Last season, the VCU Rams and George Mason Patriots dominated the Atlantic 10 regular season, each with a 15-3 record. While they met up in the conference tournament championship, it was the Rams that won the autobid to the Big Dance for the conference.
It ended up being the lone bid for the A-10, viewed as a down year collectively overall. However, there are hopes that the 2025-26 campaign will be better, with several teams viewed as top-100 nationally. Which programs are the ones to beat, and who will be bringing up the rear? Here’s a closer look at the Atlantic 10 before the season starts.
14. Fordham Rams
2024-25: 12-21 (3-15)
Coach Mike Magpayo comes over from UC Riverside with a complete rebuilding job on his hands. While he does have a couple of notable pieces, including Dejour Reaves (17.5 ppg at Iona) and Zarique Nutter (14.2 ppg and 7.3 rpg at Georgia State), there’s both a lack of frontcourt depth and proven production at this level of basketball. The Rams will need these two to stand out just to avoid the bottom of the A-10.
13. La Salle Explorers
2024-25: 14-19 (5-13)
Darris Nichols comes over from Radford, also in another complete rebuild. There’s a solid level of depth, including newcomers, Truth Harris, Noah Collier, and Jerome Brewer Jr. But while there may be depth, there’s an apparent lack of starpower on this roster, and the offense could struggle at times. But they can be a thorn in teams’ sides on defense.
12. Richmond Spiders
2024-25: 10-22 (5-13)
The season-ending injury to last year’s lead scorer, Delonnie Hunt, hurt the Spiders badly, but Mikkel Tyne stepped up in his absence. He should be Richmond’s go-to guy again, while senior center Mike Walz is a breakout candidate as the next skilled Spider big man. Where the rest of the offense comes from is the question for the team.
11. Rhode Island Rams
2024-25: 18-13 (7-11)
In what’s set up to be a crucial year for Coach Archie Miller, Rhode Island’s roster has done a 180, looking much better on defense with the additions of Keeyan Itejere (Northern Kentucky) and Tyler Cochran (Minnesota). Point guard Myles Corey (13.8 ppg and 4.3 apg at South Alabama) needs to be a key offensive contributor for the Rams to have enough offense, but they should at least be more balanced this time around.
10. Davidson Wildcats
2024-25: 17-16 (6-12)
All three double-digit scorers from last season are gone for the Wildcats. One forward who is back is Sean Logan, who missed most of last year but is projected to be the focal point of the frontcourt. Three guard transfers need to be impact players, including Sam Brown (Penn), Josh Scovens (Army), and Parker Friedrichson (Wake Forest). The offense for the Wildcats should be fine if Scovens and Brown’s shooting translates, but the defense and overall frontcourt depth are potential issues.
9. St. Joe’s Hawks
2024-25: 22-13 (11-7)
After Coach Billy Lange’s shocking move to leave the Hawks for the NBA not too long ago, the program is relying on former Penn HC Steve Donahue to keep them competitive. While St. Joe’s did lose all three all-league players, they do bring back key rotation pieces such as Justic Ajobor, Anthony Finkley, and Derek Simpson. Two newcomer guards to watch include former top-100 prospect and St. John’s transfer Jaiden Glover, along with last year’s A-10 Rookie of the Year Deuce Jones, who averaged 12.5 ppg at La Salle. There’s still a good amount of talent, but the recent changes may have done them more harm than good.
8. St. Bonaventure Bonnies
2024-25: 22-12 (9-9)
While the top five scorers are gone from last year, the Bonnies do bring back Dasonte Bowen, who averaged 11.1 ppg and 4.2 apg in 10 games before getting hurt. Among the newcomers to watch are Darryl Simmons (17.4 ppg at Gardner-Webb), Amar’e Marshall (14 ppg at Albany), and Frank Mitchell, a big man from Minnesota who is one of the better rebounders when on the floor. The ceiling for St. Bonaventure could be higher than expected if any of the international newcomer freshmen have an impact on the rotation.
