Around the A10: Buy, Sell, or Hold for Atlantic 10 Teams Prior to Conference Play

Stock up/down for Atlantic 10 teams one month in to the 2023-24 CBB season

Let’s take a look at where each A10 team stands entering December. | Atlantic 10 Conference

Welcome back to Around the A10!

This article is dedicated to an overall assessment of all the A10’s member institutions through the first month of the season. Here, we’ll talk about each team’s overall record, key players, and some stats to support our claim as to whether or not each program offers a worthwhile investment.

This is the A10 Stock Report. Who’s hot? Who’s not? Check below to find out:

George Washington (6-1): Buy

George Washington looks like they’ll be a force in the Atlantic 10 this year. | GWU Athletics

Wins: 11/6 vs. Stonehill (89-44), 11/11 vs. William & Mary (95-89), 11/14 vs. Hofstra (71-60), 11/18 vs. New Hampshire (79-67), 11/24 vs. Ohio (99-94, 2OT), 11/26 vs. Delaware (81-71)

Losses: 11/25 vs. Illinois-Chicago (89-79)

The Revolutionaries lead the conference in overall wins and boast an elite offense, ranking 69th in the NCAA in effective field goal percentage (53.8%; NCAA D-I average is currently 49.9%), and 34th in PPG, averaging 84.7 points a night through seven games. Chris Caputo has gotten everything he could ask for and then some from his team’s core, with James Bishop IV (team-high 20.9 PPG, 5.1 APG in 2023-24), reigning A10 ROTY Max Edwards (16.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG), current frontrunner for the conference’s ROTY in Garrett Johnson (15 PPG, 7 RPG), and Virginia Tech transfer Darren Buchanan Jr. (13.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG) pacing George Washington’s offensive outputs. Even if the offense tapers a little bit, there’s no denying this team is well-equipped for a shootout- and nowadays, that’s a good problem to have.

George Mason (5-1): Buy

Keyshawn Hall (4) is playing like an All-American for a really good George Mason team. | GMU Athletics

Wins: 11/6 vs. Monmouth (72-61), 11/10 vs. Austin Peay (67-45), 11/15 vs. Cornell (90-83), 11/20 vs. South Dakota State (73-71), 11/25 vs. East Carolina (81-59)

Losses: 11/19 vs. Charlotte (54-49)

Outside of a loss last week to a really feisty Charlotte team, it’s been a picture-perfect return to his alma mater for Tony Skinn. The man in charge of the Patriots has his group playing sound basketball, as GMU ranks 77th in all of Division I in terms of effective field goal percentage (eFG%) at 53.5%, and is 44th in eFG% allowed, with opponents holding just a 44.5% mark. UNLV transfer Keyshawn Hall (17.7 PPG, 10.8 RPG) leads the way, while former UNC-Wilmington forward Amari Kelly (12.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG) and ex-Virginia Tech guard Darius Maddox (12.3 PPG) have also made their presence known. There have not been many challenges yet for George Mason- their toughest test will be versus Tennessee December 5th- but I like what I see from the group thus far.

Richmond (4-2): Hold (Leaning Buy)

Chris Mooney and company could be in for a rough stretch without starter DeLonnie Hunt. | Richmond Athletics

Wins: 11/6 vs. VMI (93-75), 11/11 vs. Sienna (90-48), 11/21 vs. UNLV (82-65), 11/25 vs. Queens (90-61)

Losses: 11/15 vs. Boston College (68-61), 11/20 vs. Colorado (64-59)

Richmond has upped the score against inferior opponents yet struggled against Power 5 competition in the early going. It’s a small sample size (if you can even call it a sample size to begin with), but averaging 88.8 points per game in wins as opposed to 66 points per game in losses is quite the disparity. Offensively, the Spiders rank 20th in the NCAA in eFG% at 57.2 percent while shooting 57.6% from two (D-I average is 50.2%) and 37.6% from three (again, the average being 32.9%). ETSU transfer Jordan King (20.3 PPG) and returning big man Neal Quinn (14.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.2 APG) have been huge for the Spiders thus far, but losing a starter in DeLonnie Hunt for 6-8 weeks with a left wrist fracture could throw a wrench in head coach Chris Mooney’s plans. Before buying in, I want to see how this team operates without Hunt- and how they fare against Power 5 competition moving forward.

