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Atlantic 10 Basketball: 5 key questions and storylines for 2021-22 season

By Tristan Freeman

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: The Atlantic 10 logo on the court before the game between the George Washington Colonials and the Richmond Spiders at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on January 15, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: The Atlantic 10 logo on the court before the game between the George Washington Colonials and the Richmond Spiders at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on January 15, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Atlantic 10 Basketball Richmond Spiders guard Nick Sherod Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Atlantic 10 Basketball Richmond Spiders guard Nick Sherod Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /

It was a solid season overall for Atlantic 10 Basketball, despite all of the conditions and circumstances that were in their way. The league hopes to remain a multi-bid league in 2021-22 as well, with multiple teams looking very strong thanks to the NCAA giving players an extra year of eligibility.

The rosters are looking strong in the A-10 but there are plenty of questions for a league trying to stay strong as arguably the best “mid-major” conference in the country. To help answer some potential questions are a few contributors for Busting Brackets that are connected to the Atlantic 10. Here are the three writers participating and their social media handles to continue following their work for the upcoming season.

Adam Bernstein – @AdamBernstein18

Carter Chapley – @ChapleyMedia

Tyler Cronin – @tcrons21, @3BidLeaguePod

1. Will Richmond be better or worse after switching Blake Francis for Nick Sherod?

Bernstein

I believe Richmond will finish as a top-three team in the conference this season. I believe that Nick Sherod makes the Spiders better because two seasons ago when he was healthy, he shot 43.8 percent from three-point range which was the 10th-best mark in Division I. He is also one of six players returning to this lineup for an extra year of eligibility which adds to their veteran presence and only makes Richmond better.

Chapley

I’m going to go with worse if having to decide between the two options. The two players are obviously both very talented and would be an asset to any team, but a.) if having to choose between the two I’d go Francis and b.) It’s very hard to know what exactly you’re getting from Nick Sherod, who is now coming off his second torn ACL. If he comes back and is anything close to his peak potential, the Spiders will be on to something…but until then you just can’t know.

Cronin

Sherod (43.8% 3 pt shooting in 2019-20) is a perfect fit next to two nationally elite passers in Grant Golden and Jacob Gilyard, especially compared to Francis, who often seemed to be playing a different system. But Francis provided critical isolation scoring the rest of the roster failed to give, so it comes down to whether Tyler Burton can take some of those responsibilities. Burton showed the potential in his late-season back-to-back 18 point performances vs Duquesne and Toledo and I believe he’s primed for a breakout, so yes, the Spiders will be better.

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