The first day for the 2026-27 college basketball season has completed, with 11 of 14 teams in Atlantic 10 Basketball playing a game. Overall, eight of them won a game, with La Salle (Houston), and Fordham (Kansas) getting blown out by top-tier teams from the Big 12.
But there was one more loss, a clear bad result for the league. Here’s a look at the biggest overall takeaways out of the A-10 on opening night.
1. Bad start for the Mike MacDonald era
St. Bonaventure was the other team to fall, losing 79-71 at home to Youngstown State. This isn’t the Jerrod Calhoun-coached Penguins, with them being picked to finish in the bottom-tier of the Horizon League. They did get 28 points from senior guard Zach Philipkoski but for the team picked to finish at the bottom of the A-10, this was confirmation.
2. Davidson gets most impressive win
Of all the teams in the A-10, the team that was most likely to lose outside of Fordham and La Salle was Davison, playing Washington State of the Pac-12 on the road. But the Wildcats controlled the game from start to finish, coasting to a 76-61 away victory. Returning guard Sam Brown had 22 points, while St. Thomas transfer Nick Janowski chipped in with 21. Davidson was the biggest team winner out of the league on opening night.
3. Aiden Derkack may already be Dayton’s best player
The Flyers coasted to an 89-58 win over NJIT. Two players stood out, including Amal L’Etang going for 20 points and 11 rebounds, while former top-60 prospect Derkack led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Considering the preseason he had, this isn’t surprising at all. But it’s confirmation that he’s going to have a larger role in the offense and for Dayton to be a contender in the Atlantic 10, they’ll need this version of Derkack consistently.
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