Ranked by The University News Sports Desk.
1. Temple
Temple comes into the season as the only nationally-ranked member of the Atlantic 10, sitting at No. 22 on the AP Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. The Owls are also the three-time defending champions of the Atlantic 10 Championship crown, as they finished last year with a 29-6 record and a No. 12 national ranking. This year, the Owls return three starters: 6’9” senior forward Lavoy Allen, 6’4” junior guard Juan Fernandez and 6’11” junior forward Micheal Eric. Along with last year’s A-10 Sixth Man of the Year Ramone Moore, expect Temple to hold true as the favorite in conference play. Temple also littered the preseason honors in the A-10. Allen was named First Team All-Conference, as well as the All-Defensive Team. Fernandez was named Second Team All-Conference. The Owls also play an impressive non-conference schedule, including games against Georgetown, Villanova, California, Seton Hall and Maryland.
2. Xavier
The Musketeers lost a bona fide superstar when Jordan Crawford left for the NBA this summer. Senior Danté Jackson, junior Tu Holloway and sophomore Mark Lyons will need to compensate for the loss of Crawford. Last season, Holloway established himself as one of the top point guards in the conference and as one of the top free throw shooters in the country. “For us to be as good as we want to be, he has to embrace the responsibility and work that comes with those expectations,” head coach Chris Mack said. “I know he is ready for the challenge.” 6’9” Jason Love, who averaged 11.8 PPG and led the team in rebounds last year, will need to be replaced as well. 7-foot junior Kenny Frease was highly touted in high school, but has yet to dominate. Frease, senior Jamel McLean and 6’8” freshman Jordan Latham will have to score and contribute of the glass for the Muskies to be successful.
Scott Mueller – The Newswire (Xavier)
3. Richmond
Despite losing two starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, the Richmond Spiders (26-9, 13-3 Atlantic 10) are poised to duplicate their success under sixth-year coach Chris Mooney. Much of last years team returns, including the 2010 A-10 Player of the Year Kevin Anderson. For the first time in his career, he’ll be without guard David Gonzalez, who was second on the team in scoring. “[Gonzalez] could do a lot of things I could do, but since he’s bigger than me; the best defender was usually on him,” Anderson said. “So now they’re probably going to be on me, so it’s going to be tougher.” The biggest question will be how well the team plays against big men. The pressure will fall on freshman Derrick Williams and senior Dan Geriot. The Spiders non-conference schedule includes Georgia Tech, Arizona State, Seton Hall and a potential game against Purdue. With the returning talent, another 20-win season and NCAA berth is expected in Richmond.
Andrew Prezioso – The Collegian (Richmond)
4. Dayton
Last year’s team underperformed in Atlantic 10 Conference play, but defeated four consecutive major conference teams to win the National Invitational Tournament. This year, the team hopes to recover from the loss of seven graduated players in combining returning stars and young prospects. “We lost a lot of experience, a lot of wins, and a lot of guts of guys that had to fight through some tough times,” head coach Brian Gregory said. “But we still do have a lot of guys coming back. A group of guys are going to have to take on different roles and expanded roles, and some new guys are going to have to make an impact for us.” Leading the charge for the Flyers will be senior forward Chris Wright and junior forward Chris Johnson. The two led UD in both scoring and rebounds last season, and will have to set the bar high again in terms of their commitment to the team to get the attention of the newcomers.
Jacob Rosen – Flyer News (Dayton)
5. Saint Louis
The Bills finished last season with an 11-5 conference record last year, placing fourth in the regular season standings. SLU performed well against the league’s top teams, beating Dayton twice, including a double-overtime winner at home on Mardi Gras weekend. When Temple visited Chaifetz Arena, SLU stayed in the game from beginning to end, losing by just 6 points to the eventual conference champ. Xavier’s visit was also down to the wire, as SLU let a late lead slip and Xavier walked away with a 2-point win. SLU beat Rhode Island at home during the regular season, but lost to the Rams in the first round of the conference tournament. Other than Temple and Xavier, two of the Bills other three losses came in overtime (to George Washington and Charlotte on the road). This year, the Bills host the conference’s big names at home, including Dayton, Xavier and Rhode Island.
