2025–26 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball season
Sports season
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The 2025–26 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2025, followed by the start of the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play started in December 2025 and concluded in March 2026. The 2026 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament was held at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, in March 2026. This was the 50th season of Atlantic 10 Conference basketball. All 14 teams from regular season play earned postseason bids to the 2026 A-10 men's basketball tournament.
| 2025–26 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | November 3, 2025 – March 7, 2026 |
| Teams | 14 |
| TV partner(s) | CBS, CBSSN, USA, ESPN+ |
| NBA Draft | |
| 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
| First place (tie) | Saint Louis VCU |
| Season MVP | Robbie Avila, Saint Louis |
| Top scorer | DeJour Reaves, Fordham – 18.7 ppg |
| Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament | |
| Champions | VCU |
| Finals MVP | Terrence Hill Jr. |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Louis | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 29 | – | 6 | .829 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VCU † | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 28 | – | 8 | .778 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Joseph's | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 24 | – | 12 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dayton | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 25 | – | 12 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| George Mason | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 10 | .697 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Davidson | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duquesne | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fordham | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| George Washington | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 19 | – | 16 | .543 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rhode Island | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 16 | – | 16 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richmond | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| La Salle | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 9 | – | 23 | .281 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Bonaventure | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 17 | – | 17 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Loyola Chicago | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 9 | – | 24 | .273 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 A-10 tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
The 2024–25 season began with non-conference play on November 4, 2024, and conference play on December 30, 2024. The regular season concluded on March 7, 2025. There, George Mason and VCU were the Atlantic 10 regular season co-champions. George Mason won the regular season for the first time since joining the conference, and their first conference regular season title since 2011. The 2025 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament was played from March 12, 2025, and finished on March 16, 2025. There, the top two seeds, George Mason and VCU, played each other for the tournament championship. VCU won the final, 68–63.
For the second time in three years, the Atlantic 10 only received one bid to the NCAA tournament, where VCU was awarded the 11 seed. There, they played six-seed BYU and lost in the opening round. A record six Atlantic 10 teams received at-large bids into the 2025 National Invitation Tournament: Dayton, George Mason, Loyola Chicago, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, and St. Bonaventure. Loyola Chicago was the furthest advancing A-10 team, reaching the semifinals before losing to eventual NIT champions: Chattanooga. Finally, George Washington accepted a bid into the 2025 College Basketball Crown, where they lost in the first round to Boise State.
VCU guard, Max Shulga, was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year. George Mason's Jared Billups received Defense Player of the Year awards, while Mason's head coach Tony Skinn was named Coach of the Year.[1] Shulga was the 57th pick in the 2025 NBA draft.[2]
Following the conclusion of the 2024–25 academic year, UMass left the Atlantic 10 for the Mid-American Conference.
Head coaches
Coaching changes
- Fordham fired Keith Urgo at the conclusion of the 2024–25 season.[3] On March 28, 2025, Fordham announced the hiring of Mike Magpayo.[4]
- After the 2024–25 season, Fran Dunphy retired as head coach of La Salle.[5] On March 11, 2025, La Salle announced the hiring of Darris Nichols.[6]
- Ryan Odom resigned as the head coach of VCU on March 21, 2025, to accept the head coaching job at his alma mater, Virginia.[7] On March 25, 2025, VCU announced the hiring of Phil Martelli Jr. as his replacement.[8]
Coaches
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | A10 record | A10 titles | A10 tournament titles | NCAA tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson | Matt McKillop | Davidson (Asst.) | 4 | 52–49 (.515) | 19–35 (.352) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dayton | Anthony Grant | Oklahoma City Thunder (Asst.) | 9 | 173–82 (.678) | 100–42 (.704) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Duquesne | Dru Joyce III | Duquesne (Assoc.) | 2 | 13–19 (.406) | 8–10 (.444) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fordham | Mike Magpayo | UC Riverside | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| George Mason | Tony Skinn | Maryland (Asst.) | 2 | 50–21 (.704) | 24–12 (.667) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| George Washington | Chris Caputo | Miami (FL) (Assoc.) | 4 | 55–36 (.604) | 23–31 (.426) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| La Salle | Darris Nichols | Radford | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Loyola Chicago | Drew Valentine | Loyola Chicago (Asst.) | 5 | 83–51 (.619) | 44–28 (.611) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | Archie Miller | Indiana | 4 | 42–56 (.429) | 18–36 (.333) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Richmond | Chris Mooney | Air Force | 21 | 361–290 (.555) | 180–151 (.544) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| St. Bonaventure | Mark Schmidt | Robert Morris | 19 | 327–238 (.579) | 167–139 (.546) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Saint Joseph's | Steve Donahue | Penn | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Saint Louis | Josh Schertz | Indiana State | 2 | 19–15 (.559) | 11–7 (.611) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VCU | Phil Martelli Jr. | Bryant | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
- Year at school includes 2024–25 season.
