A-10 Tempo Thursday: January 20, 2022

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

On Tuesday, four of the top Atlantic 10 teams squared off. Davidson edged VCU, 63-61, in Richmond. It was the Wildcats’ 14th straight win, allowing them to take sole possession of first place. Conference favorite St. Bonaventure went into Dayton and was soundly defeated, 68-50, by the hot shooting Flyers. It was the first loss in A10 play for Mark Schmidt’s Bonnies. VCU, which lost at St. Bonaventure the previous Friday, is now on a two-game losing streak. 

Teams are at or near the quarter mark in conference play. There is time and room for movement in the conference pecking order. At this point in time, it is evident Davidson, in the conference driver’s seat, will be a tough out. The Wildcats already own close road wins over Richmond and VCU. As noted, there is a good three-quarters of the schedule remaining, ample time to figure out how to tame Bob McKillop’s Wildcats.

Efficiency and Records (courtesy of KenPom)

1) Dayton (+22, 4-1)

2) Davidson (+11, 5-0)

3) Saint Louis (+10, 2-1)

4) Rhode Island (+8, 3-1)

5) VCU (+8, 3-2)

6) St. Bonaventure (+3, 2-1)

7) Saint Joseph’s (0, 2-3)

8) George Mason (-2, 0-1)

9) Richmond (-4, 2-3)

10) La Salle (-7, 1-4)

11) Fordham (-8, 2-2)

12) Duquesne (-8, 1-2)

13) UMass (-12, 0-4)

14) George Washington (-22, 1-3)

Offensive Efficiency

1) Davidson 118

2) George Mason 112

3) Dayton 110

4) Rhode Island 108

5) Richmond 104

George Mason has played only one game, a 77-76 loss at George Washington on Martin Luther King Day. That 112 number will have to be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. Davidson’s numbers are courtesy of a low turnover rate (16 percent) coupled with white hot 3-point shooting (43 percent). 

Defensive Efficiency

1) Dayton 88

2) Saint Louis 90

3) VCU 94

4) Rhode Island 99

5) St. Bonaventure 100

Dayton is shooting 43 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. The Flyers are quite adept at getting it done on the defensive end. They do not force a great number of turnovers (21 percent), but rather, they rely on lockdown defense. Anthony Grant’s group holds opponents to a 44 percent effective field goal percentage, second in the conference. Beyond the arc, the opposition is shooting only 31 percent (second defensively). You do not get to the line as easily against Dayton, as the Flyers allow a 14 percent free throw rate, another figure that is second in the A-10.  

Pace — Fastest and Slowest

Saint Joseph’s 73 possessions per game

Richmond, George Washington and UMass 70

Fordham 69

    

Saint Joseph’s and UMass were first and second in setting the conference pace last season. This season to date, they are both running NASCAR-paced offenses, prime examples of sticking to your philosophy. 

Most Deliberate

Dayton 62

St. Bonaventure 63

Davidson and VCU 66

Saint Louis 67

Interesting to note, while the A-10 average pace is 68 possessions, five of the top teams in the conference all play at a slower rate. With this quintet, you can’t argue with the results.

Rhode Island is connecting on a 43 percent rate beyond the arc. The Rams are obviously a serious perimeter threat. Interestingly, the Rams only attempt 24 percent of their shots from long distance, which is the lowest percentage in the conference. David Cox’s team also has a 34 percent free throw rate, second in the A-10. Adding it up, you have a dangerous team that can bury the three while attacking the basket and drawing fouls. 

Leaders in Percentage of 3-Point Attempts

Saint Joseph’s 43

Davidson 42

Richmond and UMass 41

Fordham 38

St. Bonaventure is not its strong defensive self to date. Mark Schmidt’s Bonnies are allowing a 100 defensive efficiency. Last season, they led the A10 at 93. Not really a team to force turnovers, the Bonnies are seventh in conference in 2-point field goal defense (48 percent) and ninth in defending beyond the arc (39). Three games into the campaign, there is ample opportunity for improvement.

Proficiency from three is a weapon for Davidson and Dayton, but not a guarantee of success for all. UMass leads the conference with a 46 percent 3-point field goal percentage. A porous defense (113 efficiency) largely due to a 56 percent defensive effective field goal mark (13th in league) largely explains the Minutemen’s 0-4 start. UMass has not been in the win column since a December 19 overtime victory over Fairfield.

Fordham suffered a blow when Antonio Daye announced he was leaving the program. Daye’s last game was on January 9, a win over Duquesne. A 6-foot-3 junior guard, Daye led the Rams in scoring at 16.8 points per game. At the time of his departure, Daye showed a 99.9 offensive rating, good for 10th in the conference. 

Top 5 in Offensive Rating

1) Foster Loyer, Davidson (123.4)    

2) Hyunjung Lee, Davidson (119.5)

3) Luka Brakovic, Davidson (118.2)

4) Noah Fernandes, UMass (117.6)

5) Josh Oduro, George Mason (111.2)

Taking a look at the top five, it comes as little surprise that Davidson is such a formidable team. Pick your poison. Who do you try to concentrate on defensively?  

Upcoming Schedule

January 20: Saint Louis at UMass

January 21: St. Bonaventure at Duquesne

January 22: Dayton at George Mason

Davidson at Fordham

George Washington at Rhode Island

Saint Joseph’s at VCU

Richmond at LaSalle

January 23: UMass at Saint Louis

January 25: Richmond at Rhode Island

Fordham at Dayton

all-Kenpom

Hyunjung Lee, Davidson

Jaren Holmes, St. Bonaventure

Luka Brakovic, Davidson

Foster Loyer, Davidson

Vince Williams, VCU

Conference Aggregate Statistics:

Efficiency: 102

Tempo: 68 possessions per game

Effective field goal percentage: 51

Turnover rate: 18 percent

3-point attempt percentage: 36

Home court winning percentage: 50

The home court record is now at the break-even mark. As of last week, home teams were successful at only a 43 percent rate. Expect that 50 percent or above figure to be the norm. With postponements being made up, there could be a greater demand on teams frequently hitting the road, something to consider in the upcoming weeks.