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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Richmond
- Saint Louis
- Dayton
- Saint Bonaventure
- Duquesne
- Rhode Island
- Davidson
- UMass
- VCU
- George Mason
- George Washington
- Saint Joseph’s
- La Salle
- Fordham
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:
-Kellan Grady – SR, G – Davidson
-Jalen Crutcher – SR, G – Dayton
-Tre Mitchell – SO, C – UMass
-Fatts Russell – SR, G – Rhode Island
-Jacob Gilyard- SR, G – Richmond
-Jordan Goodwin – SR, G – Saint Louis
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:
-Marcus Weathers – SR, F – Duquesne
-Blake Francis – SR, G – Richmond
-Grant Golden – SR, F – Richmond
-Kyle Lofton – JR, G – Saint Bonaventure
-Ryan Daly – SR, G – Saint Joseph’s
-Hasahn French – SR, F – Saint Louis
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 3RD TEAM:
-Sincere Carry – JR, G – Duquesne
-Javon Greene – SR, G – George Mason
-AJ Wilson – SR, F – George Mason
-Osun Osunniyi – JR, F/C – Saint Bonaventure
-Javonte Perkins – SR, G/F – Saint Louis
-Bones Hyland – SO, G – VCU
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-It is almost impossible for me to not start with Dayton. They had, if not their best season in school history, certainly the best season since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams. They lost just two games all season long and appeared to be heading toward a #1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and for a program that is as passionately supported as Dayton despite never really achieving that level of blue-blood type of success you just got the feeling that something really special was going to happen in the NCAA Tournament. Of all the teams that I was sick for last year, I was most sick for Dayton. A lot of pieces are gone from last year’s team, most notably national POY Obi Toppin, but Jalen Crutcher is back and if we learned anything last year it is that national COY Anthony Grant can develop players and surpass preseason expectations. While Dayton missed out on a year where they could have gone deep into the NCAA Tournament, I think the program is now at a point to where they will be NCAA Tourney regulars and it would not surprise me to see them in there this year.
-Richmond is another team that people are big on, and they have even cracked several preseason top-25s. It make sense when you consider all of the pieces they have coming back and all of the experienced upperclassmen that they have. It could end up being a very special year for the Spiders.
-Saint Louis is another team that could really have something special. All five starters are back from a team that won 23 games and flirted with the bubble a year ago. If they play up to their potential they will probably do more than just flirt with the bubble, but instead be safely inside of it.
-I have been beating the Duquesne drum ever since Coach Keith Dambrot arrived, and will continue to do so this year. They have not been in the mix for the NCAA Tournament, but they have noticeably improved each of the last four seasons and cracked the top-100 of the KenPom ratings for the first time in like forever. With four starters back, look for them to once again take a big step forward.
-Saint Bonaventure also has all five starters back, and could also once again be a team that we are hearing about in March. They did seem to struggle against the top half of the league last year, so they will need to step it up a notch if they want to be in the mix for first place this year.
-Rhode Island won 21 games a year ago and has remained respectable in the conference under Coach David Cox, but I do not see them being atop the league any time soon. Just two starters are back and it looks like they are rebuilding somewhat.
-Davidson is a team we expected a lot out of in recent years, and they just have not lived up to expectations. This year the expectations are low so they should be able to at least live up to them. Bob McKillop is a phenomenal coach and Kellan Grady is one of the better players in the conference, so they could do more than what many are expecting them to this year, but for now I think a lot of people are trying to wash the nasty taste out of their mouth from last year’s disappointing season.
-I am not ready to declare UMass a force in the A-10, but I will say that I think they are moving in the right direction under Coach Matt McCall. This will be his third season, they showed (some) improvement last year, and with three starters back including Tre Mitchell they should continue that improvement into this year.
-VCU is in complete rebuilding mode. They were not particularly strong last year and lost most of their contributing players. I do think the overall health of their program is strong and that they will be back in the mix some day…but that likely will not be this year.
-George Mason returns all five starters, but they were a crappy team a year ago so it is hard to know whether or not to get excited about that.
-George Washington, Saint Joseph’s, La Salle, and Fordham will bring up the rear of the league, and while all four of those teams are awful Fordham again looks to be the most awful. The top of this league looks like a solid multi-bid-caliber league. The bottom of this league looks like the Metro Atlantic, and truth be told I am not even sure how well these four teams would do in that league.