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Image: AP
Oh man. What a week for the Atlantic 10. A few of the top dogs went down hard, giving room for those in the middle and bottom of the pack to shine. Let's check out some of the most exciting moments in the Atlantic 10 this week, along with this week's best squad and updated rankings.
Dayton Takes Down No. 4 Kansas at the Buzzer, then Beats Belmont to Win ESPN Invitational
What a wild season Dayton has had so far. Entering the ESPN Events Invitational on a three game skid (to clear non-tournament teams by the way), the Flyers advanced to the semifinals with a solid win over Miami. However, it was their game against the fourth best team in the country that would really send some waves throughout the country. On Friday against the Jayhawks, the Flyers came out a bit sluggish as they went down ten at the half. However, with a team featuring 12 freshman (8 redshirt), the Flyers had the advantage of youthful stamina on their side, and along with some quick adjustments, Dayton was able to lock down Kansas. Dayton prevented Kansas from hitting a single three pointer in the entire second half, allowing them to close the gap and win it on a Mustapha Amzil buzzer beater.
Despite the loss, Kansas is still one of the best teams in the country. Luckily for Dayton, this means that their win could mean a lot when looking for an at-large bid in March.
Fordham Takes Third at the Gulf Coast Showcase
In another impressive MTE performance, Fordham held their own against some solid mid-major teams at the Gulf Coast Showcase down in Florida. Opening their tournament with a 20 point win over Akron, the Rams solid defense allowed them to get the win. The Zips looked confused on offense in the second half, taking a lot of sloppy shots from deep to close their deficit which only ended up missing and allowing Fordham to keep piling on the points. The key for Fordham in this one was their composure; the Rams looked best in set plays, as comfortable as ever with each other as the team recorded 7 assists. Their transition game looked to improve as well as they were more confident driving to the basket.
Their semifinal loss to Delaware was a minor setback during the week, as the Rams went down too hard in the first half to mount a major comeback. Against Rice on Wednesday, however, the Rams were able to close out the Showcase with a solid win. A close one for most of the game, a 12-0 Rams run helped seal their victory. Darius Quisenberry was no doubt the top performer for the Rams all weekend. His shot arsenal is unmatched, and he was able to 17, 10, and 24 points respectively for Fordham over the three games.
Team of the Week
Forwards:
Taylor Funk (SJU)- Funk was an absolute beast against Georgetown on Friday, dropping 29 points, hitting 8 of his 10 shots from three-point range.
Guards:
Darius Quisenberry (FOR): Quisenberry continues to be one of the most prolific scorers in the conference, dropping 24 against Rice to give the Rams their second win in the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Hyunjung Lee (DAV): Lee led the Wildcats to a blowout win over Robert Morris with 23 points.
Daron Holmes (DAY): Holmes is no doubt the leader of Dayton's young core, and he showed that with his 16 points against Kansas on Friday night.
Jeremy Sheppard (URI)- Sheppard dished 6 assists to go along with 21 points against Georgia State on Saturday night.
Rankings
This Week's Rankings:
Saint Louis (14 Points)
Bonnies (13 Points)
Davidson (12 Points)
Rhody (11 Points)
UMass (10 Points)
Dayton (9 Points)
Fordham (8 Points)
St. Joe's (7 Points)
Duquesne (6 Points)
Richmond (5 Points)
VCU (4 Points)
George Mason (3 Points)
La Salle (2 Points)
George Washington (1 Point)
Season Rankings:
Bonnies (41 Points)
Saint Louis (38 Points)
Rhody (35 Points)
Davidson (29 Points)
George Mason (27 Points)
UMass (23 Points)
Richmond (23 Points)
St. Joe's (21 Points)
Fordham (20 Points)
Dayton (19 Points)
VCU (14 Points)
Duquesne (12 Points)
La Salle (9 Points)
George Washington (4 Points)
See you next week!
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