Current A-10 Conference Win Odds:
| Team | Open | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond Spiders | +190 | +190 |
| Saint Louis Billikens | +200 | +200 |
| Dayton Flyers | +540 | +540 |
| Davidson Wildcats | +1000 | +1000 |
| Rhode Island Rams | +1000 | +1000 |
| St. Bonaventure Bonnies | +1400 | +1400 |
| Duquesne Dukes | +2100 | +2100 |
| UMass Minutemen | +3000 | +3000 |
| VCU Rams | +3000 | +3000 |
| George Mason Patriots | +5000 | +5000 |
| George Washington Colonials | +8000 | +8000 |
| La Salle Explorers | +10000 | +10000 |
| Saint Joseph’s Hawks | +10000 | +10000 |
| Fordham Rams | +20000 | +20000 |
Notes:
- Dayton’s Jalen Crutcher and St. Louis’ Jordan Goodwin are considered the top picks as Player of the Year.
- Bill Lange enters his second season as the head coach in St. Joseph. The team finished last in the conference in 2019-20, going 2-16 (6-26).
- Duquesne and Dayton have the fewest number of players returning from last year’s teams (6).
The Atlantic 10 (A-10) is underway in basketball and all 14 teams have at least two games under their belts. While every team would like to think they have a legitimate shot of winning the conference, oddsmakers really only give three any sort of real hope of being named A-10 conference champs: Richmond, St. Louis, and Dayton.
Richmond has the most amount of talent and is coming off a 14-4 conference record last season. Head coach Chris Mooney has the majority of his starting lineup returning as well as several key bench players. The team has already suffered a major injury when Nick Sherod went down with an ACL injury and is lost for the season. However, Blake Francis, Jacob Gilyard, and Grant Golden give this team a dynamic trio that is going to be difficult to stop. This may be the best mid-major in the country.
If Richmond is the leader, St. Louis is close behind. They have no major losses from last year’s team that went 12-6 in the conference and 23-8 overall. Jordan Goodwin, Javonte Perkins, and Hasahn French return. Goodwin averaged 15.5 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per contest last season. In addition, Marten Linssen transferred from UNC-Wilmington, making this a team that is as talented and has as much experience as Richmond.
Dayton had a few key losses, most notably Trey Landers and Ryan Mikesell. They will be tough to replace for a team that went 18-0 in the A-10 and 29-2 overall. Dayton won the last 20 games of the season before basketball was shut down, and some even considered this team a potential Final Four, so the shutdown was especially devastating. It will be tough to repeat last year’s success, but Jalen Crutcher, Ibi Watson, and Rodney Chatman return and they add Zimife Nwokeji. This team is still going to be very good.
No one outside of these three teams is expected to challenge for the conference title. Both Davidson and Rhode Island have key starters returning which should help to make them competitive. Twin brothers Makhel and Makhi Mitchell are transfers from Maryland for the Rams, who could have a pretty decent shot of making the tournament if this team blends well. Davidson started out slow last year, which doomed their chances of competing. They could very well face the same fate this year.
While not much is expected from the other nine teams in the conference, there are some performers that deserve notice. Jarren McAllister gets a bigger role with VCU this year and many are expecting him to earn Most Improved Player honors. George Washington transfer Matt Moyer saw time at both Vanderbilt and Syracuse but will be in his first season with the Colonials. Many see him playing a huge role with GW, potentially earning Rookie of the Year honors.
St. Bonaventure returns all five of their starters and is given a modest chance to win the conference. They look like a bubble team that could be competitive in this conference for years to come. Duquesne also returns all five starters from a team that went 21-9 last season. They have a shot at being competitive, but they are going to need Marcus Weathers and Michael Hughes to really step up their games.
Tre Mitchell returns for UMass after being named rookie of the year last year. He has a strong frontcourt thanks to two transfers. VCU gets Levi Stockard from Kansas State. George Washington has a rising star in Jamison Battle. These are some names you are definitely going to hear about this year.
A Little About the Conference
The A-10 is a 14-team conference. This is a conference that has had five different tournament winners over the last five seasons. The 2020 A-10 tournament was canceled, but St. Louis defeated St. Bonaventure the year before. VCU has been in the tournament in five of the last seven years, winning in 2015.
Win Count All-Time in The A-10 Tournament
| WINS | TEAM | LAST |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Temple | 2010 |
| 5 | UMass | 1996 |
| 4 | St. Joseph’s | 2016 |
| 4 | Xavier | 2006 |
| 2 | Saint Louis | 2019 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 2017 |
| 2 | George Washington | 2007 |
| 2 | Rutgers | 1989 |
| 2 | West Virginia | 1984 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | 1982 |
| 2 | Villanova | 1980 |
| 1 | Davidson | 2018 |
| 1 | VCU | 2015 |
| 1 | St. Bonaventure | 2012 |
| 1 | Richmond | 2011 |
| 1 | Dayton | 2003 |
| 1 | Penn State | 1991 |
| 1 | Duquesne | 1977 |
