As the conferences above the Atlantic 10 in the college athletics food chain deal with so much turmoil spurred on by football, this basketball-centric league has enjoyed stability and a relatively manageable geographic footprint among its 15 member schools.
On the court, the A10 is looking to improve its profile, which took a hit last season. Virginia Commonwealth was the only school to receive an NCAA Tournament invitation, the first time since 2005 the conference didn’t earn multiple bids. KenPom ranked the A10 behind the WAC and Ivy League last year.
Get ready to hear plenty of Norm Nixon references this year as the resurgence of Duquesne will get this Pittsburgh school more attention than it has had in decades. The Dukes are the preseason favorite. The school uncharacteristically spent big money to hire Keith Dambrot away from Akron in 2017 in order to build up the program to coincide with the improvements made to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Those investments may pay dividends in 2024 and push the Dukes into the tournament for the first time since the Nixon-led group in 1977.