The Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament returns to PPG Paints Arena this week, with games beginning Wednesday through Sunday afternoon’s championship.
With a men’s basketball conference tournament title up for grabs and, along with it, an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, the league’s 14 teams arrive in Pittsburgh looking to keep their seasons alive. Here’s a look at the Atlantic 10 from top to bottom.
No. 1 St. Louis
First game: Double-bye: 11:30 a.m. Friday vs. winner of No. 8 Fordham/No. 9 George Washington
Record: 27-4
Coach: Josh Schertz
Leading scorer: Robbie Avila (12.6 ppg)
Regular season in review: The Billikens began the year 20-1, with a one-point loss to Stanford on Nov. 28 their only blemish through-mid February. That hot start included beginning Atlantic 10 league play 11-0. But since Feb. 17, St. Louis went 3-3 to earn a share of the regular-season title with Virginia Commonwealth. St. Louis suffered a 29-point blowout defeat to George Mason in its finale.
At a glance: The Billikens were the only A-10 team to crack the AP Top 25 this season, first appearing Jan. 19, and remained ranked heading into their regular-season finale. They dropped out Monday. In Year 2 at the helm, Schertz oversaw a perfect 19-0 home record and an eight-game improvement from a season ago. St. Louis, a possible NCAA Tournament at-large selection, aims for its first league tournament title since joining in 2005. St. Louis brings the A-10’s top-ranked 3-point shooting offense (40.5%) and defense (29.1%) to Pittsburgh.
No. 2 VCU
First game: Double-bye: 5 p.m. Friday vs. winner of No. 7 Duquesne/No. 10 Rhode Island
Record: 24-7
Coach: Phil Martelli Jr.
Leading scorer: Terrence Hill Jr. (14.1 ppg)
Regular season in review: The Rams started 11-6 and 2-2 in league play, but used a 13-1 finish from there to catch St. Louis and earn a share of the regular-season conference title. VCU played three ranked games this season, losing them all (No. 25 N.C. State, No. 24 Vanderbilt, No. 18 St. Louis).
At a glance: The Rams are the returning A-10 regular season and conference tournament champions from a season ago, having earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Martelli in his first year oversaw an impressive continuation of that success, as the Rams bring momentum to Pittsburgh behind a strong final two months. VCU ranked third in the A-10 with 82.4 points per game.
No. 3 St. Joseph’s
First game: Double-bye: 7:30 p.m. Friday vs. winner of No. 6 Davidson and No. 11 Richmond/No. 14 Loyola Chicago
Record: 21-10
Coach: Steve Donahue
Leading scorer: Jaiden Glover-Toscano (15.8 ppg)
Regular season in review: St. Joseph’s added a valuable piece in the transfer portal last spring in guard Deuce Jones, who played his first season at La Salle, earning A-10 Rookie of the Year honors in 2024-25. Ten games into the 2025-26 campaign, Jones was the Hawks’ leading scorer, but abruptly, around Christmas, St. Joseph’s announced that he was no longer with the program.
At a glance: One of five 20-win Atlantic 10 teams arriving in Pittsburgh, the Hawks are tied for the third-most league tournament championships (1986, 1997, 2014, 2016) since 1977. St. Joseph’s has also been runner-up three times (2005, ‘06, ‘08).
No. 4 Dayton
First game: Double-bye: 2 p.m. Friday vs. winner of No. 5 George Mason and No. 12 La Salle/No. 13 St. Bonaventure
Record: 21-10
Coach: Anthony Grant
Leading scorer: Javon Bennett (15.9 ppg)
Regular season in review: By mid-January, the Flyers had gotten off to a 13-4 start, including 5-0 in league play, but over the next few weeks, went 1-6, navigating lopsided losses to St. Louis and VCU. On Feb. 24, Dayton won its rematch with the 23th-ranked Billikens, finishing the season on a 7-2 run.
At a glance: Grant, formerly coach at Alabama and VCU, has guided the Flyers to their fifth straight 20-win season. But none of those campaigns have featured an A-10 conference title. Still, in 2023-24, Dayton’s 25-8 record was good enough for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. Dayton’s lone league conference championship came in 2003. Dayton, which joined the A-10 in 1995, has made the NCAA Tournament nine times as a league member.
