CBS is reporting that Davidson could be the A10′s newest member. (Credit: Tim Cowie, DavidsonPhotos.com)

With four schools departing the Atlantic 10 Conference this summer many wondered where the league would turn to fill the voids left by Temple, Charlotte, Xavier and Butler.

Now, just days removed from the National Championship game it appears the league has already answered that question. After successfully recruiting former Colonial Athletic Association member George Mason, it now seems likely that Davidson will be the newest member of the A10 (as per this report from CBS Sports).

So what does it mean for the A10 which continues to adapt as well as any league in the country among the ever-changing college athletics landscape?

Essentially, that the league is navigating rough waters as well as anyone could expect.

While the A10 knew they would be losing Temple and Charlotte heading into the season, few would have predicted then that Xavier and first year league member Butler would bolt for the new Big East this spring. With their losses at four teams and the potential for more looming (Saint Louis and Dayton have been rumored to be potential fits for the new Big East next season if/when it expands) it was critical for the league to right the ship and add quality basketball centered schools as quickly as possible.

Commissioner Bernadette McGlade has done just that by tabbing Mason and now apparently Davidson in short order.

In these two, the league adds a pair of programs who are committed year in and year out. Mason has a Final Four appearance as recently as 2006 and Davidson has reached the NCAA Tournament five times since 2006 including a run to the Elite Eight (with now-NBA star Stephen Curry in ’08).

George Mason will share a geographic rivalry with Richmond, VCU and George Washington while Davidson will replace departing Charlotte in that media market (Davidson is just 20 miles north of Uptown Charlotte). Davidson has been one of the most successful mid-major programs in the nation over the past decade with 23rd year head coach Bob McKillop’s teams winning nine SoCon regular season titles since 2002. As for George Mason, despite losing Final Four architect Jim Larranaga to Miami, the school hired a Final Four coach of their own in former Georgia Tech head man Paul Hewitt, who becomes another high profile coach in a league that has been known for them.

This past season, Mason won 22 games and was the CBI Tournament runner-up (Mason has won no fewer than 22 games in the past three seasons) while Davidson won 26 games before falling to third seed Marquette by one point in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

While it appears that McGlade is done adding schools, there have been reports that the league has also informally gauged interest of MAAC member Siena. A small Franciscan school located just outside of Albany, Siena could be another solid addition. The Saints have had recent NCAA success (trips in 2008, ’09 and ’10) play in a first class arena (the 15K seat plus Times Union Center) which they regularly pack and have new head coach who’s a proven winner (Jimmy Patsos from Loyola, Maryland).

Whether or not the A10 extends an invitation Siena’s way, McGlade has steered the league towards calmer waters during this turbulent time. Losing flagship teams in Temple and Xavier could have been a crushing blow to the A10. Losing Butler on top of those two could have sent the league back another couple of steps.  That didn’t happen. McGlade and company picked up the pieces, did their homework, and have appeared to rope in two winners.

With George Mason and Davidson in the fold, the Atlantic 10 is alive and well heading into 2013-2014.

Oregon’s Dana Altman has the Ducks on the fast track to success as they reached the Sweet 16 this season in just his third year. Credit: Eric Evans

The Ducks jumped out to an 18-2 record and a No. 10 ranking before point guard Dominic Artis went down with an injury.  They struggled to a 4-5 mark without Artis, but when he came back Oregon regained it’s chemistry and rode it to a Pac-12 Tournament title as the Ducks took down UCLA in the final before getting a inexplicably low 12-seed and advancing to San Jose.  There, Dana Altman’s squad rallied and took wins over Oklahoma State and Saint Louis.  Few gave Oregon a chance vs. the Billikens, but that low seed plus simply a better quality of athlete across the boards put them in the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis where they would lose to eventual national champion Louisville.

“For the most part, this is a team that has been put together to try to make us relevant, to try to get us back in the hunt and the guys have done that,” said Altman, “We’d like to continue to build our base and have a core group of guys that we can really build for the future around, and I think we’ve done that, especially with a few of our freshmen, but it is a work in progress, and we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

Arizona had an abrupt ending to it’s season after the Wildcats had scratched back into it’s Sweet 16 date with Ohio State.  Tied at 70, Sean Miller’s club fell victim to a buzzer beater from Ohio State’s LaQuinton Ross.  The peaks and valleys of that game defined Arizona’s season as the Wildcats won their first 14 games before an 11-7 league ledger.  Those seven league losses proved how much tougher the Pac-12 had become only a year after it had received only two NCAA bids.