- Overall and Atlantic 10 records are from time at current school only and are through the beginning of the season.[9]
Preseason
Recruiting classes
| Team | 247 Sports[10] | On3Recruits[11] | ESPN[12] | Commits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson | 128 | 96 | 2 | |
| Dayton | 88 | 57 | NR | 2 |
| Duquesne | 152 | 126 | NR | 1 |
| Fordham | NR | NR | NR | 2 |
| George Mason | 85 | 88 | NR | 2 |
| George Washington | 164 | 107 | NR | 1 |
| La Salle | 129 | NR | NR | 2 |
| Loyola Chicago | 74 | 82 | NR | 2 |
| Rhode Island | 128 | 167 | NR | 1 |
| Richmond | 91 | 122 | NR | 2 |
| St. Bonaventure | NR | 186 | NR | 2 |
| Saint Joseph's | 108 | 123 | NR | 2 |
| Saint Louis | 53 | 92 | NR | 5 |
| VCU | 69 | 46 | NR | 2 |
Notes:
- Rankings are up to date as of September 17, 2025
Preseason polls
| AP[13] | Blue Ribbon Yearbook[14] |
CBS Sports[15] | Coaches[16] | ESPN[17] | Fox Sports[18] | KenPom | NCAA Sports[19] | Sporting News[20] | Sports Illustrated[21] | |
| Davidson | – | – | – | – | – | – | 118 | – | – | 121 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton | – | – | 46 | – | – | – | 75 | – | – | 70 |
| Duquesne | – | – | – | – | – | – | 108 | – | – | 132 |
| Fordham | – | – | – | – | – | – | 269 | – | – | 144 |
| George Mason | – | – | – | – | – | – | 88 | – | – | 91 |
| George Washington | – | – | 68 | – | – | – | 67 | – | – | 77 |
| La Salle | – | – | – | – | – | – | 214 | – | – | 196 |
| Loyola Chicago | – | – | 72 | – | – | – | 156 | – | – | 66 |
| Rhode Island | – | – | – | – | – | – | 113 | – | – | 138 |
| Richmond | – | – | – | – | – | – | 115 | – | – | 149 |
| St. Bonaventure | – | – | – | – | – | – | 110 | – | – | 98 |
| Saint Joseph's | – | – | – | – | – | – | 138 | – | – | 113 |
| Saint Louis | – | – | 52 | – | – | – | 60 | – | – | 47 |
| VCU | RV | – | 77 | RV | – | – | 64 | – | – | 67 |
A-10 Preseason Media poll
The preseason poll and Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Teams were released on September 30, 2025, prior to the season beginning and after The results of the poll are below.[22]
Preseason poll
| A-10 Media | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | VCU | 342 (11) | |
| 2. | Saint Louis | 341 (11) | |
| 3. | Dayton | 321 (3) | |
| 4. | George Washington | 296 | |
| 5. | Loyola Chicago | 286 | |
| 6. | George Mason | 254 | |
| 7. | Saint Joseph's | 195 | |
| 8. | St. Bonaventure | 185 | |
| 9. | Duquesne | 155 | |
| 10. | Richmond | 142 | |
| 11. | Davidson | 107 | |
| 12. | Rhode Island | 102 | |
| 13. | La Salle | 56 | |
| 14. | Fordham | 53 | |
| Reference:[22] (#) first-place votes | |||
Regular season
Early season tournaments
| Tournament | Place/Finish | |
|---|---|---|
| Davidson | Charleston Classic Lowcountry bracket | 2nd |
| Dayton | ESPN Events Invitational Magic bracket | 2nd |
| Duquesne | Villanova Challenge | 2nd |
| Fordham | Northern Classic | |
| George Mason | Sunshine Slam Beach bracket | 1st |
| George Washington | Cayman Islands Classic | |
| La Salle | Cathedral Classic | |
| Loyola Chicago | Acrisure Series | |
| Rhode Island | ESPN Events Invitational Adventure bracket | |
| Richmond | ESPN Events Invitational Imagination bracket | |
| St. Bonaventure | Fort Myers Tip-Off | |
| Saint Joseph's | Jersey Jam | |
| Saint Louis | Acrisure Invitational | |
| VCU | Battle 4 Atlantis | 3rd |
Conference matrix
