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Atlantic 10 Basketball: Richmond, Saint Louis on top in opening weeks

By Benjamin Zacher

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 09: The Atlantic-10 logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the George Washington Colonials andthe Dayton Flyers at the Smith Center on January 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 09: The Atlantic-10 logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the George Washington Colonials andthe Dayton Flyers at the Smith Center on January 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Atlantic 10 Basketball
Atlantic 10 Basketball St. Bonaventure Kyle Lofton Catalina Fragoso-USA TODAY Sports /

12. St. Bonaventure Bonnies

  • 2020-21 record: 0-0; N/A until Dec. 12

I wrote about the Bonnies in a season preview a few weeks ago, and, believe me, they are not the 12th-best team in the A-10.  Realistically, they will find themselves around the 3-6 ranks once their season gets underway.

They will have to wait a little bit longer before they can climb back to the upper echelons, however.  COVID-19 protocol prevented the Bonnies from also making the trip to Mohegan Sun, but they will begin their season with a quality mid-major test against historic rival Saint Francis – a team that has already beaten Pitt this year – on Dec. 12.

I was high on the Bonnies in my season preview, and that optimism is still very much real.  Point guard Kyle Lofton and center Osun Osunniyi anchor a starting lineup that I dubbed one of the best in the A-10, and the Bonnies are loaded with transfers who will all provide a huge offensive boost.

They will need that boost, considering they ranked eighth in scoring offense in the A-10 and 235th nationally.  Where St. Bonaventure succeeded last season were on the boards, ranking fourth in offensive boards and fifth in defensive boards in conference play.

The Bonnies had some great wins last season, including over Rutgers, Hofstra, and Richmond – but they also had some head-scratching losses to La Salle, Canisius, and Ohio.  With their influx of transfers, they should be even better than last season’s 19-12 record – but they will need to cut down on their missteps to worse teams.

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