Atlantic 10 Basketball: George Mason, Fordham rise in latest power rankings

#10. Loyola Chicago (5-5)

Loyola is a strong candidate to keep moving up these rankings as the season progresses. They started the season horribly, going 2-4 over their first six while receiving a couple of drubbings (at the hands of merely-decent teams) in the process. They’ve since found a little bit of rhythm, winning three of their last four including a statement win over Clemson on neutral ground. That wasn’t enough to convince me that they’re “here,” but it was enough to at least bring them out of the bottom 5 of a bad A10.

They still turn the ball over far too often (360th in the nation for turnover %), but a lot of those are self-inflicted wounds. With so many new faces, I like the Ramblers to keep getting better and better with more reps. The defensive energy and pure talent on offense are too tantalizing to imagine them being down here for long.

#9. Duquesne (7-3)

The Dukes got off to one of the most surprising starts in the country (relative to preseason expectations) by winning seven of their first eight contests. They’ve since cooled off and lost their last two to Marshall and New Mexico State, but they’ve proven that there is a top-seven level of juice on this roster if they can find some consistency.

Dae Dae Grant is one of the better scorers in the conference, and while the top end firepower besides him isn’t world-beating, there is a level of depth and parity on the roster that gives the Dukes a solid floor. The next two games against DePaul and Indiana State – both tough but beatable squads – will tell us a lot about this team.