Atlantic 10 Realignment - Who Needs to be Moved?
Ever since the Atlantic 10 received 6 NCAA tournament bids in a single season, they have never gotten back to that prominence. At this point, with where Atlantic 10 basketball currently stands, there is reason to believe that realignment to the conference is necessary.
Duquesne - Kick them out and send them anywhere. With Keith Dambrot now at the helm, I give them a fighting chance in the future but their road to success is still long and grim.
Candidates to replace Duquesne: Florida Gulf Coast, Valparaiso, Monmouth, Vermont, Bucknell, Northeastern, Kent State, Lehigh, Winthrop, Illinois State, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Wilmington, Charleston
Fordham - Remove them and send them to the Ivy League. Academically, they would fit right in and have long been considered an Ivy League school. Their random upsets over VCU and URI last season meant nothing in the grand scheme of their standing in the conference.
Candidates to replace Fordham: Florida Gulf Coast, Valparaiso, Monmouth, Vermont, Bucknell, Kent State, Winthrop, UNC-Asheville
Saint Louis - The Billikens are a team that dominated the top of the Atlantic 10 from 2011-2014. I would say that the removal of Travis Ford's team is a 50-50 toss up and I would lean towards keeping them because of the training facilities and recruits that they bring to the table.
Candidates to replace Saint Louis: Florida Gulf Coast, Valparaiso, Monmouth, Vermont, Bucknell, Winthrop, UNC-Asheville
Essentially, I think that Duquesne and Fordham should be removed from the conference, with Saint Louis on the cusp of having the same done to them. I think the other 11 teams in the Atlantic 10 are either competitive enough to warrant their spot or have a strong enough track record to keep their spot.
The following map highlights the states that currently cover Atlantic 10 basketball teams. This particular coverage across America could and should change in the near future.