6. Rhode Island
It’s hard to know exactly what to expect from Rhode Island this year. The team was picked to finish fifth (ahead of the Billikens) in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll, taken of coaches and media members. But it’s a team full of good players – rather than one or two standout players. Senior forward Delroy James, standing 6’8”, has an impressive showing in last year’s NIT tournament, where Rhode Island made the final four. James was named to the NIT All Tournament team in March and was named Second Team All-Conference in the A-10’s preseason poll. But James will need support from other key players if Rhode Island will find their way into the bigger tournament this season, namely fellow senior Marquis Jones and sophomore forward Ryan Brooks. The Rhodies non-conference schedule opens with No. 4 Pittsburgh at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, and closes with a road game at No. 11 Florida.
7. Charlotte
After starting out 18-5 overall and 8-1 in Atlantic 10 play, the Niners lost seven of the last eight and missed postseason play all together, leading to the firing of long-time head coach Bobby Lutz and his staff. New head coach Alan Major has four returning starters to work with. 6’6” forward Shamari Spears (16 ppg, 5.9 rpg) leads the Charlotte attack alongside 6’9” sophomore forward Chris Braswell (9.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg). 6’6” senior An’Juan Wilderness is the third member of Charlotte’s returning frontcourt. 6’10” senior center Phil Jones led the team with 65 blocks last season and 6’9” Gokhan Sirin is comfortable from behind the arc with 44 of his 61 shot attempts coming from downtown. There is no doubt that Charlotte has one of the best front courts in the A-10, but with a new head coach and a point guard-by-committee system, this team still has a lot to work on. Charlotte’s non-conference schedule includes Georgia Tech, Oregon State and Tennessee.
John Carpenter – University Times (Charlotte)
8. Duquesne
For a team with just one senior last year, there was a lot of turnover on the Dukes roster this offseason. Besides watching senior guard Jason Duty graduate, the team lost third-leading scorer Melquan Bolding (transfer), as well as guard Chase Robinson (transfer), forward Oliver Lewinson (transfer) and center Morakinyo Williams (early graduation). This year, the Dukes hope that the seniors Bill Clark and Damian Saunders can help the Dukes back to the NIT or better. Saunders, recently named one of Sports Illustrated’s top 10 defenders in college basketball, is a nightly stat-sheet filler; he averaged a double-double (15 points, 11.3 rebounds) to go with 2.8 steals and 2.9 blocks a game. But the Dukes will also be counting on production from its five true freshman, particularly highly-touted prospects T.J. McConnell and Joel “Air Jamaica” Wright. Duquesne will lean heavily on guard B.J. Monteiro, who averaged 11 points last season.
Matt Kasznel – The Duquesne Duke (Duquesne)
9. George Washington
George Washington, which has enjoyed recent success and two trips to the NCAA Tournament, has recently been a program in decline. This year will likely be yet another building year for the Colonials, whose weak non-conference schedule provides them little opportunity to shake things up early. Their lone award-winner for the preseason was sophomore Lasan Kromah, who averaged 11.8 points per game and lead the Colonials in three-point shooting, and was named Third Team All Conference. Kromah was named to last year’s All-Rookie Team for the conference and posted an impressive six 20-plus point games during his freshman campaign. George Washington’s strengths come on the boards, both offensive and defensive, where they ranked No. 38 in the nation last year. But the Colonials will have to get contributions from juniors Tony Taylor and Aaron Ware if they look to improve on their ninth place ranking from last season.
