to keep an eye on, as he hit an outrageous 33-67 three-point attempts in his only season with the Mountaineers.

It will be tough for the Bonnies to jump off to a hot start to conference play with four of their first six contests being road matchups against George Washington, George Mason, VCU, and Dayton, but if they can make it through that stretch intact, they’ll have a chance to gain a serious head of steam as they head down the stretch.