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5 hours ago, DoctorB said:

We absolutely hammered Richmond at the end of the year, without GJ. Fred, the new Europeans, Markhi, etc.  Honestly I get how they would be rated over us from afar, but everyone on here knows that we will continue to pummel them this year.  Am I missing something or does pretty much everyone on here concur; we are the team to beat in the A10?

No, because if Richmond and SLU are both capable of going 16-2 in the conference or better, then there is no clear team to beat in the A10.

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First off, we played Richmond on January 11th in our third or so Conference  game and not the end of the season. And we did hammer them long before Blake Francis' sternum injury late in the game.  So they had a full compliment of players, at their place, and we waxed them by nearly 20.  yes,they do return everybody but they are a finesse and long-distance shooting team, even their center Golden is nowhere as physical as French, Bell or even Goodwin.  They lost Wojcik from their bench and replaced him with Crabtree from Tulane but I don't know and won't know until Crabtree plays if he's a so-called shooter as discussed.  In any case,he is another guard so that doesn't change their physicality at all; only Cayo bangs down low unless 6'10" freshman Weir is polished enough to play.  Matt Grace is worthless.  Richmond will run and gun and press and launch threes hoping to run away from you quickly.  

Richmond's schedule also wasn't that loaded in the OCC last year.  Sure, they beat Wisconsin at the time but got trounced by Auburn and Alabama.  They played three ---- one, two, three --- true road games and only ventured "upward" once to Alabama.  Their five conference home-and-homes were Davidson, La Salle, Mason, Geedubya and VCU, against whom they went 9 and 1.  That seems to be a huge drop off than playing us, Dayton, the Bonnies or Rhode Island a few times (and they went 1 and 3 there by the way).  The bottom line is they finished second and have everyone back.  Fine by me but I am not sold.  I think they'll do well and senior leadership is always key at mid-major schools.

I read the Rhodey write up.  That write up is based on pure speculation and Fatts.  Fatts is obvious so I won't go there but Rhodey has two senior guards, two senior small forwards, one junior power forward, and two freshmen guards.  That's seven guys.  Of those seven, two are JUCO transfers.  The rest is all prayers asking for immediate playing waivers for a guy from Syracuse, a guy from Towson, two guys from Maryland and a guy from Charlotte.  Frankly, I believe they should all sit this year but the NCAA is a mystery to me.  Why did DJ Carton get an immediate waiver to go from Ohio State to Marquette?  LJ Figueroa from St. John's to Oregon?  I can't see Rhodey getting five immediate waivers.  I really can't.  And then to coalesce them into a functioning team?  The only thing I'll say about Fatts is 5'10" waterbugs can be brittle.  

Given how the national media short of Rothstein tend to ignore us, I'll say if Rhodey is #9, Richmond will be #1.  We should be #2.  Given Dayton's success last year and the return of Chase Johnson, I can them #3 although Johnson and Tshimanga are not a valid front line alone.  Last I saw, Crutcher was still in the draft.  His return is huge.  I think then the pundits will dump love on the Bonnies at #4.  Again, everyone is back but they remain offensively challenged.  Duquesne is likely #5 if not #4 and they too return everybody.  But they are only five deep and an injury to Hughes, Weathers or Carry becomes a big flat tire.  I'll put Umass at #6 with Tre Mitchell alone but could see VCU come in there or at #7.  I'll say Mason is #8 with Miller, Greene and AJ Wilson all coming back.  Davidson likely deserves to be in here and maybe they replace Mason in my listing.  I know folks are high on Grady and think this New Zealander they have coming in is the new star.  Given the uncertainty, they might even come in as high as#3.  Not in my book.

The bottom line  for me is us and Richmond should be tops and the rest will be a dogfight.  Injuries and luck, along with the unbalanced schedule will be key as always.  Teams will cannibalize each other as they always do and Fordham will finish last.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

How the mighty have fallen?  VCU a top 25 AP preseason team last year, enters the top 144 site as #116.  Reading the analysis, you almost have to wonder if they really belong in the top 144.  They lost all 5 starters, returning only one significant player who was their 6th man last year, although he made the all-A 10 FR team.

