Atlantic 10 Basketball: Conference off to a great start in 2020-21 season

Atlantic 10 Basketball is already having another great season, solidifying their status as the top mid-major conference.

In 20 years, there have only been five mid-major schools that have made it to the Final Four (George Maso- 2006, Butler-2010-11, VCU-2011, Wichita State 2013, and Loyola-Chicago 2018). Only one school (Butler twice) made it to the National Championship but lost both times.

In a year with so much uncertainty due to potential positive COVID-19 tests, scheduling issues, and game locations, this could be a year where we see a mid or low-major team(s) make it to the Final Four.

If I were a betting man, I’d pick one of the top teams coming out of the Atlantic 10 Conference. According to Haslem Metrics, Saint Louis (24), Richmond (61), VCU (64), Dayton (66), Davidson (70), URI (73), and St.Bonaventure (87) are all ranked in the top 100 in advanced offense analytics, not to mention all seven teams are in the top 90 in defense as well.

Through the first two weeks of the season, Richmond beat Kentucky on the road, and Saint Louis beat LSU. Despite URI losing to Boston College and Arizona State, they gave both teams all they could handle and should of beat the Sun Devils if it wasn’t for late foul trouble. SLU, Richmond, and Dayton have enough talent, experience, and depth to compete with any team in the country.

Saint Louis Billikens

Senior guard Jordan Goodwin runs the show for the Billikens and is the best rebounding guard in the country. SLU brings back 91 percent of their minutes played and 93 percent of their scoring from a year ago.

In two games so far this season, Javonte Perkins has taken his game to another level by averaging 27 PPG. They are 2-0 and are still missing Hasahn French who averaged double-figures for the Billikens last year and has NBA teams calling about him. SLU could be the most underrated team in the country.

Richmond Spiders

The Spiders put the world on notice how good they are by beating Kentucky this past Sunday. This team doesn’t get rattled and plays with extreme poise and passion. Richmond has two under-sized guards in Jacob Gilyard and Blake Francis, but they don’t play like it.

Gilyard led the country last year in steals per game at 3.2 and is one of the toughest on-ball defenders in the country. As for Francis, he is a big-time scorer. Every time he shoots, you think it’s going in, and he can score in bunches with the best of them.

What separates them offensively are their bigs Nathan Cayo and Grant Golden. Golden is a terrific passer and initiates offense in the halfcourt. Cayo is a load down low and finishes well in traffic, and is a lob threat. The Spiders also bring back over 94 percent of minutes played and over 96 percent of their scoring.

Dayton Flyers

With the departure of lottery pick Obi Toppin, it would make sense for the Flyers to take a step back. Well, not this year, they are still loaded in the backcourt by returning Ibi Watson, Jalen Crutcher, and Rodney Chatman. Coach Anthony Grant and company with go as far as his three guards can take them.

Between the three, they will take and make a lot of threes, making them a scary team to prepare for. Not to mention they make a high percentage of the shots they take due to the Flyers running a good offense and passing up a good shot for a great one.

I’m not sure who will win the A-10 this year, but as a college basketball fan, the teams in this conference will not disappoint and will deliver high-quality night in and night out. They could potentially get three teams in the tournament this year, depending on what the rest of the field does. However, I would not want to play any of these teams in March.