VCU is at the top of the conference. The Rams edged St. Bonaventure last Friday to move into first place. Davidson and UMass are just behind in the standings, and are set to return to action after a pause in activity. St. Bonaventure and Saint Louis round out the leaders. The Bonnies, as noted, fell from the top by virtue of their loss at VCU. On a hot streak of late, Saint Louis is rounding into top form and making its move. The regular season is set to end in just 17 days, so there could be a shuffling in the final standings. For now, it will be interesting to see how contenders such as Davidson and UMass will react to their time off, as well as scheduling changes down the road leading up to postseason play.
Efficiency Margins and Records (courtesy of KenPom)
1) Saint Louis (+14, 4-2)
T-2) St. Bonaventure (+12, 8-3)
T-2) Davidson (+12, 6-2)
4) UMass (+11, 6-2)
T-5) VCU (+7, 9-2)
T-5) Richmond (+7, 4-3)
T-7) Dayton (+3, 7-6)
T-7) Duquesne (+3, 6-5)
9) Rhode Island (+2, 7-8)
10) George Mason (-1, 5-6)
11) George Washington (-2, 2-3)
12) La Salle (-11, 5-9)
13) Saint Joseph’s (-18, 0-9)
14) Fordham (-24, 2-11)
Offensive Efficiency Leaders
1) Davidson (109)
2) Richmond (108)
T-3) Saint Louis and St. Bonaventure (107)
5) Dayton (103)
A significant pause in activity naturally saw no change for the top two. Saint Louis is playing well on the offensive end, but that is not the main reason for its recent success (see below). St. Bonaventure and Dayton are holding steady, with a few teams, specifically UMass and VCU, on their heels threatening to enter the top five.
Defensive Efficiency Leaders
1) UMass (90)
2) VCU (93)
3) Saint Louis (94)
4) Duquesne and St. Bonaventure (95)
It’s the defense. The coaching cliche of offense selling tickets while defense wins ballgames is holding true in the case of Saint Louis. In each of their six conference games, the Billikens have posted an efficiency of 100, a good number, or better on offense. The defense is another story. In their two losses, Travis Ford’s conference favorites have yielded over 100 on the defensive end. In the four wins, the defensive efficiency failed to reach triple digits. The breakdown by opponent with the Saint Louis offensive and defensive efficiency in each game:
Dayton (L) 100 vs. 107
La Salle (L) 103 vs. 112
St. Bonaventure (W) 109 vs. 92
Rhode Island (W) 100 vs. 90
Fordham (W) 113 vs. 67
La Salle (W) 122 vs. 89
The offense has been on track. Now the defense is taking it to another level. A continued effort on that end will make Saint Louis a tough out come tournament time.
Tempo Leaders
1) Saint Joseph’s and UMass (71 possessions per game)
3) VCU (70)
4) Rhode Island and La Salle (69)
Slowest Tempo
Fordham, Davidson, Dayton and St. Bonaventure (all 65 possessions per game)
Not a very big change, given there were several teams in the conference pausing. VCU has been rolling along, and is very comfortable with an uptempo game. The Rams’ conference-leading 34 percent defensive turnover rate creates offensive transition opportunities. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it may not seem much by the math, but the 65-possession tempo is decidedly pedestrian compared to the low seventies.
The Past Week
February 12: VCU 67, St. Bonaventure 64
The visiting Bonnies battled back from a 12- point second-half deficit. A long-distance 3-point attempt by Dominick Welch rimmed out and sent Mark Schmidt’s team home on the losing side of the ledger. For VCU, it was the regular formula, a 44 percent offensive rebound percentage and 22 percent defensive turnover rate, plus a 22-point outing from Bones Hyland.
February 13: Saint Louis 68, Fordham 40
The Billikens won their third straight, dominating Fordham at Rose Hill Gym. Saint Louis held the Rams to a 67 offensive efficiency and just 17 first half points. Travis Ford’s group enjoyed a 55-26 rebounding edge, with 19 coming on the offensive end.
February 14: Richmond 90, St. Mary’s (MD) 49
On Valentine’s Day, the host Spiders showed no heart in rolling over St. Mary’s. It was Richmond’s first game in almost three weeks. Leading in every statistical category, Richmond excelled in 3-point shooting (16-of-33) and defensive turnover rate (32 percent).
February 16: Saint Louis 78, La Salle 57
The winning streak continued, as Saint Louis avenged an earlier loss at La Salle by posting an outstanding 122 offensive efficiency. Javonte Perkins (19 points) and Jordan Goodwin (16) paced a balanced attack. Goodwin also added 15 rebounds and eight assists, both game-highs.
Rhode Island 91, Dayton 89 (2OT)
Fatts Russell shot 4-of-17 from the field, but the senior guard virtually willed the Rams to a senior night victory, scoring 20 points, grabbing five rebounds and handing out seven assists in 45 minutes. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Rams. Freshman Zimi Nwokeji led the Flyers with 29 points and nine rebounds, earning KenPom game MVP honors.
February 17: VCU 68, Richmond 56
The host Rams earned their sixth straight victory by virtue of a late run. Richmond committed just six turnovers, but was beaten on the boards by a 44-27 count. Mike Rhoades’ Rams got 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists — all game pace-setting numbers — from Bones Hyland.
On the Schedule
February 18: Southern Virginia at Davidson
February 19: Saint Louis at DaytonFebruary 20: La Salle at Saint Joseph’s
George Mason at VCU
Duquesne at Richmond
February 21: Rhode Island at George Washington
Davidson at St. Bonaventure
February 23: Fordham at Richmond
Saint Louis at VCU
February 24: Davidson at George Mason
UMass at Saint Joseph’s
Davidson is following Richmond’s model. Bob McKillop’s Wildcats will exit their pause by playing a non-Division I opponent. Davidson hosts Southern Virginia on Thursday in its first game since late January.
At the eleventh hour, Wednesday afternoon word came that St. Bonaventure at George Mason, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, was cancelled due to a winter storm set to hit the Washington, D.C. area.
All-KenPom
Bones Hyland, VCU
Jordan Goodwin, Saint Louis
Jalen Crutcher, Dayton
Grant Golden, Richmond
Javonte Perkins, Saint Louis
A-10 Stats
Efficiency: 99
Tempo: 68 possessions per game
Home wins: 40 of 70 (.571)
Close wins: 14 of 71 (19.7%
Blowouts: 13 of 71 (18.3%)
There is a disparity in home wins (70) and blowouts and close wins (71). That is due to Dayton having played George Washington on a neutral site at George Mason.
Home teams are starting to use their advantage. The home court is up to a 57 percent win total as opposed to just barely over 50 earlier this season. Chalk it up to just being familiar with your home turf and not having to travel.
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