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Just finished the VCU read.  #116 overall and #8 team in the A10.  It reads a lot like Rhode Island with a lot more credence given to just as much hope, speculation and wishful thinking as was given to the Rhodey ranking.  Bones Hyland is the main reason for hope given his freshman year but frankly, I thought he was pretty up-and-down last year not only game-to-game, but even half-to-half.  The ranking banks on a lot of growth in folks like Jarron McAllister and Jimmy Clark with steady upperclass influence from Corey Douglas and Vince Williams but neither Douglas nor WIlliams were lights-out consistent  in my book.  Rhoades should be deep enough to employ some of the old HAVOC stuff but I think up front they look weak with a lot of hope placed in Hason Ward's development.  Not sure I agree with VCU having the top A10 recruiting class but I'll be the first to admit I don't know enough to make that judgment.  

I still see VCU coming at you in waves.  Depth should be good enough but scoring is highly questionable.  They will present a problem if and when you play them at Seigel.  They are running on fumes from the Shaka days and Rhoades will likely be given an off-year this year as he and the team prep for next year.  I don't see many four-star recruits on the Ram radar as much as in the Shaka days so I'd be leery of VCU's glitter continuing.  Mason went to a Final Four and has since dropped off the earth; is VCU following that path?  It's going to kill them to be the second-best team in the city of Richmond more than anything else.  

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I think Rhoades lost his team last year. By the time we played them they were in their death throes. Not sure just what took place, but they looked like a very dysfunctional team against us. Just makes me wonder if his guys will go all out for him. 

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Good question.  I saw a team of seniors butting heads with underclassmen and Rhoades having a hard time intertwining the two.  Marcus Evans was the stud who followed Rhoades from Rice to VCU and was mostly hurt and ineffective.  DeRiante Jenkins left the team before the season was over and I never heard why.  Simms and Crowfield were 8th/9th men types at best.  Sean Mobley cleared out two years ago and then a real shocker was Santos-Silva GT-ing this year.  

Who was the real author of HVAOC?  Was it Rhoades or Wade with credit going to Shaka?  In any case, I can't see what the game plan is under Rhoades at this juncture and very few four star recruits are lining up for him as they did Shaka and even Wade at LSU.

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6 hours ago, bauman said:

How the mighty have fallen?  VCU a top 25 AP preseason team last year, enters the top 144 site as #116.  Reading the analysis, you almost have to wonder if they really belong in the top 144.  They lost all 5 starters, returning only one significant player who was their 6th man last year, although he made the all-A 10 FR team.

If either Medley-Bacon or Stockard III get a waiver, the Ram picture will be different. 

(What is going to be interesting is if players will press for a transfer not knowing what the season may develop into....no OOC's? pushed back to spring? will there be a season?)

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Neither should get a waiver.  For what?  COVID?  That has affected all and to me they are no different or in any way special.  College is a guard's game and I don't see a Yuri type on their roster.  Their returning guards barely neared 2 apg last year.  I think it's a selfish bunch.

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13 hours ago, Taj79 said:

Neither should get a waiver.  For what?  COVID?  That has affected all and to me they are no different or in any way special.  

Recent history shows the NCAA grants 2/3 of all waiver requests.

Through May 24, 2019 the NCAA committee for legislative relief had approved 66% of transfer waiver requests across all sports for the 2018-19 academic year, down from 73% in the four previous years combined, according to the NCAA.

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2 hours ago, HoosierPal said:

Recent history shows the NCAA grants 2/3 of all waiver requests.

Through May 24, 2019 the NCAA committee for legislative relief had approved 66% of transfer waiver requests across all sports for the 2018-19 academic year, down from 73% in the four previous years combined, according to the NCAA.

-I wonder the breakdown between P5 and all others

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Davidson enters the Top 144 at #100.  I don't have any issue with the write up.  Alot of speculation here as well but the writers did note that with only Grady returning as a scorer, he will need the ball in his hands more.  The writers says this is a good thing.  This is where I'd disagree.  Unless Mike Jones, Hyungjung Lee or Carter Collins all of a sudden become Grady-esque from three, scoring will be very hard to come by without JAG driving and dishing as he had done the last three years.  JAG by the way is playing professionally in Germany.  

The front court remains extremely soft with Luka Brajkovic, Bates Jones, Nelson Boachie-Yiadom and David Czerapowicz.  Very little mention was given to Kiwi Sam Mennenga , who some on A10 Talk believe is the incoming freshman of the year for the league.  Outside of Mennenga, McKillop signed two guards and I sincerely doubt the Kiwi style will make Mennenga an additional banger on the front line although he is listed at 6'7".  Adding two guards to a stable of Grady, Collins, Lee, and Mike Jones seems not a good balance of power especially when the front line needs serious help.  