“Every day that we walk into practice or play a game, it’s about representing who we are,” noted Miller, “Getting to the Sweet Sixteen and winning 27 games, I wish we had a Pac‑12 regular season championship. We missed it by one game.”

Both the Ducks and Wildcats lose key seniors in players like E.J. Singler, Arsalan Kazemi, and Tony Woods at Oregon and Solomon Hill, Kevin Parrom, and Mark Lyons with Arizona.  Restructuring rather than rebuilding will be the key as both team should be able to hang around and be major players in 2013-14.

It proved to be a strange year in Los Angeles though as even after the UCLA Bruins won the Pac-12 regular season title, coach Ben Howland was fired after a very disappointing performance in the NCAA’s first round loss to Minnesota.  Howland had a tough time recruiting inside the state and as time went on the ties between him and high school coaches in California seemed to sever.  There was many transfers and shake ups on the Bruins rosters in the recent past and that triggered UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero to pull the plug on Howland.  Hiring Steve Alford was, to say the least, interesting as Alford is similar to Howland in personality and has no where near the resume of Howland, who took UCLA to three Final Fours in his tenure.

USC may have won the hiring battle with Florida Gulf Coast’s Andy Enfield.  After leading the Eagles into the Sweet 16, Enfield became the flavor of the month of March as the Trojans came calling.  Enfield is affable and seems to have much more of a dynamic personality than Alford as he easily won the news conference.  His style of play will fit the Los Angeles scene very well also with a fast-breaking scheme that is centered around finding the three in transition as well as getting the ball out and trying to transition off of turnovers.

“In meeting with Pat Haden, I was very impressed with his vision for the men’s basketball program,” said Enfield, “I am looking forward to bringing an exciting, up-tempo style of play to USC and building the men’s basketball brand into one that the fans and basketball community will enjoy and respect.”

Interestingly the USC job opened in mid-January after Trojans athletic director Pat Haden fired Kevin O’Neill as the Trojans started slowly.  Associate head coach Bob Cantu did an outstanding job in changing the USC style of play as the athletic Trojans all of a sudden relied on up-tempo style of play that fit players like J.T. Terrell, Dewayne Dedmon, and Eric Wise.  The Trojans finished 7-8 under Cantu as five of the losses were by less than 10 points.  The highlight may have been when USC knocked off UCLA 75-71 at Pauley Pavilion some two weeks after Cantu took over.

Cal won seven in a row near the end of the season although it lost to Utah in overtime in the Pac-12 Tournament.  Allen Crabbe finished with an 18.4 ppg. average and third in the Pac-12 after leading the league in scoring for much of the season.  The prowess of coach Mike Montgomery almost allowed the Bears to nail the upset over Syracuse in the second game of the NCAAs after a win over UNLV two weeks earlier.  Like so many others, the length of the Syracuse zone slowed the Bears and after the ‘Cuse took double digit leads, it was impossible for Cal to catch up.

The Bears lose Allen Crabbe to the NBA Draft as he will come out after this, his junior season.  Gary Cobbs and Richard Solomon will return to form the nucleus of what could be a contender as Montgomery is building the Berkley program into one that can compete, year-in, year-out for the Pac-12 title.

“In the five years that I’ve been at Cal we’ve been to four tournaments,” said Montgomery, “Five years, we’ve won more games in league than any team in the league, but I don’t think anybody would really know that or acknowledge that.  We won a championship and the next two years we competed for a championship.  Had we won those, you know, maybe one would start to look at that differently.”

Tad Boyle once again proved that his Buffaloes were not a one-hit wonder as they finished 21-12 and the good news for Boyle is that Spencer Dinwiddie and Andre Roberson should return next year to form a catalyst that could see the Buffaloes challenge for the league title.  Roberson was second in the nation with 11.8 rpg. and has been checking into his NBA Draft status.

“In terms of selling Colorado basketball, we sell the opportunity to come and make your mark on a program and leave your stamp on a program and build a legacy,” explained Boyle, “I think you see the players in our team right now, Andre Roberson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Josh Scott, all the guys that are in our program that have come to Colorado to do that is appealing.”

Arizona State, Stanford, and Washington look like they will continue to rise in 2013-14.  All three played in the NIT this season and return key players such as Jahii Carson at ASU, Dwight Powell at Stanford, and  UW’s C.J. Wilcox.

