Atlantic 10 Basketball: Bonnies on top heading into conference tournament
10. Rhode Island Rams
- 2020-21 record: 10-14 overall, 7-10 A-10
- Previous ranking: 9th
The Rams are in a similar boat as La Salle, in that they are a team with remarkable wins – including over St. Bonaventure and VCU – but have faltered mightily down the stretch. Since winning back-to-back games on January 24th and 27th, URI has now dropped six of its last seven games.
Some of those losses were not awful, by any means – they lost by just one to VCU and dropped a single-digit tilt at Saint Louis. But the Rams have suffered double-digit setbacks at Dayton, UMass, and Duquesne – and have an eight-point loss at George Washington, a team that had not played in a month, under their belt.
The lone win was notably impressive, however, with URI overcoming an 18-point deficit with just 10 minutes left to topple Dayton in double overtime, 91-89. All five starters reached double-figures in the game, combining for 81 of those 91 points – and with star point guard Fatts Russell posting a line of 20 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and four steals.
As if by some bizarre fate, URI and the Flyers will meet once more in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, with the Rams securing the 10th-seed. Rhode Island is by no means a team to be sleeping on in the tourney, either – with a win over Dayton, they will have a rematch with a VCU team that URI has already beaten once and lost to by a single point just last month.