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Here is how the A-10 has fared since the current NCAA Tournament format was
adopted in 1985:
The Atlantic 10 has received 49 tournament bids in the 17 years of
six-round play. This averages almost three bids (2.88) per year.
A total of 11 Atlantic 10 entrants (22.4 percent) have advanced to at least the Sweet 16. However, the A-10 has comprised only four percent of
the overall regional berths from 1985-2001.
Only one Atlantic 10 team -- Massachusetts in 1996 -- has reached the Final Four in this era. The 1988 Temple Owls were also a No. 1 seed, but lost
in the East Region final to Duke. The Owls are 0-5 in regional finals under John Chaney, but were the higher seed only in that '88 encounter with the Blue Devils.
The only current A-10 member to win an NCAA men's basketball championship was La Salle, way back in 1954. Those Tom Gola-led
Explorers also captured the NIT crown in 1953.
Only in 1988 (Temple, Rhode Island) and 1993 (Temple, George Washington) has the Atlantic 10 sent multiple teams to the Sweet 16.
The most "overachieving" Atlantic 10 team of this era, to the surprise of no one, is Temple. Both the 1991 (No. 10) and 2001 (No. 11) Owls rode
a double-digit seed all the way to the regional finals. The A-10's biggest "underachiever," at least in terms of seeding, is a three-way
tie. Temple (1987 or 2000) and UMass (1994) were all No. 2 seeds which lost in the second round.
The Atlantic 10's overall NCAA winning percentage from 1985-2001 is .533 (56-49). Its "Bracketology Score" is 1.066. (Translation: NCAA
games played divided by number of games conference members were seeded to play; average score equals 1.000).
Joe Lunardi is the resident "bracketologist" for ESPN.com. He may be reached at jlunardi@home.com.
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