We could talk about Peyton Siva’s brilliant college career coming to an end with an 82-76 victory at the Georgia Dome.

We could recount how the Cardinals won it for injured guard Kevin Ware.

Instead, we offer you Luke Hancock.

It’s the story of the 2013 Final Four most outstanding player that tells us what drives coaches at the championship level. They never stop recruiting players who they think can make a difference in their programs, whether it be in pursuit of a five-star stud like Chane Behanan or an afterthought like the 6-foot-6 small forward who just finished rolling up 42 points in Atlanta on just 15 field goal attempts.

Courtesy Louisville Athletics

Hancock had exactly one scholarship offer after a postgraduate year at Hargrave Military Academy. That was one more offer than he received while wrapping up his four-year career at appropriately named Hidden Valley High School (Va.). To classify Hancock as a late bloomer doesn’t do him justice. His basketball career is a seed that barely made it out of the package.

Hancock enrolled at George Mason for his first two seasons, earning all-rookie team honors in the CAA as a freshman and scoring in double figures 19 times as a sophomore. He looked to transfer after Patriots’ coach Jim Larranaga accepted the head coaching job at Miami, and it’s here where we pull back the curtain on the small world that is college basketball.

Hancock contacted his former coach at Hargrave, Kevin Keatts, who had since been hired as an assistant on the Louisville staff. Keatts was working for Pitino, who is the only coach to have taken three schools to the Final Four. Providence – Larranaga’s alma mater – was the first, in 1987. Hancock selected the Cardinals over Virginia, Virginia Tech, South Carolina and…Michigan.

So when Wolverines’ coach John Beilein rehashes his first appearance in an NCAA championship game, rest assured his thoughts will go something like this. He’ll weigh the decision to sit Trey Burke for most of the first half after he picked up his second foul. He’ll assess Michigan’s clock management in the final two minutes. And he’ll think about Hancock – a player with no scholarship offers out of high school and one after a postgraduate year – slipping through his fingers along with the title.

Being a footnote to Pitino’s ever-growing list of accomplishments at this Final Four – nominated to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first coach to win a national championship with two different schools, a 664^th career victory to tie John Wooden – will be of little consequence to Beilein. He’ll think about how he could have changed the outcome himself, and he’ll start with the players he had – or, in this case, didn’t have. It’s a cruel irony of the business that Burke could sweep the national Player of the Year awards and Beilein will still be wishing he had someone else to go along with his sensational sophomore, breakout NCAA star Mitch McGary and sons of NBA royalty Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glenn Robinson III. It’s what drives coaches to recruit that next player on the roster, whether he be their first priority or their last.

It’s the national championship game. It’s also the final game of 2012-13.

Louisville and Michigan will battle for the title at the Georgia Dome in a game featuring two of the sport’s most storied programs. The Cardinals and Wolverines have made a combined 17 appearances in the Final Four, reached eight national championship games and cut down the nets three times. Two terrific fan bases will converge in Atlanta tonight with all the glory on the line.

(And yes, we’re including the Fab Five in those totals. The NCAA can strip away whatever honors they like on paper. We watched those teams perform with our own eyes and help give birth to the modern game, one in which freshmen no longer wait their turn and style is fused with substance. Full credit will always be given in this space to Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King for converting this writer into a lifetime college basketball junkie.)

No. 1 Louisville (34-5, Big East champion) vs. No. 4 Michigan (31-7, at-large)

The Cardinals survived upstart Wichita State in the national semifinals while the Wolverines overcame some shaky foul shooting down the stretch to edge past Syracuse. Both teams have earned their place playing on the season’s final night and have done so in completely different fashion.

Credit: University of Louisville Sports Information

Louisville dominated its first four games before running into the Shockers. Wichita State had a 12-point lead in the second half before the Cardinals turned up their defensive pressure and forced seven turnovers in the final seven minutes. Heroic performances off the bench by Luke Hancock and walk-on Tim Henderson allowed Louisville to weather another sluggish performance by Peyton Siva (1-for-9, seven points, three assists, two turnovers) and some trademark gunning from Russ Smith (6-for-17, 5-for-12 at the foul line). We don’t expect the Cardinals backcourt to be that poor again and they’ll have plenty of help from the rugged front line of Gorgui Dieng, Chane Behanan and Montrezl Harrell.

