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

6. Rhode Island Rams (6-3)

For a team that has played a lot of games away from home, Rhode Island has held up nicely, including a pair of wins against Boston College that looks better after they destroyed Notre Dame last week. They have no bad losses and have been competitive overall, despite not having a star scorer as they had in the past with Fatts Russell.

Jeremy Sheppard leads the team in scoring with 11.3 ppg, along with 3.3 apg. But this team is all about balance, with seven players averaging at least 8.0 ppg. That includes the twin bigs, Makhi and Makhel Mitchell in the frontcourt. While the lack of starpower may limit their potential in league play against the very best teams, the depth gives them a big advantage over the rest.

5. Davidson Wildcats (6-2)

The Wildcats are in the midst of a five-game winning streak that includes victories over Charlotte and East Carolina. Even without long-time star scorer Kellan Grady, this team still has one of the best players in the conference in Hyunjung Lee (18.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg), coming off a career-high 32 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Charlotte.

The supporting cast is also playing well, including Michigan State transfer Foster Loyer (12.1 ppg), and starting big man Luka Brajkovic (12.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg). What’s interesting about this team is that no one averages more than 2.6 apg but all five starters each puts up over 2.0 apg. That kind of balance has its pros and cons but for now, it looks like it’s working.