Believe it or not, folks, but the Atlantic 10 Conference has a chance to return to a three-bid league for the first time since the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Saint Louis’ at-large candidacy is firmly in tack, VCU is on the right side of the bubble after a win at Dayton, and if all goes well in Pittsburgh this week, maybe the A10 Tournament Champion will join the party.
Will a red hot Saint Joseph’s continue soaring, Dayton finally getting it done in March, or the early league favorite in George Mason grab the reins? Perhaps there’s another big upset run brewing like we saw in 2022 and 2024? Or will the Billikens and Rams ruin everybody’s chances to hog all the bids to themselves.
We find out this week as the A10 heads to PPG Paints Arena to celebrate its 50th anniversary and crown the ultimate conference champion.
Here’s a little bit to know about each team:
No. 1 Saint Louis (15-3, 27-4 overall)
Not only is Saint Louis having a historic season under Josh Schertz, but the Billikens are the A10’s deepest team, have the top-ranked offense and defense in the conference by KenPom, and likely already have the at-large bid secured. But after having to split the regular-season title with VCU thanks to a loss at the hands of George Mason on the final day, don’t think Saint Louis isn’t eager to win its first A10 Tournament since 2019.
No. 2 VCU (15-3, 24-7 overall)
Newly hired VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. had no problem maintaining the Rams’ standard, leading the program to a share of the regular-season title to pick up right where the previous regime left off. Based on the most recent Bracketology projections, VCU is currently a Last Four In team, but a couple of wins in Pittsburgh would very well assure the Rams a spot in March Madness. … Or they can just win the title outright.
No. 3 Saint Joseph’s (13-5, 21-10 overall)
Despite a head coach change weeks before the season, struggling to open the year, losing their leading scorer and starting 0-2 in-conference, as MMM’s Jake Copestick said, no team will roll into Pittsburgh next week with more momentum than the Hawks. Led by Jaiden Glover-Toscano and Derek Simpson, St. Joe’s has been defying the odds all season long. Who’s to say Steven Donahue can’t keep the magic going into March?
No. 4 Dayton (12-6, 21-10 overall)
It looked bumpy for a minute when Dayton lost five of six games from late January to early February, but the Flyers closed out the regular season strong with just one loss in their last seven. Amael L’Etang’s surge has been evident, Javon Bennett is always consistent with the ball, and De’Shayne Montgomery is a two-way competitor, a trio that gives the Flyers every chance at making a championship run.
No. 5 George Mason (11-7, 23-8 overall)
After the best start in program history, George Mason managed an 18-1 record into mid-January, the Patriots won just five of their last 12 games to miss out on the tournament double-bye. But beware George Mason because Kory Mincy and Riley Allenspach have been incredible all season, while Jahari Long is a real sparkplug for a group that has shown the ability to knock off teams like VCU and Saint Louis.
No. 6 Davidson (10-8, 19-12 overall)
Head coach Matt McKillop mounted the best season of his head coaching tenure since taking over for his father in 2022, leading Davidson to 19 wins with an upset of Boston College and even a tight loss to Saint Mary’s. However, the Wildcats struggled against the A10’s top tier this season, their only win over a top-five coming all the way back on Jan. 3 against a then-struggling St. Joe’s team. But as McKillop put it, Davidson has a swagger. Not to mention the Wildcats allow the second fewest points per game in the conference.
No. 7 Duquesne (9-9, 17-14 overall)
Head coach Dru Joyce showed some major improvements in year two of his tenure, brought on by the league’s most dynamic backcourt duo: Tarence Guinyard and Jimmie Williams. Though the Dukes managed just a single win in their last five games of the regular season, we’ve seen just how capable this team can be on the offensive end. A double-OT win over Davidson, beating George Mason on the road, and even taking Saint Louis to the brink in a four-point loss will make the Dukes a dark horse in Pittsburgh. But that’s nothing new for this program.
No. 8 Fordham (8-10, 17-14 overall)
Fordham was picked dead-last in the A10’s preseason poll before new head coach Mike Magpayo weathered some stormy seas early in the 2025-26 campaign. But the Rams emerged late as one of the league’s premier defenses and won seven of their last 11 games, holding opponents to a league low 65.5 PPG. With DeJour Reeves pacing the offense and a unit that’s in the 87th percentile for defensive rating by CBB Analytics, nobody wants to see Fordham in the postseason.
No. 9 George Washington (8-10, 17-14 overall)
George Washington and head coach Chris Caputo began the 2025-26 season with high expectations, but with the Revolutionaries currently dead-last nationally in KenPom’s “Luck” metric, this season has gone anything but according to plan. Injuries and inconsistencies plagued GW all season long but this is still the 58th most efficient offense in the nation and a healthy Rafael Castro is an A10 Player of the Year contender. And as Caputo said two weeks ago, his team is starting to find itself heading toward “playoff time.”
No. 10 Rhode Island (7-11, 16-15 overall)
It’s been an up-and-down season in Kingston with the highest of highs, including wins over Yale, Vermont, George Mason, Dayton, and nationally ranked Saint Louis. But also the lowest of lows with losses to Loyola Chicago, St. Bonaventure, George Washington, Duquesne, and a pair to both Fordham and La Salle. What does that mean for the A10 Tournament as well as Archie Miller’s future? Anybody’s guess is as good as mine but behind former MAC Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Cocheran, the Rams are top-60 in defensive efficiency nationally by KenPom’s analysis.
No. 11 Richmond (5-13, 15-16 overall)
Richmond looked like one of the A10’s top teams back in Dec. when the Spiders upset a top-70 opponent on the road in Belmont for a quad one win, but this team fell off midway into conference play. The Spiders battled a six game losing streak from mid-Jan. to early Feb. and only won two of their remaining seven games to close out the regular-season. Aiden Argabright is the frontrunner for A10 Rookie of the Year but will he be enough to lead an offense that’s struggled late in the season?
No. 12 La Salle (5-13, 9-22 overall)
Perhaps nobody in the country has been plagued more by injuries than first-year La Salle head coach Darris Nichols as 12 different players missed at least a game with a myriad of issues. Still, the Explorers showed life at different points this season, and when healthy, played with a newfound energy that this program had long been missing. Ultimately, that should excite La Salle fans but it’ll be an uphill battle to make a big run at the A10 Championship this week with several injuries still forcing multiple key players out.
No. 13 St. Bonaventure (4-14, 15-16 overall)
Legendary St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt announced he’ll be retiring at season’s end in the wake of a 19-year career in upstate New York that saw multiple A10 titles and NCAA Tournament bids. This season certainly wasn’t the send off that the Bonnies would have hoped for ahead of their head coach’s departure, but this team still has all the intangibles to cause an upset in Pittsburgh and earn Schmidt one last win. Frank Mitchell is as dominant as any big man in the conference while Buddy Simmons II provides elite three-point shooting alongside a two-way force in Cayden Charles.
No. 14 Loyola Chicago (4-14, 8-23 overall)
Loyola Chicago has dealt with its own injury troubles in 2025-26 and it ultimately led to the program’s worst regular-season record since 2012, Porter Moser’s very first at the helm. Only two players in the entirety of Drew Valentine’s rotation played all 31 games for a team that was selected to finish fifth in the A10’s preseason poll and received a pair of first-place votes. Miles Rubin continues to be one of the league’s best rebounders and defenders but even he’s struggled for consistency in an injury latent campaign.
