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

8. La Salle Explorers

• 2020-21 record: 7-8 overall, 4-4 A-10
• Previous ranking: 11th

If the Flyers were not chaotic enough, then the Explorers are the next team up.  Having them this high might be a bit of an overreaction – but Ashley Howard’s crew has put together a decent season, complemented by two of the best conference wins from any A-10 team.

Like Dayton, La Salle’s resume is bizarre.  They have been blown out – twice – by UMass and were decimated by 33 at George Mason just a few weeks ago.  In addition, the Explorers own double-digit losses to Davidson and Maryland.  Most of their wins – Div. II Lincoln (PA), Drexel, Delaware, Fordham, and Saint Joseph’s – are nothing to write home about, but it is La Salle’s other two wins that have them this high.

In their first game back from Christmas break, the Explorers knocked off Dayton – at Dayton – for their first win there in 20 years.  Most recently over the weekend, the Explorers upped the ante with a stunning 84-78 road win at Richmond.  La Salle’s offense was unconscious against the Spiders, with a whopping six double-digit scorers, a 59.4% clip on two-pointers, and a 52.9% clip from long range.

In what has been their motif all season, the Explorers are an oddity offensively because they do not feature a single player who averages double-digits.  The closest right now is Sherif Kenney (9.1 ppg) – and it was Kenney who was the star of La Salle’s offense against Richmond, pouring in 17 points (3-3 2PT, 2-3 3PT, 5-6 FT) to go with a game-high four assists.

Having them this high might backfire down the stretch – they did lose three straight after beating Dayton and Fordham, after all – but Howard’s team deserves heaps of credit on just how good they can be when they are at their best.  They have a chance to follow up on their Richmond victory, as well, taking on URI and VCU to close out the month.