NCAA Basketball Roundtable: Worst Big 12 team, Jabari Smith No. 1 pick?
Things have taken a turn in NCAA Basketball, with a number of games being paused as we head towards holiday break and for some, the start of conference play. But the hope is that things will get better overall for the rest of the 2021-22 campaign.
We still can reflect on what’s happened so far in the non-conference play, including some interesting teams and players of note. That’s what we’ll be doing for this roundtable, featuring some of our best contributors. Here are their answers to my five questions.
Bryan Mauro – @threecolorbeard
Jason Burgess – @Collegehoopsguy
Matt Melton – @matt_melton20
Karl Heiser – @karlheiser17
Benjamin Zacher -@beezacher
1. Who is the best team in the Atlantic 10 right now?
Mauro
On December 21, 2021, the best team in the Atlantic 10 is still Saint Bonaventure. They still have the best team and the most talent in the league. They were learning how to adjust without playing with their star in point guard Kyle Lofton. Lofton is back now so the Bonnie’s are going to be just fine. It is all going to be about effort for the Bonnie’s. If they are engaged and playing together they are the best team in the Atlantic 10 by a wide margin.
Burgess
I’ll take Rhode Island. The Rams, led by Jeremy Sheppard and the Mitchell twins have been very good. Offensively they are shooting over 49% from the field and have given up 70 or more just once this season. The A-10 will be tight all year, but Rhode Island is the best team in the conference right now.
Melton
While the gap between the Top 1-5 is slim, I’ll say it’s Davidson. Led by star guard Hyunjung Lee, the Wildcats are one of the best offensive teams in the conference and carry their impressive three-point shooting into a contest against Alabama on Tuesday night, one where Davidson could easily pull off the upset.
Heiser
You know I’m as big of a Bonnies fan as the next guy, but they have been a flat-out disappointment this year. Their depth is a disaster and they have proven thus far to be incapable of beating any team that is close to good. UConn? Double-digit loss. Virginia Tech? Absolutely slaughtered. For all the hype they got entering the year, they should not have been down at halftime to Canisius or down double-digits to Clemson at half either.
Anyway, I would say the best A10 team right now is Richmond. Davidson has been good as well but I’ve been a little more impressed with Richmond thus far. The Spiders haven’t been consistently awesome, but they are on a five-game winning streak and Davidson hasn’t played anyone.
Zacher
The A-10 is nothing short of an enigma. Saint Louis’ near-upset of Auburn may be the most impressive effort an A-10 team has put on as of late, while Richmond probably has the best-looking wins on their resume, between N.C. State and Hofstra, without having too bad of blemishes in who they’ve lost to. I would still be high on St. Bonaventure even with the losses to Northern Iowa and UConn, but I don’t think any words can convey just how disappointing the Bonnies were in their blowout loss to Virginia Tech.
That leaves Davidson, who hasn’t really beaten anyone of note outside of East Carolina – but, with the exception of ECU, Bob McKillop’s crew has defeated seven other foes by double-digits. The Wildcats are among the best offensive teams in the nation, and they’re shooting nearly 42% from outside the arc.
They haven’t suffered a misstep with Kellan Grady gone, and Michigan State transfer Foster Loyer is getting hot at the right time. Tuesday’s game with Alabama is massive, and I think the Wildcats genuinely have the potential to make a statement and assert themselves as the new frontrunner in the A-10.