Dear Gary (on the A-10's start)

Here's Wednesday's Dear Gary ...

Dear Gary: Is it me or is the Atlantic 10 doing surprisingly well as a conference so far?

-- Neil

I think it's just you, Neil.

Hard to say a conference is doing well when the team picked first, Dayton, already has two losses, including one on a neutral court to the team picked fourth in the Big 12 (Kansas State). The team picked second in the A-10, Xavier, remains undefeated, but the Musketeers haven't played anybody. The team picked third in the A-10, Richmond, has a loss to William & Mary. And the team picked fourth in the A-10, La Salle, lost by double-digits on a neutral court to South Carolina. So the top four in the A-10 aren't off to great starts, although it's only fair to note that Temple -- with a one-point loss to Georgetown and victory over Siena -- appears to be better than anticipated.

Either way, as a league, the A-10 isn't doing surprisingly well.

I still believe in Dayton, I like Xavier, and I'm willing to give Temple the benefit of the doubt because the Owls have looked good. But when three of the supposed top four in a league already have losses (and the fourth hasn't beaten anybody), it's difficult to get too excited. So let's give it a few more weeks, take a closer look and reexamine it then.

Mateer Reputation: 75 Level: Pro Since: Aug 29, 2006	Posted on: November 30, 2009 4:14 pm Score: 161 Dear Gary (on the A-10's start) No? They have quite a few BCS Scalps, what are they fourth or fith most in noncon BCS wins? Richmond just won a tournament, and William and Mary their bad loss, just beat Wake Forest. Not looking like such a bad loss afterall. Richmond will have their hands full with in state rival ODU (too good to lose three in a row), and in city rival VCU, which would be a lot better wins than they might look on paper. After that Florida, South Carolina, and Wake Forest will present more resume building opportunities. I think this school should be on your radar. Folly to write them off so early, they return a lot of experience, and though going through a readjustment fitting their top scorer from two years ago back into the framework of the team (definitely caused some hiccups vs. W&M), seem to be jelling and might just be the top dog in the A10. Dayton, had some guard issues and Xavier has a ton of new players, both will improve rapidly once they new parts integrate into the team. Neither is lacking in talent. Unfortunately for Xavier and the league, it may take until league play for the X-men to get their act together. Temple is impressive and Rhode Island has been good from out of nowhere. I don't think Charlotte is anything to sneeze at either. They got trounced at Duke but Duke has looked like Final Four material this year. I seem to recall Michigan State getting pounded by UNC last year and they turned out alright. Charlotte has a lot of potential this year, maybe Lutz will remember how to coach, like he used to in CUSA. Also, the Bonnies seem to be turning a corner. It's early for RPI, but the top of the A10 ain't bad. [ Reply to Comment ]

No? They have quite a few BCS Scalps, what are they fourth or fith most in noncon BCS wins? Richmond just won a tournament, and William and Mary their bad loss, just beat Wake Forest. Not looking like such a bad loss afterall. Richmond will have their hands full with in state rival ODU (too good to lose three in a row), and in city rival VCU, which would be a lot better wins than they might look on paper. After that Florida, South Carolina, and Wake Forest will present more resume building opportunities. I think this school should be on your radar. Folly to write them off so early, they return a lot of experience, and though going through a readjustment fitting their top scorer from two years ago back into the framework of the team (definitely caused some hiccups vs. W&M), seem to be jelling and might just be the top dog in the A10.

Dayton, had some guard issues and Xavier has a ton of new players, both will improve rapidly once they new parts integrate into the team. Neither is lacking in talent. Unfortunately for Xavier and the league, it may take until league play for the X-men to get their act together. Temple is impressive and Rhode Island has been good from out of nowhere. I don't think Charlotte is anything to sneeze at either. They got trounced at Duke but Duke has looked like Final Four material this year. I seem to recall Michigan State getting pounded by UNC last year and they turned out alright. Charlotte has a lot of potential this year, maybe Lutz will remember how to coach, like he used to in CUSA. Also, the Bonnies seem to be turning a corner. It's early for RPI, but the top of the A10 ain't bad.

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Dear Gary (on the A-10's start)

Dear Gary (on the A-10's start)