Michigan needed an overtime escape against Kansas in the Sweet 16 before blasting Florida and overcoming a tense final 1:30 against Syracuse. The Wolverines dished out 17 assists on 21 made field goals and used breakout star Mitch McGary at the high post to unlock the Orange’s 2-3 zone. McGary fought his way to yet another double-double, critical for Michigan while Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke went a combined 5-for-24 from the field.

Louisville had everything to lose against Wichita State. The Cardinals were the overall No. 1 seed playing against a mid-major without a care in the world. We think that’s the real reason Louisville found itself in trouble on Saturday. Playing against Michigan puts the Cardinals on equal footing with a fellow power program, and we feel like that mutual respect will force Louisville to produce its best. Just ask Syracuse what happens when the Cardinals are focused and ready – Louisville put a 30-point beatdown on the Orange in the second half of the Big East Tournament final to win going away. We don’t see a blowout coming tonight, but look for the Cardinals to come out on top. Rick Pitino will become the first coach to win a national championship at two different schools.

The pick – Louisville

Starters Wayne Blackshear and Gorgui Dieng didn’t score.  Blackshear was so out of the game mentally and emotionally that he only saw nine minutes.  Guard Peyton Siva once again disappeared as he was only 1-of-9 from the floor with seven points and three assists in 34 minutes.  Fouls mounted as Louisville had been whistled for 20 to 11 for Wichita State midway through the second half.

In addition, here was Wichita State, a 9-seed who had sent home the 1-seed and 2-seed in the West Region in Gonzaga and Ohio State, playing even better than they did against the Zags and the Buckeyes.  The Shockers matched up very well athletically with Louisville and anyone who thought this would be an obliteration in the favor of the Cardinals knew little about the game of college basketball en masse across the nation.

That Shocker athleticism was a foil for Louisville and the Shockers almost pulled off the win.  They led 47-35 with 13:40 to play behind the play of nearly every Shocker that Greg Marshall put into the game.  The Shockers had 10 turnovers, but only four through the first 26 minutes as the Shockers were able to take advantage of Louisville when they could score and press.

“We’re one of the better pressing teams in the country,” said Pitino, “They had four turnovers.  We were giving them everything but the kitchen sink, and they wouldn’t turn it over.  The flipside, they did a very good job with Peyton in getting him to shoot a low percentage.  So he’s (Gregg Marshall) a terrific coach, terrific.”

Cleanthony Early once again made a huge impression on the big stage with a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds as his athleticism kept the Cardinals occupied to the point where they were ensconced with a way to neutralize him as Chane Behanan was able to finally do enough with him down the stretch.

“Chane’s hands sometimes come into play where he doesn’t come up with the ball,” said Pitino, “But he was big inside tonight. More than that, I was so pleased that he wanted the ball. In crucial situations, he made free throws and wanted the ball.  That, to me, showed an awful lot.”

The Cardinals looked dead in the water and had not been able to put together a run which would break the Shockers.  At that point non-scholarship junior Tim Henderson etched his name in Louisville lore as he hit a pair of threes on back-to-back possession to cut that 47-41 lead in half at 12:22.

“I knew Tim had it in him,” said Siva, “When he got in the game and hit that first three, I was just ecstatic for him.  Then the next one, hit it again, first one he missed, Luke (Hancock) told him to keep shooting it.”

From there, it was the stellar essence of a Rick Pitino defense and the clutch play of Hancock that would allow the Cardinals to finally take the lead.  The Cardinals held Wichita State to 1-of-9 from the field with five turnovers over an eight minute stretch that saw them take the lead at 56-55 on a triple by Hancock, with 6:31 remaining. From the 13:40 mark until the end of the game, the Cards cuffed the Shockers into 6-of-17 shooting with six turnovers.

Hancock, a transfer from George Mason, was the chess piece that moved the Cardinals to a Monday night national championship date with Michigan.  He finished with 20 points and six boards in 31 minutes on 6-of-9 shooting as he nailed three triples.

“You go out there and play like it’s any other game,” noted Hancock, “You try to have confidence shooting the ball.  I just shot it when I was open.  I got a bunch of great feeds from Russ and Peyton.  It’s all on them for finding me with open looks.”

Hancock sealed Wichita State with 2:09 to play with another three and then answered a tip in by early with a layup and a 67-62 lead.