Massachusetts (3-1): Hold

Matt Cross (33) has been excellent for Massachusetts in the early going. | UMass Athletics

Wins: 11/7 vs. Albany (92-71), 11/13 vs. Quinnipiac (102-81), 11/22 vs. Central Connecticut (89-60)

Losses: 11/17 vs. Harvard (78-75)

The Minutemen are in a far better position than they were a year ago, but that still doesn’t mean I’m too keen on them- at least not yet. I love the frontcourt pairing of Matt Cross (18.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG) and St. Francis (PAP) transfer Josh Cohen (18 PPG, 7.5 RPG). Guys such as Rahsool Diggins (13 PPG), Daniel Hankins-Sandford (9 PPG), Jaylen Curry (8.5 PPG), and Keon Thompson (7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.8 APG), and others help round out a healthy core. The Minutemen boast an eFG% of 54.6% (44th in the NCAA) in the early season; they were at 46.4% for the year last season (333rd in Division I). Thanks to the addition of Cohen, the inside scoring has improved considerably: Massachusetts is currently shooting 54.6% from two-point range, 63rd in the nation, and much better than last year, when they were 45.2% from inside the arc and 340th overall. Despite these offensive improvements, I can’t say I’ve seen enough of UMass yet, making them a tough buy right now.

Rhode Island (5-2): Hold

Archie Miller’s group has been better in Year 2, but it’s too early to tell what their ceiling is. URI Athletics

Wins: 11/6 vs. Central Connecticut (81-70), 11/9 vs. Fairfield (93-80), 11/14 vs. Wagner (69-53), 11/22 vs. Johnson and Wales (97-59), 11/26 vs. Yale (76-72)

Losses: 11/18 vs. Northwestern (72-61), 11/19 vs. Washington State (78-57)

We might’ve been trending toward “sell” territory had the Rams not pulled off a massive 18-point comeback against Yale on Sunday. However, because the Rams overcame what looked to be an insurmountable deficit against a great team, I’ll make an exception and jump back on the fence. Much like UMass, things are certainly better for Rhody this year than they were a season prior, as evident by the team’s 3-0 start (it took them ten games to reach the three-win mark in 2022-23). Things went downhill after they utterly outplayed by both Northwestern and Washington State in back-to-back days during a weekend trip to Mohegan Sun to partake in the Hall of Fame Hoops Classic, and a win over D-III Johnson and Wales before the Thanksgiving break did little to inspire confidence. That’s why a comeback win over an Ivy League darling is so big- and if they can go on the road this Saturday to pull off a win over in-state rival Providence (6-1), then it may be time to buy in.

St. Bonaventure (4-2): Hold (Leaning Sell)

St. Bonaventure could figure things out… or not. | NY Post

Wins: 11/6 vs. Longwood (73-69), 11/16 vs. Oklahoma State (66-64), 11/22 vs. Bucknell (67-61), 11/25 vs. Miami- Ohio (90-60)

Losses: 11/11 vs. Canisius (70-67), 11/17 vs. Auburn (77-60)

I never thought we’d be talking about selling 2023-24 St. Bonaventure stock, but it’s approaching that point. Sure, they have a quality early-season win over Oklahoma State under their belt, but they got absolutely boat raced by Auburn (granted, they’re a fantastic team- but the Bonnies weren’t remotely competitive in the game), and suffered a backbreaking buy game loss to a Canisius which should’ve been an easy win. For a team that added a trio of transfers- Charles Pride (Bryant), Mika Adams-Woods (Cincinnati), and Noel Brown (George Washington)- to a sound returning core including Chad Venning, Daryl Banks, Moses Flowers, Kyrell Luc, Barry Evans, and Assa Essamvous, there shouldn’t be a bad loss to Canisius and close wins against underwhelming opponents such as Longwood and Bucknell at this point. I won’t lose hope yet- but I expected more from this group.

