College Chalktalk is the RTC correspondent for the Atlantic 10 Conference.

By CCT Staff | December 1, 2008

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Damian Saunders (So.), Duquesne. Saunders enjoyed an excellent week, capped by an immense performance in one of the toughest environments in all of college basketball, where he scored 22 points and snared 10 boards in a loss at Duke.  It was his second performance recording at least 20 points and 10 rebounds on the week, as he filled the statsheet with 20 points and 12 boards earlier in a win over USC Upstate.  Saunders shot 16 for 25 from the field in the seven-day span, including a 4 for 9 effort from beyond the arc for the 6-foot-7 forward.

HONORABLE MENTION: David Gonzalvez, (Jr.) Richmond; Chris Wright, (So.) Dayton.

(Note: College Chalktalk’s week runs from the previous Monday through Sunday, given the release of ‘This Week in the A-10′ each Monday morning.)

GAME OF THE WEEK: November 29, 2008.  Dayton 89, (15) Marquette 75.

When your bench outscores an opponents’ bench 48-5, good things usually happen.  Such was the case for Dayton, as the Flyers backups led the upset of the fifteenth ranked Marquette Golden Eagles to claim the Chicago Invitational Challenge title.  While Tournament MVP Chris Wright (13 points, 13 boards) was solid as usual, it was Rob Lowery’s 21 points (career high) that stood out.  Chris Johnson also contributed with his first career double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 boards.

GAME OF THE UPCOMING WEEK: Rhode Island @ Providence: This battle is for bragging rights in the Ocean State, as the Rams take on their rivals from the Big East, the Friars.  The Rams (5-2) won last year’s contest held in Kingston, 77-60.  Providence (4-3), however, holds a 66-53 edge overall in the series.  The Rams will aim to stop Providence’s balanced offensive attack which features eight players that average at least 6.5 points per game.  The Friars look to frustrate the fast-paced Ram offense, currently averaging 81.1 points per contest.

RPI BOOST OF THE WEEK: Dayton; RPI No. 19 (Up 156 spots from 175 last week):  As is evident, early season RPIs fluctuate greatly, but Dayton ensured its RPI continued in the preferred direction, maintaining a perfect record and knocking off a strong Marquette team in the procecss.

RPI FALL OF THE WEEK:  Saint Louis; RPI No. 183 (Down 151 spots from 32 last week):  Two road losses and zero wins hurt the Billikens this week.  The loss at Nebraska (39) wasn’t a killer, but the same cannot be said for the loss to Detroit Mercy (209).
Read the rest of this entry »