Week five in the Atlantic 10 Conference saw some significant wins and upsets, Dayton competing with the high-major powerhouses all while there was a pair of departures in The Bronx.
Our resident A10 reporter, Riley Frain, is bringing you a weekly notebook this season to recap all the latest news from his coverage around the league.
This week, it’s just getting worse and worse for Fordham. George Mason is starting to receive some national attention, and there are a couple of Quad 1 opportunities around the conference.
Dayton continues rolling after solid showing against No. 9 BYU
At 7-2, Dayton is cruising through its toughest stretch in the non-conference with wins over Marquette, Georgetown, and East Tennessee State. A stretch that included the Flyers battling No. 9 BYU to the wire in an 83-79 loss despite 22 points from senior guard Javon Bennett.
It was a performance that lifted Dayton into the national spotlight with an opportunity to continue rolling against another high-major opponent on Saturday. The Flyers will meet KenPom’s 24th-ranked program in Virginia on a neutral court, which is a shot at Anthony Grant’s first Quad 1 win this season.
Zarique Nutter, Jace Howard off Fordham’s roster
As was announced last weekend, graduate senior wing and Michigan transfer Jace Howard was forced to medically retire and depart Fordham. He had played just two games for the Rams since arriving this past offseason, so it wasn’t a major blow to head coach Mike Magpayo’s plans.
However, there was a noticeable absence of graduate senior guard Zarique Nutter from Fordham’s online roster on Monday. The Georgia Southern transfer had started two out of three games when healthy and averaged 12.7 PPG which was second most for the Rams.
Though nothing has been officially confirmed about Nutter by the University, his departure is massive for a Fordham team that’s struggling offensively. Magpayo and Co. just picked up two wins in a visit to Quebec but closed out the trip with a deflating loss to Colgate.
George Mason: The Last of the A10’s Undefeateds
Though it’s Dayton competing with the national powerhouse programs, there was only one A10 team receiving votes in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll. Following a 99-81 win over Cornell on Tuesday night, George Mason is 9-0 for the first time in program history led by a diverse group of transfers.
I’ll mention it every week if I can, but junior guard Kory Mincy continues to be phenomenal in the wake of Brayden O’Connor’s injury. Jabari Long, Riley Allenspach, and Masai Torutman have all flourished in new roles under head coach Tony Skinn.
Undefeated George Mason will have to prove it with a visit to Virginia Tech on the schedule this weekend. It’s the Patriots’ first top-110 test this season by KenPom, but a chance for this program to announce itself to the country.
Big 5 Classic underway from Xfinity Mobile Arena this weekend
Though we won’t have an A10 program competing for the Big 5 Classic title for the first time since its induction, these are still important games. La Salle is coming off a 0-3 run at the Cathedral Classic while St. Joe’s won its last two but has struggled early under new head coach Steve Donahue.
La Salle will tip off in the third-place game at 2 p.m. eastern Saturday against Drexel and is desperate for some offensive consistency. Graduate senior guard Jaeden Marshall is trying to carry the load as the Explorers lead scorers but even he’s wilted of late.
St. Joe’s will see Temple in the Second Place game for the 162nd all-time meeting between the two programs. Sophomore guard Deuce Jones II has had six straight double-digit performances for the Hawks but who will step up to help him?
Myself (@rileyfrain on Twitter/X) and Jake Copestick (@JakeCopestick on Twitter/X) will have coverage on all three games for MMM. Be sure to check it out and stay tuned for written content to follow this weekend.
How will Rhode Island handle Providence?
Rhode Island is finding some early season success and had a 2-1 showing at the ESPN Events Invitational last week. The Rams’ lone loss of the MTE came against CAA preseason favorite Towson and was followed up by a double-digit win over Brown on Tuesday.
Momentum is building for Archie Miller and Rhode Island with some consistently solid performances, but it all comes to a head at Providence this weekend. The Friars have struggled somewhat early in 2025-26 and, according to KenPom, have the 115th-ranked defense in the nation.
All of that should give the Rams a shot at a high-major upset in a heated local rivalry. But unfortunately, it wouldn’t even count as a Quad 1 win by the NCAA’s current NET rankings.
Richmond over Belmont in a Q1 upset for the A10
Chris Mooney’s Richmond went into Nashville on Wednesday and upset undefeated Belmont, 84-76. It was a night with 14 lead changes as the Spiders pulled away with an 11-2 run in the final 1:37 of regulation for the program’s seventh win this season.
Graduate senior guard and Loyola Marymount transfer Will Johnston is starting to find his groove and led the way with 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Not only is it the A10’s third Quad 1 win this season, but Richmond had tied its best eight-game start in program history at 7-1. The Spiders, selected 10th in the conference’s preseason poll, are looking legit.
Stanford loss but a blip on Saint Louis’s radar
Saint Louis was an undefeated 6-0 heading into last weekend before a loss to Stanford added a blemish to the Billikens previously perfect record. Josh Schertz and Co. fell by just one point, 78-77, on a last-second three-pointer thanks to a kick out offensive rebound from a missed free throw.
It didn’t keep the Billikens down for long though, who responded with a blowout win on the road over Loyola Marymount. Saint Louis cruised, 91-70, behind a season-high 23 points from former top-100 prospect and Xavier transfer Trey Green.
Schertz has been getting contributions from just about everybody with seven different scorers averaging more than 7.8 PPG in his rotation. However, it’s the defense that’s really impressed early with a physical unit that ranks 30th in defensive efficiency on KenPom.
