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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Nah’Shon Hyland Atlantic 10 Basketball VCU Rams (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

7. VCU Rams

2020-21 record: 11-4 overall, 4-2 A-10
Previous ranking: 2nd

The shockers of the early goings in the A-10, the Rams have finally – somewhat – come crashing back down to earth to begin conference play. After embarking on a seven-game winning streak – which was capped off by an unimpressive five-point win at George Mason – the Rams have gone 2-2 in their last four outings, dropping double-digit games to Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure, while also scooping up a seven-point win at George Washington.

VCU’s most recent outing may indicate they are back on the right track, having decimated Dayton over the weekend, 66-43. It is VCU’s first win over a top 100 KenPom opponent since their shellackings of Utah State and Memphis back in November and one they desperately needed after lackluster performances against URI and the Bonnies.

Nah’Shon Hyland has continued his tear through his sophomore campaign, and – after scoring just seven points at Saint Joseph’s – has stuffed the stat sheet in VCU’s last five games, including 21.6 points (37-86, 43.0%), 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 3.0 steals per game. He put on a masterful performance against Dayton, scoring 28 points (4-6 2PT, 5-11 3PT, 5-5 FT) in 29 minutes, to go with five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

One area that has ailed VCU against superior competition, however, is the inability of others to produce when Hyland is shut down (and, obviously, not scoring 28 points). In the win over GW, three other Rams – in addition to Hyland – reached double-digits. Against URI and St. Bonaventure, however, just one other VCU player tallied double-figures.

VCU should be able to continue righting the ship, closing the month out with back-to-back home games over UMass and La Salle. Both games are ones they cannot afford to drop – especially considering both squads are very much capable of pulling off wins over the Rams.

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