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George Mason in discussions to join Atlantic 10 along with VCU and Butler

George Mason Basketball: George Mason in discussions to join Atlantic 10 along with VCU and Butler

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Sunday, March 25, 2012

George Mason in discussions to join Atlantic 10 along with VCU and Butler

Looks as though the rumors of two of the CAA's finest possibly jumping ship to the Atlantic 10 are true. Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com is reporting that George Mason, VCU, and Butler (Horizon League) are in discussions to join the Atlantic 10 starting in 2013-2014:
"VCU, George Mason and Butler have had discussions with the Atlantic 10 and indicated to the league they have potential interest in joining for the 2013-14 school year, sources told CBSSports.com.

VCU and George Mason are currently in the Colonial Athletic Association and Butler is in the Horizon League. All three schools would need approval from their respective school boards to make the move.

Sources told CBSSports.com that VCU's Board of Visitors already has had at least two meetings about making the move, while Butler has negotiated with representatives of the Atlantic 10 for the league to assist financially for the Bulldogs to change leagues."
Looks as though VCU is taking this very seriously, is Mason? I can't imagine George Mason not following VCU if they were first to bite on this offer. If VCU left and they didn't follow that would leave them with one less fellow non-football school in the CAA, which seems to be moving more of its attention towards football.

Keep this in mind though, George Mason and VCU seem to vary in how much they are willing to commit to athletics, especially men's basketball. VCU has gone all in since their Final Four run, where Mason didn't do all that much after there's. The results led to Jim Larranaga walking and Shaka Smart getting a big raise and better facilities. VCU has had remarkable attendance and George Mason's has been so low they refused, among other reasons, to host a CIT or CBI game this season.

Still the fact the remains that this move is an upgrade for the two CAA programs. The Atlantic 10 gets more recognition and gets more teams to the NCAA tournament annually than the CAA does. The move would make the Atlantic 10 a mini power conference capable of producing four or five NCAA tournament teams a year if not more.

35 Comments:

Anonymous Alan said...

It being an upgrade is NOT a fact.

5:46 PM  
Anonymous Student said...

Please let this happen!

5:59 PM  
Anonymous Taylormade703 said...

Do it! If for no other reason we won't have to go to that Richmond Coliseum dump every March!

6:04 PM  
Anonymous BoredInClass said...

PLEASE DO THIS

7:01 PM  
Anonymous COOLHEAD said...

Joining the A10 is the proper evolution for GMU BB and would really like watching the improved conference competition at the Patriot Center.

8:08 PM  
Anonymous COOLHEAD said...

It would be an upgrade if you look at the facts. What evidence supports staying in the CAA?

8:11 PM  
Anonymous Taylormade703 said...

There are two things I'd miss about being in the CAA: First is our rivalry with James Madison.  Although it has been a one sided rivalry of late, I'd hate to see that die.  I'd like to see us still have one game/year with them, like Richmond has with VCU.

The second, is that every year we wouldn't get to go to the beautiful, state of the art, classy Richmond Coliseum.

8:33 PM  
Anonymous Sean said...

Name the last two A10 teams to make the final 4.

8:40 PM  
Anonymous worldbeater said...

I would like to have home and aways with UR

9:26 PM  
Anonymous Nschulz1 said...

just read this an hour ago

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-03-25/butler-vcu-george-mason-mulling-move-to-a-10 

9:45 PM  
Anonymous COOLHEAD said...

Butler and Dayton sound good

9:50 PM  
Anonymous COOLHEAD said...

Mason,VCU and Butler!

9:51 PM  
Anonymous Gmubro said...

IT IS AN UPGRADE...Hey Hofstra, we'll see ya when we see ya, we just got ask to sit at the "cooler kids" table...WE MOVING ON UP....TO THE EAST SIDE...

11:07 PM  
Anonymous Gmubro said...

Since 2000, the A-10 has received 20 at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament while the CAA and Horizon have seven between them over that span.---Any more factsRead more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-03-25/butler-vcu-george-mason-mulling-move-to-a-10#ixzz1qBlMcrJD

11:10 PM  
Anonymous FUVCU said...

I would be much more likely to attend road games in Philly or NYC or DC, then I would be in Richmond, or anywhere else in VA.  It would also be fun to have a rivalry with GWU.  

11:12 PM  
Anonymous BP said...

Xavier made it to the Sweets this year, and the A10 sent FOUR teams to the tournament.

11:32 PM  
Anonymous BP said...

Hofstra had a horrible year, i'm sure they're as thrilled to hear this news as Mason fans are. 

11:34 PM  
Anonymous Dsndsn said...