Loyola-Chicago (4-3): Hold

Drew Valentine reloaded this offseason; will it pay dividends is the question. | Loyola-Chicago Athletics

Wins: 11/11 vs. Eastern Illinois (89-65), 11/18 vs. New Orleans (73-70), 11/28 vs. Boston College (71-68), 11/28 vs. Chicago State (62-53)

Losses: 11/8 vs. Florida Atlantic (75-63), 11/14 vs. Illinois-Chicago (72-67), 11/22 vs. Creighton

Is the verdict not yet being out for another A10 team? Impossible! Except, it’s really not. Like so many teams in the conference, it’s too early to tell with the Ramblers. They joined the conference last season, finishing dead last in league play with a 4-14 record versus A10 foes. Head coach Drew Valentine responded by adding numerous transfers- including Dame Adelekun (Dartmouth), Greg Dolan (Cornell), Desmond Watson (Davidson), and Patrick Mwamba (Oral Roberts)- to a returning core featuring Phillip Alston, Tom Welch, Sheldon Edwards, Braden Norris. Ben Schweiger, and others. The move hasn’t panned out yet. Sure, two of Loyola's three losses thus far are to elite teams in Creighton and Florida Atlantic, and a neutral site win over Boston College is nice. But their other wins are against poor opponents, and while there is no shame in losing to UIC (mind you, they handed George Washington their only loss so far), I’d like to see more from this team before I pass judgment.

VCU (4-3): Buy

Ryan Odom has his team playing hard; and that’s a case to invest. | VCU Athletics

Wins: 11/10 vs. Samford (75-65), 11/15 vs. Radford (73-50), 11/18 vs. Seattle (60-56), 11/26 vs. Penn. State (86-74)

Losses: 11/6 vs. McNeese State (76-65), 11/23 vs. Iowa State (68-64), 11/24 vs. Boise State (65-61)

VCU stock has risen significantly as of late. Despite going just 1-2 at the ESPN Events Invitational this past week, the Rams were beyond competitive in their losses to two NCAA Tournament hopefuls (Iowa State and Boise State) and impressed me in their win over Penn State- a team coached by Mike Rhoades (who left VCU this offseason for the Nittany Lions and brought reigning A10 POTY Ace Baldwin and backcourt mate Nick Kern Jr. with him to the new job). New VCU leader Ryan Odom has the team doing what they do best- they are holding opponents to an eFG% of 43.8% (34th in the NCAA) and just 43.4% from two-point range (27th-best two-point defense in Division I) while the Rams themselves are shooting 55.1% from the interior. Also, their opening night loss to McNeese State looks much better now that the Cowboys are 6-2 and look like the favorites to win the Southland Conference. I’m all in.

La Salle (5-1): Hold (Leaning Sell)

Nothing against La Salle or HC Fran Dunphy, just don’t let the record fool you. | La Salle Athletics

Wins: 11/7 vs. Drexel (67-61), 11/11 vs. Northeastern (79-74), 11/14 vs. Bucknell (69-57), 11/18 vs. Southern Indiana (79-78), 11/26 vs. Coppin State

Losses: 11/21 vs. Duke (95-66)

I won’t bet against Fran Dunphy right now, but La Salle may trend toward “sell” territory once conference play begins. Defensively, the Explorers rank 307th in the NCAA with 110.1 opponent points allowed per 100 possessions (the NCAA average being 104.3), and opponents have maintained an eFG% of 52.6%. None of those metrics are promising- especially not when teams are loading up on buy games to inflate their offensive/defensive stats. The five wins for the Explorers have all come against bad teams, and other than a recent win over Coppin State, all of those games went down to the wire. Above all else, their lone loss was by 29 points to Duke in Durham where they showcased their defensive inefficiency. There’s a nice core for La Salle in the form of Khalil Brantley (15.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG. 3.8 APG), Jhamir Brickus (14 PPG, 4.5 APG), Anwar Gill (14 PPG, 4 RPG, 4 APG), and Daeshon Shepherd (10.2 PPG, 5 RPG), but again, I need to see more from them to buy in.

