Atlantic 10 Basketball: Loyola-Chicago to join A-10 Conference in 2022-23
Loyola Chicago looks to be the newest member of Atlantic 10 Basketball. How big a move is this for both sides?
Loyola-Chicago Basketball has agreed to join the Atlantic 10 Conference starting in the 2022-23 academic year. The school announced the move on Tuesday night, as well as both the Missouri Valley Conference and the Atlantic 10 Conference. The transition will officially take effect on July 1st.
The Ramblers moved in 2013 from the Horizon League to the Missouri Valley Conference. Loyola will become the 15th member of the Atlantic 10. They will also be the fourth Jesuit institution in the conference joining Fordham, Saint Joseph’s, and Saint Louis.
The Ramblers’ addition makes sense because it betters the competition within the conference, generates fan interest at one of the best mid-majors in college basketball, and expands the Atlantic 10 footprint into the Chicago market.
We can expect an increase in talent that comes out of the conference due to recent success in the Loyola-Chicago program. The Ramblers advanced to a Final Four in 2018 and reached the Sweet Sixteen last season.
This season they are currently 3-0 with wins over Coppin State, Florida Gulf Coast, and Chicago State under their new head coach Drew Valentine. He was recently promoted after Porter Moser left for Oklahoma.
What’s interesting about this move is that the Ramblers will look completely different heading into the 2022-23 campaign. There are seven seniors on the roster, including five that are 5th-year players. So while they may take a step back year one in the Atlantic 10, this is a program with a proven track record at being competitive overall, regardless of who is on the roster.
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Could the Atlantic 10 now be considered a guaranteed three-bid league come March? With the conference gaining more attention from the NCAA and the media exposure it deserves, we will see what happens. It should definitely be exciting to see what Sister Jean and the Ramblers can bring to the Atlantic 10 starting next season.