JAG really did it all for the Wildcats last year and his production will be hard to replace:  second in scoring at 14.5 ppg, leading rebounder on a soft rebounding team at 7.1 rpg, leading assists man at 4.3 apg and leader in steals at 1.2 pg.  Frankly, without Grady, this team is Fordham-esque.  And how good will Grady be without JAG providing some needed help and key ball deliveries?  Of course, Grady went to Davidson to follow his idol Steph Curry and I do not recall if Steph had much help his senior year as well.  Grady might have got what he wished for.

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5 hours ago, Taj79 said:

Davidson enters the Top 144 at #100.  I don't have any issue with the write up.  Alot of speculation here as well but the writers did note that with only Grady returning as a scorer, he will need the ball in his hands more.  The writers says this is a good thing.  This is where I'd disagree.  Unless Mike Jones, Hyungjung Lee or Carter Collins all of a sudden become Grady-esque from three, scoring will be very hard to come by without JAG driving and dishing as he had done the last three years.  JAG by the way is playing professionally in Germany.  

The front court remains extremely soft with Luka Brajkovic, Bates Jones, Nelson Boachie-Yiadom and David Czerapowicz.  Very little mention was given to Kiwi Sam Mennenga , who some on A10 Talk believe is the incoming freshman of the year for the league.  Outside of Mennenga, McKillop signed two guards and I sincerely doubt the Kiwi style will make Mennenga an additional banger on the front line although he is listed at 6'7".  Adding two guards to a stable of Grady, Collins, Lee, and Mike Jones seems now a good balance of power especially when the front line needs serious help.  

JAG really did it all for the Wildcats last year and his production will be hard to replace:  second in scoring at 14.5 ppg, leading rebounder on a soft rebounding team at 7.1 rpg, leading assists man at 4.3 apg and leader in steals at 1.2 pg.  Frankly, without Grady, this team is Fordham-esque.  And how good will Grady be without JAG providing some needed help and key ball deliveries?  Of course, Grady went to Davidson to follo whsi idol Steph Curry and I do not recall if Steph had much help his senior year as well.  Grady might have got what he wished for.

Grady is a really good scorer but he hasn't exactly improved. Is who he is at this point, and there's not much ceiling to get better as he's more an extremely-skilled player than an athlete whose skills can improve. Maybe he shoots it better. Goodwin has at least improved in almost every facet except FT%. 

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Jon Rothstein lists Davidson as his A10 sleeper.  https://collegehoopstoday.com/index.php/rothstein-files/atlantic-10-preseason-preview/

5. Who is the sleeper?

Davidson. It’s weird to say that about a team coached by Bob McKillop, but it’s the truth. One year after the Wildcats entered a season with monster expectations, they now enter 20-21 as a bit of an afterthought after last year’s 16-14 campaign. It may not stay that way for long. McKillop loses a great player in Jon Axel Gudmundsson, but returns three double-figure scorers in Kellan Grady, Luka Brajkovic, and Carter Collins. Mike Jones and Hyunjung Lee also return after both averaging over 20 minutes per contest last season, with the 6-7 Lee tallying an impressive 8.4 points and 3.1 rebounds as a freshman. McKillop is also bullish on 6-8 freshman Samuel Mennenga, a skilled forward who has the ability to make an immediate impact. There’s enough pieces in place for McKillop — one of the sport’s elite offensive coaches — to have Davidson in the Atlantic 10’s top tier by next March.

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Of passing interest to Bills fans, DePaul comes in at #92 today.  We should be in the Beast instead of them!

Also, remember when we were hoping to use D Jacobs' commitment to get his brother, Markese (who was good enough to get, and accept, a Kansas offer) to sign with us?  Well, for whatever reason, Markese's time at DePaul has been less than what you would expect.  He averaged 3.2 pts last year as a Blue Devil and is discussed in the Top 144 write-up as a bench player this upcoming season.  It seems like we got the better Jacobs brother. 

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They just totally under-rated our incoming guys, and that's understandable. Collins came in and played like a top 100 recruit, and Perkins played like a top 10 JUCO transfer. SLU has both known commodities this year, and guys you can anticipate making leap, plus good newcomers. Richmond has a bunch of seniors who probably maxed out who they are as juniors. To me the floors are even but the ceilings are totally different: SLU's is much, much higher.

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