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

By Tristan Freeman

Nov 26, 2021; Orlando, FL, USA; Dayton Flyers forward Daron Holmes II (15) passes the ball against Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at HP Fieldhouse Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2021; Orlando, FL, USA; Dayton Flyers forward Daron Holmes II (15) passes the ball against Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at HP Fieldhouse Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports /
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Atlantic 10 Basketball Anwar Gill La Salle Explorers (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
Atlantic 10 Basketball Anwar Gill La Salle Explorers (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /

13. La Salle Explorers – 6-9 (1-4)

If you can give a team credit for being competitive, then some would be given to the Explorers so far in league play. They were in a rock fight with Fordham to start out league play, before losing to VCU at home. La Salle nearly pulled off the biggest upset in A-10 play this season, taking St. Bonaventure to overtime before falling there as well.

But La Salle finally did get on the board in the A-10, winning at St. Joseph’s, 75-64. Jack Clark had 21 points to lead all scorers, while Josh Nickleberry had 19 off the bench. And the Explorers nearly got another victory this week against Rhode Island on the road. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to hold onto a late lead and fell, 56-54 in a defensive slugfest. Only Clark was in double figures for the team with 10 points, the Explorers overall shooting 38% from the field and turning the ball over 20 times.

La Salle just doesn’t have the firepower to outrun most A-10 teams, with Nickleberry leading the team with 12.8 ppg on the season. But they’ve been very tough on the defensive end and have only one double-digit loss in league play. The Explorers are hoping for some late-game luck coming up in matchups against Richmond and UMass at home.

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