Atlantic 10 Basketball: St. Bonaventure on top in latest power rankings

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 10: The Atlantic 10 Logo on a basketball during the game between the St. Bonaventure Bonnies and the Davidson Wildcats during the Semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

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Atlantic 10 Basketball Saint Louis Billikens Jordan Goodwin Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Saint Louis Billikens

2020-21 record: 7-1 overall, 0-0 A-10
Previous ranking: 1st

There is a genuine case to be made that Saint Louis should either be: (1) still number one in these rankings, or (2) left off these rankings completely. The former is because they still are, arguably, the most talented team in the conference and because their wins over LSU and N.C. State is still impressive – but the latter can also be true simply because they have yet to play a conference game.

I have them here at second largely because of how chaotic the A-10 has been below them, and everyone ranked below them – with the exception of, arguably, VCU and Davidson – have a head-scratching loss on their A-10 resume. Either way, there is still clearly faith in this team despite their month-long layoff due to COVID-19 – they are still clinging onto a spot on the AP Top 25, and they still rank 34th in KenPom.

The talent on this roster cannot be forgotten. Jordan Goodwin, Javonte Perkins, Gibson Jimerson, Hasahn French, and Yuri Collins comprise what has the best case of being the best starting five in the A-10. Likewise, the Billikens’ lone loss is an eight-point loss at Minnesota – and if we have learned anything as of late, it is that wins at Minnesota are nearly impossible to come by.

Partly why the Billikens also find themselves in second rather than first is because of their pause – and the uncertainty of how the Billikens will perform coming back. We have seen teams struggle after just taking a week or two off – Clemson being the biggest example – but the Billikens have not lined up on the court since a 62-46 win against UMKC all the way back on December 23rd.

The Billikens are finally slated to return to action on Tuesday, however, and they will have a chance to prove themselves against the marquee Atlantic 10 competition from the get-go. They host Dayton on Tuesday, before traveling to Richmond on Friday. If Saint Louis handles those two in convincing fashion, they should find themselves back in the top spot before long.

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