A month in review... November for Atlantic 10 men's basketball

Photo courtesy of Shane Donaldson

In a world where madness at the mid-major level runs rampant through the non-conference schedule, upsets and surprises have been prevalent all over the Atlantic 10 conference.

Through the first month of the season we have seen programs drop buy-games, take down power-four programs and defy preseason expectations. Here are some of the headlines from the month of November inside the A-10.

The Proven Force: Dayton Flyers

After making it to the Round of 32 in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, expectations were high for Dayton entering the 2024-25 campaign. Being selected second in the A-10 Preseason Poll reinforced those beliefs of the greater public and the Flyers have proved those projections to be valid with their vivacious 6-2 start.

While they are not one of the 17 undefeated teams in the country, their only two losses have come to the likes of #12 North Carolina and #5 Iowa State. Making an even larger case, those two losses were only by a combined seven points.

Moving away from their defeats, last time out Dayton took down #2 UConn in their final game down at the Maui Invitational, a statement win for one of the more dominant mid-major programs in the past few years.

If Dayton’s performance remains on this level of quality, they could see another NCAA tournament in their future.

The Surprising Contender: Rhode Island Rams

After back-to-back seasons with first round exits in the A-10 tournament, and a mass exodus of rostered players in three consecutive seasons, nobody expected much out of Rhode Island in the 2024-25 season.

However, the Rams have taken their 11th place ranking in the preseason poll, chewed it up and spit it out, standing inside the top-two of the A-10 standings with a record of 7-0. The start to this season marks the best start for Rhody since 1980, and despite a relative “pillow fight” of a non-conference schedule in November, Rhode Island has their toughest tests coming down the pipe.

The Rams host Yale and Providence in the first week of December, both “winnable games” by way of the KenPom index. If Rhode Island can handle the two New England foes, they could silence a lot of doubters and prove to the masses that they are a contender in this conference.

The Disappointing Member: Duquesne Dukes

After winning the A-10 tournament and advancing to the Round of 32, the Dukes said farewell to their Head Coach Keith Dambrot. While not many expected Duquesne to go back-to-back and win another title down in Washington D.C. in March, it is safe to say that very few saw this start coming.

After being voted eighth in the preseason poll, the Dukes have started the year 1-6, winning their first game last time out against Old Dominion on Nov. 26. 

The Dukes average just 65.4 points per game, the only team in the A-10 to average under 70 points per game. If they cannot pick up the pace, they will struggle greatly against a rather strong offensive conference.