While people traditionally think that the power conferences are the only ones having success in college basketball, the Atlantic-10 conference is challenging that notion. This year the Atlantic-10 is sending four teams to the NCAA
tournament, which is more than the Pac-12 is sending. The A-10 has not been a one-bid conference since the 2005 tournament, and this does not look like it will change anytime soon. Xavier is a 10 seed while Temple is all the way up as a 5 seed, Saint Louis is a 9 seed, and St. Bonaventure rounds
out the group as a 14 seed. Throughout the conference’s history, it has had a total of 20 different members including when Penn State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Villanova played in all sports except football in the early 1980s.
Xavier joined the A-10 in 1995 alongside current members Dayton, Fordham and LaSalle.
UMass advanced to the Elite 8 in 1995 and the Final 4 the following
year under emerging coach John Calipari. Although these wins have since been vacated, the idea of the A-10 being a basketball
power has stayed.
Currently, last year’s national runner-up, Butler, has only 11 tournament appearances and only one member in its conference in the tournament.
A traditionally strong mid-major conference is the Missouri Valley Conference, which has two teams in this years tournament and only one team last year.
While other mid-major conferences
are bragging about their tournament successes and trying
to show that they belong, the A-10 is consistently sending multiple
teams to the tournament, and this year is no exception.
Tuesday, June 24, 2025