Atlantic 10 Basketball: UMass, Duquesne surprises in latest power rankings

12. La Salle Explorers (4-4)

It’s been a fairly boring opening stretch for new coach Fran Dunphy and La Salle, losing to the four teams better than them on paper, while beating the four that are worse. But they were competitive in games against Wake Forest and Georgetown and are far from the laughingstock that they have been in the past.

Josh Nickelberry and Khalil Brantley lead the way for the Explorers with 13.0 ppg each, while the Drame brothers (Fousseyni and Hassan) are having an impact in the frontcourt. There isn’t a high ceiling with this unit but they’ll be feisty and are capable of knocking off a contender on a night no one is expecting. Home games against Bucknell and Drexel coming up and are winnable; going 2-0 would be another sign of improvement for them.

11. George Washington Colonials (5-3)

The last week was one step forward, one step back for the Colonials. They defeated South Carolina by 24 points at home, followed by giving up 86 points on the road in a 10-point loss to Radford. They haven’t made any other notable statements and don’t face a tough opponent until Washington State to end non-con play.

As expected, seniors James Bishop and Brendan Adams provide more than half of the total offensive production, averaging 22.3 ppg/5.4 apg and 17.4 ppg/3.1 apg respectively. Forward Ricky Lindo is just under double figures in the frontcourt, while Kansas State transfer Maximus Edwards is having an impact on the wings. This team can be explosive on offense but like St. Joe’s, leaves a bit to be inspired on defense.