A-10 Tempo Thursday: February 3, 2022

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

Davidson suffered its first conference loss last Wednesday, falling to VCU. The Wildcats rebounded with a home win over La Salle on Saturday and a huge win at St. Bonaventure two nights ago. In Olean, Davidson opened an early second half lead of 16 points. The Bonnies battled back to get the deficit to one possession before Foster Loyer iced the game, hitting two free throws in the final seconds. Bob McKillop’s team has been outstanding on the offensive end, while a bit pedestrian defensively with a 107 defensive efficiency, ranking 12th in the conference.

Several teams are still very much in the hunt. One to watch closely is Saint Louis, standing in third at 6-2. In late October, the Billikens lost the services of Javonte Perkins, a preseason first team all-A-10 selection, to a torn ACL. Losing Perkins cast a shadow of uncertainty over what figured to be an A-10 contender. A lineup featuring two sophomores and two freshmen starters (KenPom has the Billikens in the bottom 20 nationally in experience) has risen to the occasion admirably.

Travis Ford’s roster has won five of its last six contests, including a significant 92-90, double-overtime decision last night at George Mason behind sophomore guard Yuri Collins’ 35 points and 13 assists. Saint Louis is among the conference leaders in both offensive (110) and defensive (93) efficiency. Saint Louis is limiting opponents to 32 percent shooting from beyond the arc, while crashing the boards with a league-best 35 percent offensive rebounding percentage. Those latter numbers fit the profile of a Ford team during his tenure at Saint Louis, tough defensively and on the glass, as the Billikens — given Perkins’ absence and their youth — have been a surprise to date, morphing into a team no one wants to face.

Efficiency and Records (courtesy of KenPom)

1) Dayton (+19, 7-2)

2) Saint Louis (+15, 6-2)

3) Davidson (+8, 8-1)

4) George Mason (+6, 4-2)

5) Richmond (+3, 5-4)

6) St. Bonaventure (+2, 4-3)

7) VCU (+2, 6-3)

8) Rhode Island (+1, 3-5)

9) Saint Joseph’s (-3, 3-6)

10) Fordham (-7, 3-5)

11) La Salle (-7, 1-8)

12) George Washington (-11, 4-4)

13) UMass (-12, 2-6)

14) Duquesne (-17, 1-6)

Offensive Efficiency:

1) Davidson 115 

2) Saint Louis 110 

3) George Mason 109 

4) St. Bonaventure 107 

5) Dayton 105

Davidson shoots an effective field goal percentage of 56, with a 3-point rate of 39 percent. The Wildcats have three individuals in the top ten in both 2-point and 3-point shooting. Topping it off is a better than average 17 percent turnover rate. It all adds up to a well oiled offensive machine.

Defensive Efficiency:

1) Dayton 85

2) Rhode Island 94

3) Saint Louis 95

4) VCU 97

5) Fordham 99

Saint Louis and Dayton are the only two teams among the leaders in both offensive and defensive efficiency. St. Bonaventure is very efficient on the offensive end. The defensive side is where Mark Schmidt’s Bonnies are struggling. A year ago, when they swept the A-10 regular season and postseason titles, the Bonnies sported a conference leading 93 efficiency. To date, the number on the defensive end is 105, putting them tenth in conference.

Fordham is effective at forcing turnovers. The Rams show a 22 percent defensive turnover rate, not far behind another group of Rams — league leader VCU — at 25 percent. Rhode Island has the second best defensive mark and a 3-5 conference record. The problem? An offense with an efficiency of 95, 12th-best in the A-10 in that category.

Pace — Fastest:

Saint Joseph’s: 70 possessions per game

Saint Louis, UMass, George Washington and Richmond: 69

Deliberate:

Dayton: 63 possessions per game

George Mason and St. Bonaventure 64

Duquesne and Davidson: 66

Billy Lange’s Saint Joseph’s Hawks keep pushing the ball and chugging along. At this point, it’s rather safe to say there should not be too much alteration in the order. The fastest teams might drop a possession or two given that the schedule is heading towards crunch time, where games take on an even greater importance and coaches are inclined to be more conservative. On the other side, several teams battling for the top spot in the A-10 race are already content to put on the brakes and grind it out.

Offensive Rebound Percentages:

1) Saint Louis 35

2) St. Bonaventure 33

3) La Salle 31

4) Duquesne, Dayton and UMass 30

Offensive rebounding percentage was mentioned early in discussing Saint Louis. The offensive rebounds aid efficiency by extending a possession. It also affords a closer shot that can lead to drawing a foul as well. It is interesting to note that the top two teams in offensive rebounding percentage also have the top two individuals in that category. Here’s a look at the top seven in A-10 play:

1) Francis Okoro, Saint Louis 14.4 

2) Osun Osunniyi, St. Bonaventure 12.8 

3) Davonte Gaines, George Mason 10.9 

4) Christian Ray, La Salle 10.7 

5) Chuba Ohams, Fordham 10.4 

6) Toumani Camara, Dayton 10.1

7) Ejike Obinna, Saint Joseph’s 10.0

Last week, we looked at the most proficient shooters beyond the arc. This week it’s time for a look at the top 10 shooters from 2-point range. Not all 2-pointers are attempted in the paint. With the mid-range shot going the way of the dinosaur, it’s safe to say, however, a good percentage of twos are taken in the lane. To qualify, an individual player had to play a minimum 40 percent of the minutes played and attempt at least two shots per game:

1) Antwan Walker, Rhode Island 68.5 

2) DaRon Holmes, Dayton 68.2 

3) Luka Brajkovic, Davidson 64.4 

4) Malik Martin, Rhode Island 62.5 

5) Makhel Mitchell, Rhode Island 62.5 

6) Josh Oduro, George Mason 62.4 

7) Elijah Weaver, Dayton 61.9 

8) Davonte Gaines, George Mason 61.0 

9) D’Shawn Schwartz, George Mason 60.2 10) Hyunjung Lee, Davidson 59.6

Upcoming Schedule:

February 4: St. Bonaventure at Richmond

February 5: Dayton at Saint Louis

UMass at Rhode Island

George Mason at LaSalle 

Davidson at George Washington 

Duquesne at VCU

Fordham at Saint Joseph’s

February 7: George Mason at Richmond

February 8: Rhode Island at VCU 

Fordham at St. Bonaventure 

Saint Louis at La Salle

February 9: Richmond at George Mason 

George Washington at UMass

Saint Joseph’s at Davidson

Duquesne at Dayton

All-KenPom:

Vince Wiliams, VCU

Luka Brajkovic, Davidson 

Josh Oduro, George Mason 

Grant Golden, Richmond 

Hyunjung Lee, Davidson

Conference Numbers:

Efficiency: 101

Tempo: 67 possessions per game

Effective field goal percentage: 50

Offensive rebound percentage: 28 

Turnover rate: 18 percent

3-point field goal percentage: 34

2-point field goal percentage: 48

Home court winning percentage: 51