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

6. Saint Louis Billikens – 11-6 (2-2)

Even without star guard Javonte Perkins for the season, Saint Louis proved that it had more than enough talent on the roster to remain more than competitive in the league. Even before the start of Atlantic 10 Basketball play, the Billikens nearly defeated the Auburn Tigers in December, who is now the No. 2 team in the country.

League play started out well for them, beating Richmond at home by seven points. And after multiple postponed games, the Billikens got the opportunity to play Iona at home and beat them in the last seconds to get a quality win against a team still unbeaten in the MAAC. But the winning streak didn’t extend past Dayton on the road, falling by just five points.

Saint Louis defeated Fordham by 18 points at home last week but suffered a road setback on Thursday at UMass, 91-85. Leading scorer Gibson Jimmerson had 23 points, while Fred Thatch Jr. had 20 off the bench. It was a rare defensive letdown for the Billikens so far in league play.

Saint Louis gets UMass at home in an attempt at revenge, followed up by games against George Mason, George Washington, and Duquesne. It’s an attempt at making a run up the conference standings but if they have any hope of an at-large bid, they’ll need to avoid a loss in the next 10 days.