Saint Joseph’s (4-2): Buy

Erik Reynolds II (2) is one of Saint Joe’s best players, and it shows almost every night. | SJU Athletics

Wins: 11/6 vs. Lafayette (81-60), 11/10 vs. Penn (69-61), 11/14 vs. Stonehill (100-56), 11/26 vs. Sacred Heart

Losses: 11/17 vs. Texas A&M Commerce (57-54), 11/20 vs. Kentucky (96-88, OT)

It may come as a surprise to some, but I’m buying Saint Joe’s stock at this point- strictly because I believe the offensive will come into form, and assuming the defense (98.1 points allowed per 100 possessions, 56th in D-I) holds up, they’re capable of winning a ton of games. A loss to Texas A&M Commerce sticks out like a sore thumb, but bad games are bound to happen- especially when you go 18/66 (27.3%) from the field. I see this outcome as the product of a rough night, nothing further. Furthermore, an overtime loss versus Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington where the Hawks went 15/37 (40.5%) from three says much more about the team and their potential. If Billy Lange’s club can get a win over Villanova tonight, they’ll continue to rise the ranks for me. Plus, I’d take a core including Erik Reynolds II (16.2 PPG, 41.5% 3 PT), Cam Brown (11.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG), Xzayvier Brown (11.3 PPG, 53.1% FG), Rasheer Fleming (10 PPG, 6 RPG), and Lynn Greer III (9.8 PPG, 4.5 APG) over almost anyone else in the conference.

Duquesne (4-2): Buy

Duquesne HC Keith Dambrot is one of the conference’s best coaches, and his team looks to be one of the best in the league as well. | Duquesne Athletics

Wins: 11/6 vs. Cleveland State (79-77), 11/10 vs. Charleston (90-72), 11/13 vs. Stony Brook (85-63), 11/17 vs. Rider (77-58)

Losses: 11/15 vs. Princeton (70-67), 11/22 vs. Nebraska (89-79)

Am I crazy for buying into Duquesne? Who knows. But for all head coach Keith Dambrot has put up with in terms of constant roster adjustments, I’m in his corner now that he has a large quantity of returning players back. The wins haven’t been overwhelming by any means, but I will credit the Dukes for hanging tight in their losses to two NCAA Tournament-caliber programs in Nebraska (second-longest active win streak in the nation at 7-0) and Princeton (6-0; the sixth-longest streak in D-I). The backcourt trio of Dae Dae Grant (20.8 PPG), Jimmy Clark III (17.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.5 APG), and Kareem Rozier (10.7 PPG, 48.3% 3PT) is lethal, and the additions of Hassan and Fossuyeni Drame as well as Andrei Savrasov have gone a long way. Once NC State transfer big Dusan Mahorcic is ready to go, watch out for this squad- they could comfortably roll eleven deep from a rotation standpoint.

Fordham (3-3): Hold (Leaning Sell)

After a wild 2022-23 campaign, Fordham has come down to Earth a little to start the 2023-24 season. | NY Post

Wins: 11/6 vs. Wagner (68-64, OT), 11/17 vs. Norfolk State (77-64), 11/27 vs. Manhattan (93-61)

Losses: 11/11 vs. Cornell (78-73), 11/19 vs. Abilene Christian (59-45), 11/20 vs. Kent State (79-72)

Being the optimist I am, I won’t quit on Fordham until I see how they fare in Atlantic 10 play. I do believe in Keith Urgo- but feared it would be a real challenge for the Rams to build off of a 25-8 record in 2022-23 without three of their best players in Khalid Moore, Darius Quisenberry, and Rotyslav Novitskyi, all of whom graduated this offseason. Bringing in UTSA transfer Japhet Medor (14.2 PPG, 44.4% 3PT) and Lafayette forward Josh Rivera (10.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG) while having no players transfer out of the program was huge for Fordham’s culture, but the offensive product just isn’t there. The Rams have an eFG of just 47.3% (251st in NCAA) and averaged just 97.7 points per 100 possessions (305th). There’s no great win or bad loss for Fordham, so I’ll hang out on the fence a little further.

