With the addition of Davidson, the Atlantic 10 maintains its presence in the state of North Carolina and its reputation as one of the most successful basketball conferences in the country.
A year ago, it was the Atlantic 10’s patience and pragmatism that made them the biggest winners of conference realignment. But this week’s addition of George Mason is frantic and underwhelming.
On Monday afternoon at 1:30pm, VCU President Michael Rao took the podium at the Stuart C. Siegel Center to announce “Virginia Commonwealth University will join the Atlantic 10 in all sports effective July 1st, 2012.”
In the mid-majors, success almost always leads to a certain amount of chaos. High-major programs try to hire the key parts of winning machines while the mid-major athletic program tries desperately to capitalize on the moment. In 2012, Shaka Smart led the Rams to within a basket of the Sweet 16. The second that Rob Brandenberg’s three-pointer missed, VCU entered a new type of off-season.