Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Bellarmine, Big Ten, and hot seat in roundtable questions

By Tristan Freeman

AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 24: (L to R) Sean McNeil #22, Miles McBride #4, Chase Harler #14 and Derek Culver #1 of the West Virginia Mountaineers walks on the court after a timeout during the game with the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on February 24, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 24: (L to R) Sean McNeil #22, Miles McBride #4, Chase Harler #14 and Derek Culver #1 of the West Virginia Mountaineers walks on the court after a timeout during the game with the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on February 24, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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VCU Rams Nah’Shon Hyland NCAA Basketball Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
VCU Rams Nah’Shon Hyland NCAA Basketball Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Are the VCU Rams really the best team in the Atlantic 10?

Stevenson

I think I would probably say St. Louis is the best team in the A10. They are the highest team on Kenpom and I think it took them a little bit of time to get their rhythm back after their COVID break.

Tineo

One month ago, Saint Louis was running the conference and was getting votes for the Top 25. A COVID-19 outbreak and a rocky start to the conference slate has become the Billikens downfall. VCU has inserted their spot as the best team in the conference

The player of the year within the conference resides on the Rams as Sophomore Nah’Shon Hyland has become the surprise of the conference. After posting an A-10 All-Freshman caliber season last year, he doubled his points per game and is shooting the ball at an efficient clip.

His 43/38/87 clip also includes four rebounds and is a tenacious defender at 2.1 steals per game.

The conference is strong at the top, with Davidson and St. Bonaventure that would give bubble teams trouble. Hyland’s play has separated from the rest of the pack and has willed an average offense.

Defense is what keeps the Rams at the top spot, giving up 65 points per game and 30.6% from beyond the arc.

Zacher

Yes and no.  The Rams are the best team in the Atlantic 10 right now, as evidenced by their 8-2 record in conference, their 15-4 overall record, and how good their wins over Utah State, Memphis, and St. Bonaventure are – as well as their quality losses to West Virginia and Penn State.  They own the 14th-best efficient defense in the country, and they’re forcing a turnover on 25.1% of opponents’ possessions – the fifth-best mark in college basketball.

But I do still believe that – at their healthiest – the Saint Louis Billikens are the best team in the A-10.  Their wins have not necessarily aged well, but it is hard to ignore what they did against LSU and N.C. State – and that eight-point loss at Minnesota is fairly significant, too.

Obviously, the losses to Dayton and La Salle hurt, but it’s also hard to ignore that the Billikens were on pause for a whole month.  Additionally, that double-digit win over St. Bonaventure says a lot about how good Saint Louis can be when they’re at full strength.

I’m not counting out Richmond or St. Bonaventure yet in making a run for the regular-season title, plus UMass and Davidson are very much capable of winning the A-10’s tournament – but VCU and Saint Louis have cemented themselves as the top teams in the league.  With just three A-10 wins under their belt, it’s hard to say right now that the Billikens are THE best team in the Atlantic 10.

VCU, rightfully so, owns that spot right now – and that February 23rd showdown between the Billikens and Rams is going to be huge in determining just who is the top contender in the league.

Zinkula

Each of VCU (47th in KenPom), St. Bonaventure (50th), Richmond (55th), and Saint Louis (39th) could make a reasonable claim as the best team. Here’s how these squads have fared against each other.

St. Bonaventure: Beat VCU (H), lost to VCU (A), beat Richmond (A), lost to Saint Louis (A)
VCU: Beat St. Bonaventure (H), lost to St. Bonaventure (A), hasn’t played Richmond or Saint Louis
Saint Louis: Beat St. Bonaventure (H), hasn’t played VCU or Richmond
Richmond: Lost to St. Bonaventure (H), hasn’t played VCU or Saint Louis

The combination of KenPom rankings and head-to-head matchups makes Richmond a reasonable elimination. Of the remaining three squads, I think Saint Louis is the answer. The program’s covid-related pauses have created some challenges, but the Billikens’ talent level (Jordan Goodwin, Javonte Perkins, etc.) makes them the best bet moving forward.

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