ESPN likes the men’s basketball team this year – at least more than the Atlantic 10 coaches do.

In ESPN Insider’s Dan Hanner recent ranking of all 351 NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams, the Colonials come in at No. 90, good for eighth in the A-10.

That’s a bit better than the A-10 preseason poll, in which GW was slotted to finish No. 10 in the 13-team conference.

Hanner used a complex ranking system in which 10,000 simulations were run for every D-I player and every team defense. He has the Colonials offense poised to score 100.6 points per every 100 possessions, compared to a defense that will give up just 92.7 points per 100 possessions.

Also representing the A-10 are No. 1 VCU and No. 2 Saint Louis, who are ranked at No. 22 and No. 24 overall, respectively. Rounding out the rest of ESPN’s Top 8 are La Salle, Richmond, Dayton, UMass and Saint Joseph’s.