Atlantic 10 predictions roundup: Saint Louis favored by most

The college basketball season begins in 3½ months. Most of the offseason roster moves have taken place. It’s not too early to make predictions about the Atlantic 10 Conference race, even though the official preseason poll won’t come out until October.

Based on the early rankings, Saint Louis, George Mason and St. Joseph’s are the favorites. No one really knows where to rank Dayton, Virginia Commonwealth, Massachusetts and most of the teams in the middle.

Last year’s top-two teams in the regular season, Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure, are expected to fall in the standings. The defending A-10 tournament champion, Davidson, should contend for the title. And La Salle, George Washington and Fordham are expected to bring up the rear of the conference.

Here is my prediction from April and some others that have come out recently:

David Jablonski: 1. Saint Louis; 2. George Mason; 3. St. Joseph's; 4. Dayton; 5. Davidson; 6. Richmond; 7. Massachusetts; 8. Rhode Island; 9. Virginia Commonwealth; 10. St. Bonaventure; 11. Duquesne; 12. La Salle; 13. George Washington; 14. Fordham.

Zachary Weiss, DYSTPittsburgh.com: 1. Saint Louis; 2. George Mason; 3. Saint Joseph's; 4. Davidson; 5. Rhode Island; 6. Duquesne; 7. Massachusetts; 8. Dayton; 9. VCU; 10. St. Bonaventure; 11. Richmond; 12. La Salle; 13. George Washington.; 14. Fordham.

John O'Connor, Richmond Times-Dispatch: 1. Saint Louis; 2. George Mason; 3. Saint Joseph's; 4. Davidson; 5. Massachusetts; 6. Richmond; 7. VCU; 8. Dayton; 9. St. Bonaventure; 10. Rhode Island; 11. Duquesne; 12. George Washington; 13. La Salle; 14. Fordham.

@ShoweyD, Dayton fan: 1. Davidson; 2. St. Joseph's; 3. Saint Louis; 4. George Mason; 5. Dayton; 6. UMass; 7. Rhode Island; 8. Duquesne; 9. VCU; 10. St. Bonaventure; 11. George Washington; 12. Richmond; 13. La Salle; 14. Fordham.

Jon Rothstein, CBSSports.com: 1. Saint Louis; 2. Saint Joseph's; 3. Davidson; 4. Rhode Island; 5. George Mason; 6. St. Bonaventure; 7. Dayton; 8. UMass; 9. VCU; 10. Duquesne; 11. Richmond; 12. La Salle; 13. George Washington; 14. Fordham.

Brad Cavallaro, BustingBrackets.com: 1. Saint Louis; 2. George Mason; 3. VCU; 4. Rhode Island; 5. Saint Joseph's; 6. Duquesne; 7. UMass; 8. Davidson; 9. St. Bonaventure; 10. Dayton; 11. Lasalle; 12. George Washington; 13. Richmond; 14. Fordham.

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About the Author

David Jablonski

David Jablonski covers the Dayton Flyers and other sports for the Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and Journal News.