Friday Nights are for the A-10

We highlight some must-see games in the Atlantic 10 schedule. Plus, Providence replaces size with size, and Eastern Kentucky's perfect chance.

Author

Sean Paul
September 07, 2023

The NFL season kicks off tonight. But until then, bide your time with a little college hoops news.

1. Mark your calendar for these A-10 games

Friday nights remain the Atlantic 10’s domain.

The A-10 dropped its schedule on Wednesday afternoon, complete with 79 national TV games and 135 league games. And as usual, it has a host of marquee games for Friday nights, one of the smarter marketing moves any league makes.

Also a nice bit of marketing? This Duquesne schedule announcement.

With 135 league games, it’s hard to pinpoint a handful of must-see matchups, but I did it anyway.

Jan. 12: Dayton at Duquense

Duquense got back on the winning train last season, collecting 20 wins and 10 in conference play. Its bounce-back leads to plenty of optimism in 2023-24. If the Dukes pull off an upset victory over Dayton, it would cement them as a true contender. Duquense has the bodies to defend Dayton’s DaRon Holmes, plus it has an elite scoring guard in Dae Dae Grant.

Jan. 13: UMass at Rhode Island

Neither of these programs is likely a top-five team, but it’s always entertaining to see two proven coaches such as Frank Martin and Archie Miller face off. It’s Year 2 for both at their programs, so this game will be a good indicator of how the season might shape up.

Jan. 28: Saint Joseph’s at St Bonaventure

The Bonnies look like Dayton’s biggest competitor in the A-10 but don’t sleep on St Joe’s. The Hawks return guard Erik Reynolds, who averaged 19 points per game, and opposing A10 coaches voted him as the most feared player in the league for #TheCBBAlmanac. (Buy The Almanac here.)

Feb. 14: Saint Bonaventure at Fordham

Nothing like some Valentine’s Day hoops. Fordham is ready for another strong season after Keith Urgo won 25 games in his first season. Talk about a great first impression. How will the Rams fare against an experienced Bonnies team? Sounds like a great date night.

March 1: Dayton at Loyola Chicago

Dayton’s on this list a lot, but it’s for good reason. The Flyers are the team opponents have circled on the calendar. How will it shake out against a Ramblers team that went 10-21 in their inaugural A-10 season? No better opportunity to prove yourself than against the league’s top program.

March 5: Dayton at Saint Louis

Dayton and Saint Louis always have nail-biting showdowns. The Flyers won two consecutive games in Chaifetz Arena in 2020 and 2021 but lost the past two meetings. Something has to give.

March 8: VCU at Dayton

Ryan Odom’s first introduction to UD Arena is on the final regular-season Friday of the season. Both programs are capable of winning the league, which means this game could decide the champion. The new-look Rams will play a vastly different style than the defense-first identity deployed under Mike Rhoades — namely, with an offensive-minded approach. We’ll see if it works.

See the full A-10 schedule here.

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2. Providence loses size, adds some youth

Providence lost a key rotation piece this week when Will McNair Jr. decided to re-enter the transfer portal. He previously spent three seasons at New Mexico State and one at Mississippi State.

Sure, his numbers don’t jump off the screen — 3.3 points, 3.3 rebounds in 12 minutes per game for Miss State. But that’s because he was buried behind All-SEC big Tolu Smith, and only played when Smith needed a breather. He was likely going to come off the bench for the Friars as well, but at 6-11 and 265 pounds, he had the size and experience to compete with the likes of Donovan Clingan and Ryan Kalkbrenner.

Now, the Friars will likely rely on George Mason transfer Josh Oduru, who’s regarded as a dominant offensive player and former top-150 recruit Rafael Castro.

Eli DeLaurier is a 3-star prospect who reclassified to 2023 and will join the team immediately. DeLaurier’s not quite as bulky as McNair (6-10, 220 pounds) but the size will be crucial.

How will Providence win in Kim English’s first season? Offense. English kept standouts Devin Carter and Bryce Hopkins from entering the portal and brought in Oduru as a reliable third-scoring threat to complement the two. Also, freshman Garwey Dual has generated plenty of buzz this off-season for his shot-making ability and athleticism. That’s a fearsome foursome in Friartown and one that should get them to the NCAA Tournament.

3. Colonels ready to run the ASUN

Eastern Kentucky isn’t seen as one of the country’s premier mid-major programs. Hell, they’re usually behind Murray State and Morehead State in the state of Kentucky alone.

That said, the Colonels returned the pieces to compete in the ASUN. And could just be the best mid-major program in the state.

Coach AW Hamilton wants his teams to play fast. He’ll feature multiple ball-handling guards with high IQ and the ability to read ball screens at a high level. They have just the thing in exciting sophomore guards Leland Walker (9.4 points, 2.7 assists) and Tayshawn Comer (8.0 PPG, 3.6 APG.) As freshmen, both played more than 20 minutes per game and figure to be even bigger pieces this season.

But that’s not all.

Eastern Kentucky won 23 games last season and made a run to the CBI semifinals thanks to dominant performances from All-league first-teamer Devontae Blanton. The skilled 6-6 shot-creating specialist averaged 16 ppg, and shot 39 percent from deep, leading EKU in multiple offensive categories. He’ll vie for conference POY.

Yet the biggest difference last season was the emergence of big man Isaiah Cozart. EKU’s interior defense couldn’t stop a soul inside in 2022, allowing teams to shoot 56.6% on two-point field goals (356th nationally) and lacked any sort of true rim-protecting presence. The thickly-built 6-7, 240-pound Cozart has no qualms about walling up hopeful scorers inside. His presence helped drop two-point field goal percentage from 56 percent to 49 percent

Cozart will occupy the five paired with floor-stretching forward Michael Moreno (11.1 points), who will help bring adequate floor-spacing in half-court sets due to his elite shooting prowess.

Given Liberty’s departure from the conference and Kennesaw State losing its entire roster, it will open the door for a new league champ. Sounds like the perfect time for Eastern Kentucky.

Not-so-plain English

How do you make your mark when replacing a beloved, accomplished coach like Ed Cooley? If you’re Kim English, you retain your essential players, bring in new talent and position your program for continued success. Maybe that’s why John Fanta and Rob Dauster are handing out such a good grade for the Friars.

Links as you make those last-minute fantasy football tweaks.

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