“We want him to play as many minutes as possible because he’s the best passer, the clutchest shooter and free throw shooter, and one of the smartest players to know what to do in crucial situations,” Pitino said of Hancock, “So we bring him off the bench because we want to get extended minutes. There’s no questions that all of you can see he’s one of the better players on our team.  He just gave us a tremendous lift tonight.”

Pitino noted the play of Smith and the Cardinals’ bench who outscored Wichita State 34-9 on the evening as they were a major reason why the Cardinals advance to a Monday night championship date with Michigan, a 61-56 winner over Syracuse.

“Russ (Smith) had a good night,” commented coach Rick Pitino, after Smith scored 21 points and went 4-of-11 behind the arc, “Russ is our best free throw shooter, but four of our starters had the worst night of the season.  We had to win this game with our second unit of Steven Van Treese, Tim Henderson, one of the best sixth men in basketball, Luke Hancock, and Montrezl Harrell.  The reason our starters played poorly is because Wichita State is that good.  So we’re really happy to be playing in the final game.”

- Ken Cross

(Photo Credit: Baylor Marketing and Communications)

As it all played out, Jackson made an impact, but the 74-54 NIT championship at Madison Square Garden by Baylor, began with his running mate. A.J. Walton, like Jackson a senior guard,  put his stamp on the game with outstanding perimeter defense that disrupted Iowa all night long.

Neither team was able to generate offense the first half. Baylor led 27-22 at the break and McCaffrey pointed out his team was fortunate to be within two possessions. Early in the second half the Hawkeyes cut the deficit to 28-27. At that juncture, Baylor went on an 8-0 run. That stretch allowed the Bears to build the lead and generate a better offensive showing. Make no mistake, defense was the story.

“They caused us to settle for a few too many jump shots,” McCaffrey said.  “We are a driving team. We get to the free throw line typically, we did not tonight.”

Baylor showed excellent transition defense virtually erasing any fast break opportunities. In their half court sets they struggled to run an offense that would provide looks. Credit Walton.

“I thought A.J. (Walton) set the tone with his perimeter defense,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “He was able to take them (Iowa) out of their offense with the pressure he put on their guards.” While Walton exerted his pressure on the Iowa lead guards, Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin did the job defensively. With their length, the duo blocked or altered of number of inside opportunities for Iowa. On the night Baylor blocked seven shots (Iowa did not reject one) with Austin responsible for five.

Once the Baylor offense got in full gear early in the second half, Iowa did not have an answer. Jefferson led all scorers with 23 points earning All-Tournament honors. Jackson, who, down the stretch of the season played as well as any point guard in the land per Drew, earned Most Outstanding Player with 17 points, 10 assists. The 7-1 freshman Austin also earned All-Tournament accolades with 15 points, 9 boards to complement his five blocks. The Bears shared the ball extremely well assisting on 19 of 26 field goals.

Iowa was led by Mike Gesell with 13 points. One of McCaffrey’s better offensive players, Roy Devyn Marble was held to 6 points on 3 of 12 shooting. The Hawkeyes did grab 20 offensive boards but failed many times to convert. Their 18 of 69 (26%) shooting was another testament to Baylor’s outstanding defense.

Baylor came to New York in business-like fashion hoping to leave with the NIT title. They did and were moved by the moment. Jackson spoke softly and was moved in post game interviews. “I am extremely proud of my team tonight,” he said. “The way we played it was domination. My emotions are really high, I am just trying to relax in here.”

Drew was thrilled to see his team finally celebrate. “In ‘09 (at the NIT) and for two Big 12 championship games we watched the other team celebrate,” he said. “So it’s great for this team to win the first Big 12 championship in the NIT and the first men’s championship for the school.”

For Iowa, a team fully praised by Drew, who believes they will “be great the next few years,” it was a difficult ending. “They are down,” McCaffrey said of his team. “They know they didn’t play well but we are in this together, I tried to take it off them saying I did not do as good a job.”

In perspective, Iowa grew and had a lot to be proud of. “We won a big time road game (Virginia) then came to Madison Square Garden. We played two really good teams. We won one and lost one. We will learn from this experience.”

The title is a culmination of a rebuilding job by Drew that saw him lead the program from virtual ashes to prominence. The Baylor mentor first and foremost credits the administration commitment and resources. The Baylor coach does not forget the type kids he was attracted to Waco. “We have been blessed to bring in talented guys who care about the team,” he said. “Putting others in front of themselves. We have good kids that care about the right things.”

In the end, it resulted in the NIT title.