7. George Mason Patriots
2024-25: 27-9 (15-3)
The Patriots lost almost everyone from their co-regular-season title squad from last year. But starting point guard Brayden O’Connor (9.1 ppg and 3.0 apg) is back to run the offense. Among the notable incoming transfers are Dola Adebayo (13.2 ppg and 6.9 rpg at Mount St. Mary’s), Masai Troutman (13.5 ppg at Northeastern), and Kory Mincy (15 ppg and 4.4 apg at Presbyterian). It’s a group that’s unproven, but after Coach Tony Skinn’s great past year, he and George Mason get the benefit of the doubt for another top-half finish.
6. Duquesne Dukes
2024-25: 13-19 (8-10)
The Dukes bring back more rotation players from last year than any other Atlantic 10 team, including starters Jakub Necas and Cam Crawford. Duquesne also landed two notable transfer guards in Jimmie Williams (7.5 ppg at South Florida) and Tarence Guinyard (16.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg at UT-Martin) as projected starters, along with John Hugley, who has spent time at Pitt, Oklahoma, and Xavier and is looking to recapture the all-league level he was at three years ago. The Dukes will need to find a way to have all these pieces gel together, but there’s potential, based on a road exhibition win over Virginia Tech.
5. George Washington Revolutionaries
2024-25: 21-13 (9-9)
GW looks to build off a strong past season, led by returning star big man, Rafael Castro (14 ppg and 8.9 rpg). Key guards Christian Jones and Trey Autry are also back, while adding Duquesne’s leading scorer from last year, Tre Dinkins (12.9 ppg). A key x-factor to watch is 6’8 forward Garrett Johnson, who produced 13.4 ppg on 40% 3PT as a freshman but missed all of last year with an injury. His return and the guard depth make GW a legit contender on paper.
4. Loyola Chicago Ramblers
2024-25: 25-12 (12-6)
Two important players are back for the Ramblers, including starting center Miles Rubin. PG Justin Moore (7.7 ppg and 5.3 apg) played just nine games a year ago but looked like one of the better playmakers in the A-10 when healthy. There are also several key transfers to watch, including Deywilk Tavarez (12.9 ppg at Charleston) and three former high-major players in Dom Harris (UCLA), Xavier Amos (Wisconsin), and Joshua Ola-Joseph (Cal). The defense should remain as one of the best in the conference, but if the offense is smoother, which Moore should help with, then Loyola will be in contention.
3. Dayton Flyers
2024-25: 23-11 (12-6)
Dayton is another team that brought back its key big man, Amael L’Etang (7.1 ppg and 4.3 rpg), along with starting point guard Javon Bennett. Even with Iona transfer guard Adam Njie Jr. being held out for now, the Flyers still have a quality incoming transfer class. Keonte Jones (13.1 ppg and 9.0 rpg at Cal State Northridge) is one of the top newcomers in the entire A-10, while De’Shayne Montgomery (Georgia) and former NEC Player of the Year Jordan Derkack (Rutgers) look to bounce back after struggling at their new stops a year ago. Depth could be an issue long-term if Njie isn’t available, but Dayton has plenty of high-end talent to work with.
2. VCU Rams
2024-25: 28-7 (15-3)
The Rams have had a lot of changes this offseason, losing most of their players and head coach to the Virginia job. In comes Phil Martelli, who led Bryant to the NCAA Tournament last year, and he brings multiple players, including Barry Evans (13.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg). Other notable newcomers to watch are Tyrell Ward (LSU), Jadrian Tracey (Oregon), and former top-100 prospect Ahmad Nowell (UConn). The combination of depth and talent should keep VCU a top-tier team in the Atlantic 10, but this new group could face some growing pains.
1. Saint Louis Billikens
2024-25: 19-15 (11-7)
The individual favorite for Player of the Year is Robbie Avila, the returning senior center who averaged 17.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 4.0 apg last season. While the other two star Billikens are gone, the team does add several notable transfers. The biggest names are Paul Otieno (13 ppg and 8.6 rpg at Quinnipiac), Dion Brown (7.5 ppg at Boston College), and two Big East transfers and former top-100 prospects in Brady Dunlap (St. John’s) and Trey Green (Xavier).
Saint Louis should have arguably the best offense in the A-10, led by Avila. But the defense, which was a glaring issue at times, should also show noticeable improvement. There are certainly other contenders to watch, but on paper, the Billikens get the nod for the preseason No. 1 spot.