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

8. Saint Joseph’s Hawks – 8-8 (2-3)

At the start of league play, the Hawks made a big statement early on, beating Richmond on the road by a whopping 27 points. All five starters scored at least 13 points, led by 18 points from Taylor Funk and 13 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists from all-around playmaker Jordan Hall.

It looked as if Saint Joe’s would be a threat in the Atlantic 10 but the momentum quickly evaporated, losing three straight games. Losses to Davidson and Rhode Island were understandable but losing at home by 11 points to La Salle wasn’t.

The good news is that the Hawks were able to end the losing skid to George Washington, beating them at home, 75-64. The frontcourt dominated for them, led by 22 points and 10 rebounds from Funk and 16 points and 12 rebounds from Ejike Obinna.

The offense remains solid for Saint Joe’s but the defense will determine how many wins they get. If they give up fewer than 70 points they can win but they’re 0-3 when allowing 75 points or more in league play. This team has shown that they can beat anyone but can also lose to anymore, which makes their upcoming games against VCU, George Mason, and Duquesne very interesting.