A-10 Roundup Vol. 12: Does the Road for the Rams End Here?

While I celebrated last week as one of the first times we've gotten to see the entire conference play at once, these good times may be quickly fading. As we move closer and close to the Conference Tournament, the possibility of a normal finish to the season is once again in jeopardy. Here are my biggest takeaways from this week, along with my team of the week, and updated rankings.

Fordham Enters Another Pause as On-Campus Cases Climb

On Sunday morning, Fordham University announced that the campus would be shutting down for two weeks due to a high number of on campus cases. All classes would move to a strictly online setting, and all extracurricular programs would be put on hold. Included in this shutdown are all athletic programs, meaning that Fordham's remaining three games would all be postponed.

For some fans of the Atlantic 10, this may be irrelevant news. For some Fordham fans, this might be some good news, as Fordham's season is pretty much over anyway. However, I really think this is incredibly unfortunate when looking at this situation from Fordham's perspective. While the remaining three games on their schedule were unlikely to produce any wins, they could have been crucial for development of this team before the head coach search really kicks into high gear this offseason. There is still some time between the possible end of quarantine and the A-10 Tourney to sneak in a game or two, but considering how tight of a schedule this season has produced, I find it hard to think that they'll get another chance to play.

VCU Continues to be a Threat

It's not a hot take anymore to consider VCU as a top team in the conference this year. Regardless, pulling off this nail-biter win over the Bonnies on Friday was nothing short of impressive. While a missed game-tying buzzer beater is what most will take away from the game, it's important to note what VCU did so well to put them in that situation. Scoring 18 points off of 10 Bona turnovers, the Rams gave themselves plenty of opportunities to stay afloat against a team that had already beaten them by double-digits this season. Major props should also be given to VCU's frontcourt, snagging 19 offensive rebounds. VCU has been a killer team on their own homecourt, and considering they'll be a co-host of this year's conference tourney, they'll be a sneaky pick for that auto-bid on Selection Sunday.

Team of the Week

Forwards:

Sr. Hasahn French(SLU)- French looked like he was in a class of his own against Fordham on Saturday, snagging 11 out of a team season high 55(!) rebounds for the Billikens. Taking advantage of a much smaller team, French's physicality on both ends of the court has been a huge key to SLU's success this season.

Jr. Osun Osunniyi (BONA)- Osunniyi racked up a solid statline against La Salle on Tuesday, dropping 17 points to go along with 3 blocks and 8 rebounds.

Guards:

Jr. Jalen Adaway (BONA)- I'm always a bit apprehensive giving a team of the week after a loss, but given how this game ended, I'll be generous. If it weren't for VCU's own hot set of scorers, Adaway would have lead his Bonnies to a solid victory with his 22 point performance. He's going to be a go-to guy for tough offensive situations for however many games the Bonnies have left.

Sr. Javonte Perkins (SLU)- Perkins was very close to outscoring all of Fordham in the first half of their game on Saturday, falling just 1 point behind the Rams' first half total of 17. Despite only dropping 3 more points in the second, no player on either side came close to matching the performance that Perkins put up.

So. Nah'Shon Hyland (VCU)-Once again, I gotta show some love for bones. Hyland dropped 22 against Bonaventure on Friday to go along with 1 steal. He's my player to watch for the Conference Tournament in a few weeks.

Rankings

We had a few teams not play this week, and with Fordham suspending play once again, I don't think we'll have another complete weekly ranking for the rest of the season. The most points a team can earn this week is 9.

This Week's Ranking:

1. VCU (9 Pts.)

2. Saint Louis (8 Pts.)

3. St. Bonaventure (7 Pts.)

4. Richmond (6 Pts.)

5. George Mason (5 Pts.)

6. Dayton (4 Pts.)

7. URI (3 Pts.)

8. La Salle (2 Pts.)

9. Fordham (1 Pt.)

Season Aggregate Rankings:

1. VCU (95 Pts.)

2. Richmond (80 Pts.)

3. St. Bonaventure (71 Pts.)

4. Dayton (70 Pts.)

5. Saint Louis (69 Pts.)

6. URI (66 Pts.)

7. Davidson (61 Pts.)

8. UMass (49 Pts.)

9. La Salle (46 Pts.)

10. Duquesne (40 Pts.)

11. George Mason (40 Pts.)

12. George Washington (29 Pts.)

13. Fordham (15 Pts.)

14. St. Joe's (13 Pts.)