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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La Salle Explorers David Beatty Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
La Salle Explorers David Beatty Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

11. La Salle Explorers

  • 2020-21 record: 5-5 overall, 2-1 A-10
  • Previous ranking: 11th

This is where the A-10 rankings become an absolute mess, because there could – realistically – be an argument made for La Salle to be somewhere between the 7-9 range.  The Explorers were ranked in this spot in December after dropping back-to-back games to St. John’s and St. Peter’s – and then followed that up with a loss at Army and their first win of the year over a non-Div. I Lincon (PA) crew.

But since then, the Explorers have gone 4-2 – with some solid wins in that collection.  They toppled Drexel, Delaware, and Fordham – all by double-digits – and, most importantly, ended Dayton’s 20-game league winning streak, winning their first ever game at UD Arena in over 20 years behind a 67-65 score.  Meanwhile, the Explorers suffered a loss at Maryland – nothing to be ashamed about – but got blown out at home by UMass.

The loss to UMass – as well as the A-10 just being a competitive mess – is largely why La Salle is still in 11th.  They do seem to be leaps and bounds ahead of George Washington, and they have the stats to back that up – they rank 20th in 3P% (39.5%) and 30th in 3P% defense (27.3%).  They, weirdly, do not feature a single player averaging double-figures – instead, seven players are averaging between 9.9 and 6.9 points per game.

La Salle is in the red in a few offensive categories, however.  Despite being fantastic from beyond the arc, they are average inside, shooting 48.6% (193rd) and defending at 51.7% (218th).  They are among the nation’s worst in free-throw shooting at 62.5% (299th) and they turn the ball over on 21.9% of their possessions.

They have a gauntlet coming up on Wednesday in Saint Louis, but the Explorers have the opportunity to pick up three victories in their following contests, taking on UMass, George Mason, and Saint Joseph’s – before taking on four of the A-10 teams in KenPom’s top 100.

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