Atlantic 10 Conference

About

The Atlantic 10 Conference celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025-26, founded in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League before adopting the A-10 name in 1982. Commissioner Bernadette McGlade has led the conference since 2008; headquarters moved to Washington, D.C. in 2023. The conference has 14 full members: Davidson, Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, George Mason, George Washington, La Salle, Loyola Chicago, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis and VCU. Half the membership is private Catholic institutions; the conference does not sponsor football. Basketball is the conference's identity and national calling card. VCU won the 2024-25 men's tournament. The conference era has produced two iconic Cinderella Final Four runs: VCU as an 11-seed in 2011, beating Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas en route to the Final Four (joining the A-10 the next year); and Loyola Chicago, whose 2018 Final Four run with Sister Jean captivated the nation. George Mason, now an A-10 member, made history in 2006 as an 11-seed by upsetting top-seeded UConn in overtime to reach the Final Four. The conference features intense rivalries: the Capital City Classic between Richmond and VCU, the Arch-Baron Cup between Saint Louis and Dayton, and the Revolutionary Rivalry between George Washington and George Mason. A five-year media deal signed in December 2023 with ESPN, CBS and NBC runs through 2028-29. UMass, a charter member, departed for the MAC in 2025 after 49 years. The A-10's footprint stretches from Chicago to Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia, placing members in eight of the nation's 38 largest media markets. Women's basketball sent multiple teams to the 2025 postseason, with Richmond winning the regular-season title and George Mason the tournament championship. The conference sponsors 22 sports, adding men's lacrosse in 2022-23 and women's golf in 2024-25 as its newest championship offerings.