Atlantic 10 Basketball: Davidson rises, St. Bonaventure falls in latest power rankings

4. Saint Louis Billikens (8-4)

The Billikens have lost three of four games but none of them were egregious. In fact, they were leading No. 11 Auburn last week for a fair amount. But it showed that they were missing star guard Javonte Perkins as someone who can close the deal for them. That’s not to say that Gibson Jimerson hasn’t been really good, leading the team with 16.3 ppg.

The supporting cast has been solid for the most part, with five guys averaging between 8.7-10.1 ppg. But the problem is that point guard Yuri Collins, who leads the country in assists at 7.9 apg, also is tied for second on the team in scoring. Saint Louis will need more from Jordan Nesbitt and  Terrence Hargrove in league play if they want to compete for a regular-season title.

3. St. Bonaventure Bonnies (8-3)

The Bonnies ended their non-conference campaign with back-to-back losses to both UConn and Virginia Tech. But it was the way they lost to the Hokies that was most concerning, falling by double-digits within seconds it felt like before losing by a whopping 38 points. Slow starts have been the norm for this senior-laden team, along with playing mainly their starting lineup for 35+ minutes each game.

Jaren Holmes and Kyle Lofton continue to lead the team on offense, with Holmes looking like a potential Atlantic 10 Basketball Player of the Year candidate. But St. Bonaventure has lost being the automatic team to beat because despite having the seniors, their inconsistent play has become a pattern. They have the most talent but at some point, they have to start showing it for 40 minutes, especially now that they’ll be playing true road games.