No. 5 George Mason
First game: Bye: 2 p.m. Thursday vs. winner of No. 12 La Salle/No. 13 St. Bonaventure
Record: 23-8
Coach: Tony Skinn
Leading scorer: Kory Mincy (14.3 ppg)
Regular season in review: George Mason matched a dominant 12-1 nonconference performance with an 8-1 start to league play through the end of January. On Feb. 1, the Patriots were 20-2. But from there, George Mason saw hopes of an A-10 title fade by going 2-6 that month. However, the Patriots did conclude the regular season on a high note, thumping No. 25 St. Louis, 86-57.
At a glance: George Mason was last season’s A-10 Tournament runner-up, falling to VCU by five points. That game proved to be for all the marbles, as the 27-8 Patriots were passed up for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, instead partaking in the NIT. Mincy, in Year 3 as coach, now leads a squad that shoots at the second-best clip (47.6%) in the league but is weak on the glass, allowing a conference-most 30.9 rebounds per contest.
No. 6 Davidson
First game: Bye: 7:30 p.m. Thursday vs. winner of No. 11 Richmond/No. 14 Loyola Chicago
Record: 19-12
Coach: Matt McKillop
Leading scorer: Roberts Blums (12.0 ppg)
Regular season in review: Davidson earned the No. 6 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament as a team unable to craft a winning streak of more than two in-conference all year. But by that same token, the Wildcats had only one mutli-game skid once league play commenced. Davidson fell to Duquesne in a thrilling 89-83 double-overtime decision Dec. 30 and topped St. Bonaventure in its finale Saturday.
At a glance: For the first time in McKillop’s four years at the helm, the Wildcats finished with a winning league record. McKillop, who played at Davidson, took over the program in 2022-23 after serving as an assistant under his father, Bob McKillop, from 2008. Davidson most recently won the A-10 Tournament in 2018 and was the runner-up in 2022, making the NCAA Tournament with a 27-7 record.
No. 7 Duquesne
First game: 5 p.m. Thursday vs. No. 10 Rhode Island
Record: 17-14
Coach: Dru Joyce III
Leading scorer: Tarence Guinyard (16.9 ppg)
Regular season in review: Joyce continues in his quest to rebuild the Dukes to their 2023-24 level, when retiring coach Keith Dambrot led the team to a surprise A-10 Tournament win and first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1977. Duquesne endured a bumpy nonconference slate, losing five games, and endured a four-game skid from Feb. 21 to March 4. But to conclude the regular season, Duquesne erased a 30-point deficit, coming back against Richmond on Saturday for the largest comeback in program history.
At a glance: Guinyard, a UT Martin transfer, is the second-leading scorer in the Atlantic 10, shooting 45.9% from the field and 36.6% from 3-point range. David Dixon, playing his fourth season at Duquesne, has been a valuable contributor, averaging career-highs in points (8.3) and rebounds (5.4).
No. 8 Fordham
First game: 11:30 a.m. Thursday vs. No. 9 George Washington
Record: 17-14
Coach: Mike Magpayo
Leading scorer: Dejour Reaves (17.7 ppg)
Regular season in review: The Rams dropped six of their first seven A-10 games this season but have won five of seven entering the league tournament. Magpayo, in Year 1 as coach, led his team amid a backdrop of NCAA NIL-related sanctions issued in November.
At a glance: Fordham has never captured an Atlantic 10 Tournament crown and last made the Big Dance in 1992. But the Rams have a playmaker in Reaves, who is the conference’s leading scorer, while Rikus Schulte’s 9.1 boards per game rank second. Fordham also boasts the A-10’s top defense, letting up only 65.5 points per contest.
No. 9 George Washington
First game: 11:30 a.m. Thursday vs. No. 8 Fordham
Record: 17-14
Coach: Chris Caputo
Leading scorer: Rafael Castro (15.7 ppg)
Regular season in review: In Caputo’s fourth season in charge, the Revolutionaries regressed by four games from their 2024-25 win total. But George Washington suffered seven losses by five or less points this season, including six in-conference. The Revolutionaries also played two tight games vs. ranked foes, falling to No. 18 Florida by 10 in December and No. 21 St. Louis by three on Jan. 27.
