Sept. 3, 2009

2009-10 A-10 MBB Composite Schedule

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade today announced the league's complete men's basketball schedule for the 2009-10 season. The schedule includes 36 contests versus teams that advanced to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament a year ago, while each of the 14 Atlantic 10 institutions will face at least one opponent from a BCS conference. The A-10 season culminates on Mar. 14 as the title game of the 2010 Men's Basketball Championship from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., will be televised at 1:00pm on CBS Sports for the first time in league history.

"We look forward to another outstanding season of college basketball. Our challenging non-conference schedules will prepare our teams for conference matchups that are again among the strongest in the country," says McGlade.

"In addition, fans of Atlantic 10 basketball will have the opportunity to enjoy an increased number of great games airing on our national and regional television packages."

This year's national television coverage is highlighted by the Atlantic 10's partnership with ESPN and its family of networks. ESPN will televise 26 men's games on its three networks as part of its college basketball package representing 35 appearances. Moreover, Xavier's matchup at Wake Forest on Jan. 3 will be carried live on FoxSportsNet.

Also scheduled to be televised nationally are 10 games that will be carried on CBS College Sports Network, including the semifinals of the 2010 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, while another 32 contests will be part of CBS College Sports Network's syndication package. Additional contests will be added to the syndication package at a later date as games are cleared in A-10 television markets.

CBS College Sports Network and the Atlantic 10 Conference have a comprehensive agreement consisting of all Conference-related media and marketing rights to all A-10 sports during the regular season and postseason championships, including the men's basketball championship.

For the 15th time in Conference history and sixth since 2000, the Atlantic 10 Conference earned multiple at-large berths to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament last season as league champion Temple was joined by regular season champ Xavier and Dayton in the field of 65. The league received two of just four at-large bids awarded to non-BCS conferences and over the past two years, the A-10 leads all non-BCS conferences with six NCAA berths. Multiple A-10 teams advanced to the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tourney for the 11th time in league annals as both Dayton and Xavier recorded opening round victories.

In addition, Duquesne and Rhode Island earned NIT bids, while Richmond reached the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational. Overall, six A-10 teams earned 20 or more victories last season, the second-highest total in league history, while the conference's 16 victories over BCS teams in non-conference action during the 2008-09 regular season marked the most of any non-BCS league and good for fifth nationally.

The Conference schedule opens with four matchups on Jan. 6 as George Washington travels to St. Bonaventure; Massachusetts hosts Fordham; Richmond visits Duquesne; and Temple hosts Saint Joseph's. Each of the league's 14 teams will play every Atlantic 10 opponent once and three teams twice.

At the conclusion of the regular season on Mar. 6, the top 12 teams will advance to the 2010 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship. First round games will be played on Tuesday, Mar. 9, 2010, on the campuses of teams seeded #5, #6, #7, and #8. The Championship then shifts to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., for the quarterfinal round on Friday, Mar. 12. Semifinal action will take place on Saturday, Mar. 13, with the finals tipping off at 1:00pm on Sunday, Mar. 14.

About the Atlantic 10
The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1975, is currently comprised of 14 member institutions and sponsors 21 championship sports. The mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and athletic excellence of our members. The conference is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards and providing equitable championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. Approaching the 35th anniversary in 2010-11, as a Division I Conference, we salute the outstanding members and leaders that have helped build the foundation of the Atlantic 10. The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and Xavier University.