| DAV | DAY | DUQ | FOR | GMU | GWU | LAS | LOY | URI | RIC | STB | STJ | SLU | VCU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Davidson | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Dayton | 0–1 | — | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. Duquesne | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Fordham | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. George Mason | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. George Washington | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. La Salle | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Loyola Chicago | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Rhode Island | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| vs. Richmond | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | — | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. St. Bonaventure | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Saint Joseph's | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Saint Louis | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–2 |
| vs. VCU | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | — |
| Total | 10–8 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 8–10 | 5–13 | 4–14 | 7–11 | 5–13 | 4–14 | 13–5 | 15–3 | 15–3 |
Through March 10, 2026
Postseason
A-10 tournament
| First round Wednesday, March 11 USA Network | Second round Thursday, March 12 USA Network | Quarterfinals Friday, March 13 USA Network/CNBC | Semifinals Saturday, March 14 CBSSN | Championship Sunday, March 15 CBS | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Saint Louis | 88 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Fordham | 62 | 9 | George Washington | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | George Washington | 66 | 1 | Saint Louis | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Dayton | 70 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Dayton | 68 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | George Mason | 57 | 13 | St. Bonaventure | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | La Salle | 80 | 13 | St. Bonaventure | 63 | 4 | Dayton | 62 | |||||||||||||||
| 13 | St. Bonaventure | 99 | 2 | VCU | 70 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | VCU | 71 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Duquesne | 67 | 7 | Duquesne | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Rhode Island | 61 | 2 | VCU | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Saint Joseph's | 64 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Saint Joseph's | 70 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Davidson | 64* | 6 | Davidson | 58 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Richmond | 67 | 14 | Loyola Chicago | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Loyola Chicago | 75 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Source:[23]
* denotes overtime period
The 2026 Atlantic 10 Conference basketball tournament was held at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, from March 11–15, 2026.[24]
NCAA tournament
| Seed | Region | School | First round | Second round | Sweet 16 | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Midwest | Saint Louis | W 102–77 vs. (8) Georgia | L 72–95 vs. (1) Michigan | DNP | ||||
| 11 | South | VCU | W 82–78 (OT) vs. (6) North Carolina | L 55–76 vs. (3) Illinois | DNP | ||||
| W–L (%): | 2–0 (1.000) | 0–2 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | |||
| Total: 2–2 (.500) | |||||||||
National Invitation Tournament
| Seed | Bracket | School | 1st round | 2nd round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Winston-Salem | Dayton | W 80–66 vs. Bradley | W 80–61 vs. UNC Wilmington | L 55–61 vs. (4) Illinois State | DNP | |||
| 3 | Auburn | George Mason | L 71–77 vs. Liberty | DNP | |||||
| Albuquerque | George Washington | W 79–78 vs. (4) Utah Valley | L vs. 61–86 (1) New Mexico | DNP | |||||
| Albuquerque | Saint Joseph's | W 69–64 vs. (3) Colorado State | W 76–75 vs. (2) California | L 69–84 vs. (1) New Mexico | DNP | ||||
| Tulsa | Davidson | L 80–84 vs. (2) Oklahoma State | DNP | ||||||
| W–L (%): | 3–2 (.600) | 2–1 (.667) | 0–2 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | ||||
| Total: 5–5 (.500) | |||||||||
See also
- 2025–26 Atlantic 10 Conference women's basketball season