A-10 Tempo Thursday: February 11, 2021

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

Tempo Thursday takes on a little bit of a different layout this week, with all numbers preceding a capsule of each Atlantic 10 Conference game played over the past week. All numbers reflect conference games only as of February 10, 2021, and are provided courtesy of KenPom:

Records and Efficiency Margins

1) St. Bonaventure (+14, 10-3)

2) Davidson (+12, 6-2)

T-3) UMass (+11, 6-2)

T-3) Richmond (+11, 4-2)

5) VCU (+7, 10-5)

6) Dayton (+4, 7-5)

7) Duquesne (+3, 6-5)

T-8) Saint Louis (+2, 2-2)

T-8) Rhode Island (+2, 6-8)

10) George Mason (-1, 5-6)

11) George Washington (-2, 2-3)

12) La Salle (-9, 5-8)

13) Saint Joseph’s (-18, 0-9)

14) Fordham (-22, 2-10)

Offensive Efficiency Leaders

1) Richmond (112)

2) Davidson (109)

3) St. Bonaventure (108)

T-4) Saint Louis and Dayton (104)

Defensive Efficiency Leaders

1) UMass (90)

2) VCU (93)

3) St. Bonaventure, Duquesne and Rhode Island (94)

Tempo Leaders

1) Saint Joseph’s (73 possessions per game)

2) UMass (71)

3) VCU and Saint Louis (70)

5) La Salle (69)

Slowest Tempo

1) Fordham (64 possessions per game)

2) Dayton, Davidson and St. Bonaventure (65)

5) Duquesne (66)

3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Richmond (37 percent)

2) Dayton and VCU (36)

4) La Salle and Davidson (35)

3-Point Field Goal Defense

1) Duquesne (26 percent)

2) UMass (31)

3) Dayton (32)

4) Rhode Island and George Washington (33)

The Past Week

February 5: Dayton 74, George Mason 65

As Yogi Berra would say, “it’s deja vu all over again.” The Flyers defeated George Mason, 74-65, at UD Arena January 2. The juggling of the schedules in these turbulent times necessitated another meeting of the two, once again at Dayton. Jalen Crutcher (21 points) and Ibi Watson (20) paced a Flyer attack that shot a scorching 63 percent effective field goal percentage. 

Dayton vs. Richmond: Postponed

February 6: Saint Louis 70, St. Bonaventure 59

The Billikens got into the win column by building an early 13-point lead, losing it, then regaining it and closing out the contest. A 109 offensive efficiency for Travis Ford’s group was aided by making 11 of 27 3-point attempts. 

Fordham 76, La Salle 68

Mike DePaoli earned his first victory as Fordham’s interim coach as Ty Perry scored 18 points to help the Rams snap a seven-game losing streak. Fordham shot its way out of its offensive woes with a balanced effort and an outstanding 113 offensive efficiency. 

UMass 75, Rhode Island 63

Carl Pierre’s 19 points led a balanced attack sending the Rams to their third straight loss. UMass was also a model of efficiency on the defensive end, holding Rhode Island to an 85 offensive efficiency, 12 below its conference average.

Saint Louis vs. George Washington: Postponed

La Salle vs. Saint Joseph’s: Postponed

Davidson vs. Fordham: Postponed

February 9: VCU 76, Dayton 67

Leading by eight with just under ten minutes left in the first half, Dayton had the momentum and seemed to be in the driver’s seat. The Rams made a late run to take a two-point lead into the intermission. The second half belonged to VCU. Bones Hyland played all 40 minutes, scoring 19 points. Of greater significance was his defense on Dayton’s Jalen Crutcher, who finished with just eight points.  

St. Bonaventure 86, La Salle 73

La Salle came out firing, hitting 12 of 31 3-point field goals. On this night, the host Bonnies found their range and answered, going 9-of-14 from beyond the arc. Balance was the key for Mark Schmidt’s team, as all five starters hit double figures, led by Jalen Adaway’s 20 points.

George Washington vs. Richmond: Postponed

Dayton vs. UMass: Postponed

On the Schedule

February 12: St. Bonaventure at VCU

The Bonnies visit VCU, currently on a four-game win streak, and after being outrebounded 16-5 by La Salle, will need a better effort against the physical Rams. Avoiding foul trouble is also a must. 

February 16: Dayton at Rhode Island

Rhode Island is struggling as of late. Dayton has posted a few solid road wins and will be a test. Jalen Crutcher is the key option, though Ibi Watson has come on with several strong outings the past few weeks. 

 

February 17: Duquesne at Davidson

Something has to give. Keith Dambrot’s Dukes are the conference leader in 3-point field goal defense. Davidson, not shy of dialing long distance, is fifth in 3-point shooting. The Wildcats’ recent layoff is another factor to consider. 

VCU at Richmond

Richmond is another team coming off an extended pause. Under these circumstances, facing the likes of VCU is a less than enviable situation considering the pressure Mike Rhoades’ group will employ. Chris Mooney’s Spiders will need poise, not to mention a strong rebounding effort.

All-KenPom:

Bones Hyland, VCU

Jordan Goodwin, Saint Louis

Jalen Crutcher, Dayton

Grant Golden, Richmond

Kyle Lofton, St. Bonaventure