10. Massachusetts
Despite losing top-scorer Ricky Harris to graduation, the Minutemen are an experienced and invested squad. “When the game’s on the line, they’re just not just going to give in and cave in because they’re invested in their own team and in themselves,” UMass head coach Derek Kellogg said. Kellogg, who enters his third year as head coach, knows that experience isn’t enough to win championships. With an invested squad that’s gaining experience, Kellogg can start to focus on other aspects of the game. “The guys are doing a good job of bringing energy everyday. Now, it’s about coaching and figuring out ways to win basketball games,” Kellogg said. Kellogg cited rebounding and defense as two examples of where UMass’ game needs to improve. “We need to get better defensively. We can’t not be in the top three or four in our league in field-goal percentage defense; we have to rebound the ball better.”
Herb Scribner – The Daily Collegian (UMass)
11. St. Joseph’s
The Hawks of Saint Joseph’s know they have a young team. But it’s a young team with lots of possibilities, even for this season. Two freshmen were named to the Conference All-Rookie Team: 6’9” forward C.J. Aiken and 6’2” guard Langston Galloway. But Aiken and Galloway’s inexperience will likely be countered by senior leadership, particularly from co-captains Idris Hilliard and Charoy Bentley. Hilliard, a 6’7” forward, is the team’s leading returning scorer, averaging 10.2 points per game last season. Bently, a 5’11” guard, has been the Hawks’ main sixth-man for three seasons. Saint Joseph’s non-conference schedule opens against Western Kentucky and includes an early December match against No. 6 Villanova. The Hawks will also take on Minnesota, Penn State and Creighton during the season. Head coach Phil Martelli has been at St. Joe’s for 16 seasons and has accumulated a 289-187 career record.
12. LaSalle
For the LaSalle Explorers, this will likely be a season of major improvement. Though the squad finished with a 4-12 conference record last season, expect the Explorers to work their way up the Atlantic 10 standings this year. Sophomore Aaric Murray, a 6’10” center who lead the team with 70 blocks, was named Third Team All-Conference and will be joined by returning seniors Ruben Guillandeaux and Jerrell Williams. Guillandeaux missed 26 games last year due to injury, but is healthy and ready to lead the squad in 2010-2011. LaSalle’s non-conference schedule includes a trip to Texas to take on No. 14 Baylor and a mid-December home game against No. 6 Villanova. Perhaps toughest for LaSalle was their draw of A-10 schedule, where they will have to face No. 22 Temple twice. With an increased strength of schedule and increased personnel, the Explorers look to return to the A-10 Tournament.
13. St. Bonaventure
For the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, the team’s success will likely revolve around just one player – center Andrew Nicholson, a First Team Preseason All-Conference and All-Defensive team selection. After averaging 16.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last season, the Canada native is without the help of forward Jonathan Hall due to graduation. Shoring up Nicholson in the starting lineup will be guards Ogo Adegboye and Michael Davenport. Adegboye played for Great Britian in the U10 World Championship tournament this summer. An even bigger question mark for the team is a lack of a solid presence at the forward position. While Nicholson will see some playing time as a forward, the group of redshirt junior Da’Quan Cook, sophomore Brett Roseboro and redshirt sophomore Marquise Simmons showed little signs of promise last season. One of the three will have to step up, but it is expected that Cook will start when the season begins.
Ryan Papaserge – The Bona Venture (SBU)
14. Fordham
The Fordham Rams suffered through one of the worst seasons in Atlantic 10 history last year, losing all 16 conference games. The team earned only two wins on the season, but looks to be in good position to add to their attack this season. Fordham does play a few challenging non-conference games, which will give the Rams a chance to prepare for the A-10 schedule. Fordham visits Georgia Tech in late December, hosts St. John’s earlier that month, and visits Lehigh in late November. The team will rely heavily on the play of sophomore forward Chris Gaston, who average 18 points per game. Gaston set a school record by scoring 504 points last season, the most of any freshman in Fordham’s history. He also grabbed 314 rebounds, the second most from a Fordham freshman. Gaston was the Rams only selection for preseason honors, as he was named Second Team All-Conference.
