Atlantic 10 Basketball power rankings: UMass tumbles while Dayton soars up

2. Dayton Flyers – 12-6 (4-1)

After an 8-5 non-conference performance that saw just as many ups as it did downs, it was expected that the freshmen-heavy Flyers would do the same thing in A-10 play. However, while this team is young, they’re still immensely talented, evident by the previous win over Kansas in the ESPN Events Invitational.

And now it’s showing on a consistent basis. After losing to VCU by just one point in the A-10 opener, Dayton has since won four straight. That includes dominant road wins over George Washington and Duquesne, along with home victories over Saint Louis and St. Bonaventure, the ladder in which was by a margin of 68-50.

While the offensive production has been spread overall, freshman big man DaRon Holmes has emerged as the go-to guy on offense. He’s produced his two best games of the season with 18 points against Duquesne and 20 versus St. Bonaventure on a combined 19/24 shooting. He’s averaging a team-high 14.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg through five games in conference play.

The supporting cast has been playing great on both ends as well, including guards Kobe Elvis and Malachi Smith. If the defense continues to play this well, with matchups against George Mason and Fordham coming up, then we’ll have to seriously consider the Flyers as a contender to win the league.