Atlantic 10 Tempo Thursday: December 28, 2017

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

The pre-conference schedule bears a good deal of significance. It affords an opportunity to play in different tournaments. One of the main objectives, though, is to get a team ready and toughened up for the rigors of conference competition.

There is talk of the Atlantic 10 being a two-bid league this season. Rhode Island, weathering early going injuries to E.C. Matthews and Cyril Langevine, is still the favorite. If the Rams repeat, the prevailing feeling is St. Bonaventure could be awarded the other bid. The Bonnies, in the midst of a seven-game win streak, have wins over Maryland, Vermont and Syracuse on their resume.

If the conference does get a third team, that likely could be VCU. The Rams need to make a strong run in conference play to have a shot on Selection Sunday.

The numbers here reflect the conference in its games leading up to league play. To put these numbers in order, we utilized the resources of KenPom and Basketball State:

Records and Efficiency Margin
1) Rhode Island (7-3, +14)
2) St. Bonaventure (10-2, +11)
3) Davidson (5-6, +7)
4) VCU (8-5, +6)
5) Saint Joseph's (5-6, +5)
6) Dayton (6-6, +3)
7) La Salle (6-7, +3)
8) UMass (7-6, +2)
9) George Washington (7-6, +1)
10) Saint Louis (7-6, -1)
11) Duquesne (9-4, -4)
12) George Mason (6-7, -5)
13) Fordham (5-7, -6)
14) Richmond (2-10, -6)

Efficiency margin is the defensive efficiency subtracted from the offensive. Naturally, at the very least, you want this figure to be a positive number to show your offense is efficient and defense limiting that of the opponent.

What is wrong with Richmond?
Chris Mooney is the object of Spider fans’ dissatisfaction, entering conference play with a 2-10 record, defeating UAB and James Madison. A 33-point loss to Jacksonville State in November was a portent of struggles to come. Technically, Richmond shows a 100 offensive efficiency with a defense of 106 for a minus-6 margin. The biggest problem on the defensive end is the perimeter. Opponents are shooting a 58 percent effective field goal mark with an eye-opening 40 percent from beyond the arc. Mooney has other areas to address as well, but the defense, especially outside, is as good a start as any.

Offensive Efficiency Leaders
1) Davidson (111)
2) Rhode Island (110)
3) VCU (108)
4) St. Bonaventure (107)
5) Saint Joseph’s (107)

Davidson leads the way, as Bob McKillop’s group shoots an effective field goal percentage of 56 while caring for the ball better than anyone else in conference, a combination spelling outstanding efficiency.

Defensive Efficiency Leaders
1) St. Bonaventure (96)
2) Rhode Island (96)
3) Saint Louis (99)
4) UMass (101)
5) VCU (102)
6) Saint Joseph’s (102)
7) George Washington (102)

Of the 14 A-10 members, only three show defensive efficiencies in double figures. The object is to keep your opponent’s efficiency under 100, which has not been an easy task for A-10 teams in this early going.

Most Possessions Per Game
1) VCU (73)
2) Saint Joseph’s (73)
3) Rhode Island (71)
4) St. Bonaventure (71)
5) Davidson (71)

As the conference play progresses, the pace of play is apt to slow down a bit. Teams are more familiar with their opposition and can make the necessary adjustments.

Fewest Possessions Per Game
1) Saint Louis (65)
2) George Washington (66)
3) Duquesne (68)
4) Dayton (69)
5) UMass (69)
6) Richmond (69)
7) Fordham (69)

No big surprise with Saint Louis at the head of the pack. Duquesne and UMass stand out in this group. Respective first-year mentors Keith Dambrot and Matt McCall have altered the approach at their schools. Both uptempo teams a year ago, Duquesne and UMass are playing a bit more deliberate with better results.

Turnover Rate Leaders
1) Saint Joseph’s (11.4 percent)
2) Davidson (12.3)
3) Duquesne (13.4)
4) La Salle (13.6)
5) Rhode Island (14.1)

Efficiency of the offense is epitomized by every member of the conference being under the 20 percent threshold of acceptable turnover rates. In fact the bottom of the group is UMass at 18-5. Once again these numbers will be closely monitored as on a game to game basic A-10 opposition is to provide a consistently tougher test than that of the pre-conference foes.

Individual Usage Top 10
1) B.J. Johnson, La Salle (31.6 percent of team possessions)
2) Shavar Newkirk, Saint Joseph’s (30.6)
3) Peyton Aldridge, Davidson (29.8)
4) Luwane Pipkins, UMass (28.8)
5) Grant Golden, Richmond (27.3)
6) Pookie Powell, La Salle (26.5)
7) Jaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure (26.3)
8) De’Monte Buckingham, Richmond (26.2)
9) Will Tavares, Fordham (25.7)
10) Rashaan Holloway, UMass (25.3)

Johnson leading the way in usage comes as no surprise, nor does Mark Schmidt’s outstanding backcourt of Adams and Mobley both landing in the top ten. Richmond has a freshman (Golden) and sophomore (Buckingham) both in that group. Such reliance on young players could further explain the Spiders’ troubles.