The 2018-2019 Atlantic 10 MBB Dark Horses
These are the Atlantic 10 MBB teams that have the potential to compete for the regular season conference title or the Atlantic 10 championship in the Barclays Center:
VCU - The addition of Rice transfer Marcus Evans is monumental for the young Rams from Richmond, VA. Moreover, two of their top three leading scorers from last season, De'Riante Jenkins and Issac Vann return this season. Just like last season (top-five finish), Mike Rhoades' team is one to keep an eye on if they can make a run in conference play.
UMass - Luwane Pipkins showed flashes of all-conference Player of the Year potential last season. Meanwhile, Carl Pierre showed a solid shooting stroke from beyond the arc in his freshman season and Keon Clergeot could be an underrated transfer in the Atlantic 10.
Saint Bonaventure - The Bonnies have a reliable frontcourt group of LaDarien Griffin, Courtney Stockard, and Amadi Ikpeze. UNLV transfer Jalen Poyser is capable of picking up a load of the scoring but the other guards on the team are question marks.
Richmond - Fresh off of his 2018 all-rookie team selection, Grant Golden is a focal point for the Spiders on both ends of the floor. Nick Sherod and Jacob Gilyard are capable of picking up the lead supportive roles but they will need rapid growth from a player like Julius Johnson.
Duquesne - Similar to the 2017-2018 season, the Duke have the potential to cause upsets and pull off a handful of unexpected wins. Eric Williams Jr. is a great talent for Keith Dambrot to work with and Mike Lewis II is a steady presence in the backcourt.
