Atlantic 10 Basketball: Dayton, VCU rises in latest 2021-22 power rankings

8. UMass Minutemen (6-3)

The Minutemen have at times looked highly impressive, including a pair of wins against Penn State and Rutgers, while also getting blown out by Yale and losing to Ball State as well. It’s very easy to describe this team as an elite offensive unit while also being awful on defense, with six games of at least 80 points given up.

This team has plenty of quality guard play, led by leading scorer Noah Fernandes (16.0 ppg and 4.9 apg), along with Boston College transfer guard Rich Kelly (11.3 ppg and 4.1 apg). They’re two of five double-digit scorers on the roster, with forward Trent Buttrick (13.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg) providing the only real size in the rotation while Michael Steadman just recently got back after dealing with an injury. UMass may have the best offense in the A-10 but they also currently have the worst defense too, which sets them up as a middle-of-the-pack team.

7. VCU Rams (4-4)

VCU is the complete opposite of UMass in that they have the best defense in the A-10 but potentially the worst offense as well, as injuries have limited their capabilities in the backcourt. But the good news is that the two “bad” losses (Wagner and Chatanooga) have looked a lot better at this point, along with Baylor and UConn.

Senior Vince Williams (11.6 ppg and 3.0 apg) is the lone double-digit scorer on the roster but the Rams have gotten a nice surprise from true freshman Jayden Nunn, second on the team with 9.4 ppg and had 21 points against UConn. Once Ace Baldwin comes back around the time league play starts, he’ll be a needed boost on both ends.