Acouple of thoughts.... Didn't VCU and ODU, for that matter have previous "second teir conference" affiliation prior to joining the CAA? What is the cost of the "exit fee" to get out of the CAA....its gotta cost something to leave? How does the new TV deal with the newly named NBC Sports Channel affect this deal? If there are financial advantages to leaving all of these weighed against the certain increase in travel and other related expenses Mason is certainly going to face ralated to less financially viable sports. I don't see it happening, especially with the new TV deal just being signed.

8:27 AM  
Anonymous GMURULES said...

If there is a way to blow this, GMU will.  It is so disheartning to see how little we did after our Final Four appearance and how much VCU has done.  I really did not like seeing VCU advertising during Mason games on TV, brutal. We have done nothing toward a practice facility. The new President of GMU is not a big sports fan either.  I am also hearing Hewitt is looking at SMU job because in Big East.   Let's see what happens, but I would support jump to A 10.

9:34 AM  
Anonymous Patriot74 said...

Thats true but then we'll have a killer 5 hour drive to Atlantic City.

5:30 PM  
Anonymous Matt said...

Where did you get the SMU rumor?

9:46 PM  
Anonymous gmuhoops said...

Because?

3:03 AM  
Anonymous Taylormade703 said...

2 hours and go to Richmond.  Or go 5 hours to a true neutral court?  I'll take the 5 hours anyday.  I'm willing to make that sacrifice.

4:58 AM  
Anonymous Taylormade703 said...

I read it on the caazone message board, but apparently there is nothing to it.

4:59 AM  
Anonymous gmuhoops said...

The exit fee is $250K to leave the CAA and I would have to wonder if that NBC tv deal is still valid if VCU and Mason left.

11:21 AM  
Anonymous Christopher Hirsch said...

Lamar Butler sent out a Tweet Friday saying he heard Hewitt was going to SMU. An hour later he said Hewitt told him it wasn't true.

12:23 PM  
Anonymous StopWearingPurple said...

How about NYC?  The A 10 Tournament is moving to the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 

12:38 PM  
Anonymous Dsndsn said...

Yeah I agree generally, but I wondered what genius at VCU bought all those ads during CAA games? Who was their intended audience?  I don't think that it was a smart TV "ad buy" to sponsor, for example, the ODU v. JMU game, where both fan bases know the other state schools (and are hostile to it), or the Northeastern v. Ga. State contest, where no one at these city schools cares about  another city school hundreds of miles away in Richmond. It seemed to to me to represent an "odd" expenditure of limited advertising funds. It also seemed to be a little too much "in your face" advertising from a school whose  real strengths are its Medical School (Recently renamed the VCU Medical Center, by the way...from the Internationally known and respected Medical College of Virginia...huh?)

6:59 PM  
Anonymous gmuhoops said...

Lamar butler said it twitter but Hewitt later called him and denied it.

10:59 PM  
Anonymous Christopher Hirsch said...

Indeed.

12:08 PM  
Anonymous Alan said...

Almost all of those bids have gone to the same 2 schools because of who they are (and Temple is leaving). The rest of the A-10 has gotten very little. There's been more diversity in how many different schools have received bids in the CAA. It's OOC scheduling that makes or breaks at-large hopes for mid-majors. Also, you're talking about a bigger conference, so the chances of any individual team earning an automatic berth are smaller, and the money has to be divided among more participants. Sounds like a parallel move (at best) to me.

3:11 PM  
Anonymous Alan said...

The likelihood that the A-10 will lose others of its top teams in the near future, the increased travel costs of an expanded conference footprint, playing a conference tournament 6 hours away in NYC - which is too far for most students to travel, dividing NCAA tournament revenues with a larger number of schools, leaving behind the new NBCSports deal in the CAA, leaving behind all of the money from last year's NCAA tourney appearances (Mason and VCU both in line for huge shares of that revenue), and not to mention we'd be barred from the CAA tournament this coming season (per CAA bylaws).

3:18 PM  
Anonymous Pat Rat said...

James madison needs to be good in order for it to be a rivalry. This is something mason should have done a long time ago. You increase the competition and your attendance goes up as well. And no more freakin home games for VCU in the CAA tourney. The CAA is a yo-yo conference and the Atlantic Ten is Steady Eddie with more bids. Plus we have enough Virginia teams in the CAA. Say goodbye to smallville baby!! God we need this to happen.

4:37 PM  
Anonymous Pat Rat said...

Amen to that!  Now I can catch The new rivalry GMU vs. GWU  Public vs. Private. I live closer to the Smith Center and I remember when we used to play them on a regular basis in the late 80's and early 90's. They are much closer than VCU, James Madison, or Old Dominion. Now we can look forward to playing VCU, Richmond, and GW. But be careful what you wish for right?

4:54 PM  
Anonymous Pat Rat said...

You got a problem widatt?

4:57 PM  

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