In a deep and relatively open A10, look for VCU, Dayton and Saint Louis to duke it out at the top.
It’s the second straight season that the Atlantic 10 will be one of the best mid-major conferences in the country and most certainly the best east of the Mississippi. Last season saw a battle royale at the top between the three top teams and a capable middle of the league.
Chaos ensued throughout the conference, with Richmond and Loyola Chicago finishing at the top by the end of the regular season, despite being picked to finish 11th and eighth, respectively. Neither team would make the NCAA tournament, however. The conference was a two-bid league, though, with the committee rewarding Dayton, which finished one game back in the standings despite having the most formidable roster, and Duquesne, which shocked the league by winning their final eight games, including a four-game run in the conference tournament.
Each team won its first game in the Big Dance and, in the process, proved that the league deserves future two-bid consideration. The A10 is likely to get that many — or more — in 2025 given how deep this conference appears to run, both with title contenders and competent teams that will test them.
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Projected Order of Finish
1. VCU Rams
Ryan Odom’s Rams appear to be the team to beat in his second year in Richmond. They bring back six contributors from a team that finished four games out of first place last season. The key to those returnees are the veteran guards Zeb Jackson, Joseph Bamisile and Max Shulga. The trifecta offers size and the ability to create offense throughout, with these three serving as last year’s leading scorers.
Jackson (11.4 ppg, 3.3 apg) can create off the dribble and is quick for his length. He can force defenses to collapse toward the basket and give clean looks for his Shulga (14.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.6 apg) and Bamisile (13.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg) on the perimeter. Shulga, meanwhile, is the most notable of the group. He returned to VCU after testing the transfer portal and weighing offers from power conference schools. The 6-4 senior even initially committed to Villanova before deciding to come back.
Shulga’s 43.9 percent 3-point shooting in conference play was the third-highest in the A10, and the Rams will be able to exploit a ton of teams with their spacing and athleticism with the addition of 6-8 guard Jack Clark (4.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg at Clemson). The veteran Clark is a familiar face in the league, too, averaging 11.0 points over three seasons at La Salle from 2018-22.
Odom also added another veteran guard with A-10 experience in 5-10 Phillip Russell (14.9 ppg, 4.4 apg, 38.0 3P% at UT Arlington). He will serve as the team’s other ballhandler and allow Shulga to get quality looks in catch-and-shoot scenarios. Russell started his career at Saint Louis and later led SEMO to the 2023 NCAA Tournament before winning WAC Sixth Man of the Year at UTA last year.
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