At a glance: Behind St. Louis, George Washington brings the No. 2 offense (82.6 points per game) into the A-10 Tournament, which it has won twice (2005, 2007). Castro ranks third in the league in scoring and second in shooting percentage (62.7%).
No. 10 Rhode Island
First game: 5 p.m. Thursday vs. No. 7 Duquesne
Record: 16-15
Coach: Archie Miller
Leading scorer: Tyler Cochran (14.8 ppg)
Regular season in review: Rhode Island dropped four of its first five A-10 games before winning three straight, including an overtime win over Dayton, to close out the month of January. On Feb. 17, the Rams scored arguably their best win of the season, topping No. 18 St. Louis, 81-76.
At a glance: Miller, a Blackhawk alum and Beaver Falls native, returns to familiar territory. The last three seasons, Rhode Island has finished 10th in the Atlantic 10, while Miller has a 55-70 overall record over four campaigns. Cochran is a top-10 Atlantic 10 producer in both points and rebounds (6.1) per game.
No. 11 Richmond
First game: 2 p.m. Wednesday vs. No. 14 Loyola Chicago
Record: 15-16
Coach: Chris Mooney
Leading scorer: AJ Lopez (13.6 ppg)
Regular season in review: Richmond enters the Atlantic 10 Tournament as one of the league’s colder squads, with its season unravelling in January after a six-game skid through Feb. 7. The Spiders notched wins over George Mason (Feb. 10) and St. Bonaventure (Feb. 21), but in total, lost 11 of their final 13 games.
At a glance: Mooney is the A-10’s most tenured coach, in his 21st season with Richmond. In 2021-22, he guided the Spiders to a league tournament title and the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
No. 12 La Salle
First game: 11:30 a.m. vs. No. 13 St. Bonaventure
Record: 9-22
Coach: Darris Nichols
Leading scorer: Jaeden Marshall (12.0 ppg)
Regular season in review: Not much has gone right for La Salle in 2025-26 under Nichols in his first campaign as coach. The Explorers enter the Atlantic 10 Tournament with the second-fewest wins in the league and were 4-9 at the start of conference play. From there, La Salle dropped 10 of 13 games and allowed 104 points to George Washington on Feb. 24.
At a glance: An inability to score is at the root of La Salle’s woes, as the Explorers have averaged a league-worst 66.7 points per game. A 40.9% team field goal percentage also ranks last, as does the 46.1% clip at which opponents have shot against the Explorers.
No. 13 St. Bonaventure
First game: 11:30 a.m. vs. No. 12 La Salle
Record: 15-16
Coach: Mark Schmidt
Leading scorer: Frank Mitchell (16.4 ppg)
Regular season in review: While the Bonnies started the season 12-2, once conference play arrived, things unraveled quickly. They dropped five tight games from Dec. 31 to Jan. 17 and then lost to No. 24 St. Louis by 35 on Jan. 23. From there, St. Bonaventure limped to a 3-8 finish.
At a glance: St Bonaventure on Sunday announced that Schmidt is set to retire following the completion of his 19th season in charge of the program. Over that span, he won A-10 Coach of the Year twice (2016, 2021) and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. Schmidt previously coached Robert Morris from 2001-07. Mitchell ranks third in the league in nightly scoring.
No. 14 Loyola Chicago
First game: 2 p.m. Wednesday vs. No. 11 Richmond
Record: 8-23
Coach: Drew Valentine
Leading scorer: Miles Rubin (10.9 ppg)
Regular season in review: The writing appeared to be on the wall early for Loyola Chicago, which stumbled out of the gate by losing seven of its first eight games. A nine-game skid in January followed, along with a four-game losing streak in February. The Ramblers did win two of their final three games, topping Richmond and George Washington.
At a glance: Loyola Chicago continues an alarming regression in Year 5 under Valentine, who led the team to 25 wins one season ago as well as 23 wins and a share of the regular season league title in 2023-24. His first season, in 2021-22, saw the Ramblers make the NCAA Tournament. Loyola Chicago is allowing a conference-worst 76.4 points per game.