Saint Louis (5-3): Hold

Let’s see what the next few weeks hold for Saint Louis before we jump to conclusions. | SLU Athletics

Wins: 11/6 vs. Southern Indiana (75-63), 11/8 vs. Lincoln MO (102-66), 11/11 vs. Illinois State (80-71), 11/16 vs. Wyoming (79-69), 11/25 vs. Dartmouth (66-65)

Losses: 11/17 vs. Vermont (78-68), 11/19 vs. Wichita State (88-69), 11/28 vs. Utah State (81-76)

I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s been a pretty predictable first eight games for Saint Louis. Looking at who they’ve played thus far, they’ve won the games you would expect them to win (albeit they got a few scares from Illinois State and Dartmouth) and lost to three excellent teams- no fault in any of that. But, can I trust the Billikens week in and week out? Like so many other teams in this conference, that remains to be seen. What I do know: if the offense revolves around Sincere Parker (17.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG), Terrence Hargrove Jr. (15.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG), and Gibson Jimerson (15.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.4 APG), then Saint Louis should be fine. That trio of returning players will be pivotal in terms of overall success.

Davidson (3-3): Hold

With plenty of question marks coming into this year, it makes as to why one should take the time to assess this Davidson team. | The Associated Press

Wins: 11/6 vs. Washington & Lee (86-63), 11/10 vs. Maryland (64-61), 11/21 vs. Boston University (69-45)

Losses: 11/12 vs. Clemson (68-65), 11/17 vs. East Tennessee State (70-68). 11/24 vs. Saint Mary’s (89-55)

I’d likely be a buyer if Davidson hadn’t gotten blown out by Saint Mary’s this past Friday. The Wildcat's first two losses were by a combined 5 points- one of which was a neutral site defeat to a 6-0 Clemson team that’ll crack the next AP Poll Top 25 team rankings. For all that was unknown about the Wildcats coming into this season, we know a lot now. Matt McKillop utilizes a balanced scoring approach, with six guys averaging between 8 and eleven points per game: David Skogman (team-high 10.5 PPG), Grant Huffman (9.5 PPG), Angelo Brizzi (9.2 PPG), Connor Kochera (9.2 PPG), Reed Bailey (8.8 PPG), and Bobby Durkin 98.8 PPG). This scoring distribution makes Davidson a fun watch, and with a good win over Maryland to their name, I want to give them more praise- but I think it’s best if I give them a little more time.

Dayton (4-2): Buy

Once again, Anthony Grant and Dayton look to be the cream of the crop. | UD Athletics

Wins: 11/6 vs. SIU Edwardsville (63-47), 11/16 vs. LSU (70-67), 11/17 vs. St. John’s (88-81), 11/24 vs. Youngstown State (77-69)

Losses: 11/10 vs. Northwestern (71-66), 11/19 vs. Houston (69-55)

You can’t ever count out Dayton. Even after losing star guard Mali Smith in the season opener due to a knee injury, the Flyers look the part of an NCAA Tournament team. A lot of that has to do with the play of DaRon Holmes II (16.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.5 APG), but others deserve recognition as well, such as Pittsburgh transfer Nate Santos (13 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 65.8% FG), who compliments Holmes nicely in the frontcourt. Others, such as Koby Brea (10.2 PPG, 41.2% 3PT), Merrimack transfer Javon Bennett (8.3 PPG), Kobe Elvis (7.3 PPG, 3 RPG, 4.8 APG), and former Robert Morris guard Enoch Cheeks (6.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG) round out a great group for head coach Anthony Grant. The Flyers are currently 47th in the NCAA for eFG at 54.4%, and 43rd in offensive efficiency at 112.5 points/100 possessions. And be doing all of this without their starting point guard? Yeah, this team is scary.

And now, let’s hear your thoughts! Any A10 teams worth the investment? Any you’d sell instantly?

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