Busting Brackets
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Atlantic 10 Basketball: 2020-21 power rankings heading into conference play

By Benjamin Zacher

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: The Atlantic 10 logo on the court before the game between the George Washington Colonials and the Richmond Spiders at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on January 15, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: The Atlantic 10 logo on the court before the game between the George Washington Colonials and the Richmond Spiders at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on January 15, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Kyle Lofton St. Bonaventure Bonnies (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Kyle Lofton St. Bonaventure Bonnies (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

3. St. Bonaventure Bonnies

  • 2020-21 record: 3-1 overall, 1-1 A-10
  • Previous ranking: 12th

This might be too soon, but the Bonnies have looked the part of a team that could compete for an A-10 title.  After having the start of their season postponed until December 15th, the Bonnies have rallied off impressive wins over Akron, Hofstra, and Richmond – while collecting a solid six-point loss at URI.

The Bonnies were picked to finish fourth in the A-10 preseason poll behind Richmond, Saint Louis, and Dayton – and was the first of that group to not receive any first-place votes.  I wrote about the Bonnies in a season preview and mentioned that they feature one of the best – and deepest – groups in the A-10.

That much has held true so far.  At least seven Bonnies see at least 14.5 minutes of action per game, and the two-man tandem of Kyle Lofton and Osun Osunniyi – both All-Conference caliber players – have been great to begin their junior campaigns, with Lofton averaging 15.5 ppg on 51.2% shooting and Osunniyi putting in 13.5 points and a team-best 9.3 boards.  Dominick Welch has also provided an offensive boost, pouring in 12.5 points while hauling down 7.3 rebounds per game.

The Bonnies, despite their solid wins, are rather unremarkable statistically.  They do rank in the top 100 in both offensive (70th) and defensive (77nd) efficiency, as well as in offensive rebounding percentage (32.7%, 62nd).  But they have been below average offensively, shooting a 180th-best 49.2% from inside and a 289th-best 28.6% on long-range bombs.  Their lone stellar mark has come from defending the three-point line, where they hold teams to 24.5% – the 15th-best mark in Div. I.

St. Bonaventure should be able to keep up their stellar start, taking on Saint Joseph’s, George Washington, and Fordham in their next three games.  They will face a gauntlet after that, however, hosting Duquesne and Richmond before heading to Saint Louis and Davidson to close out the month.

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