GMU stays in CAA

George Mason, famous and now overexposed for one fluke Final Four run, will not be joining the Atlantic 10 conference. The Colonial Athletic Association was loathe to lose on of its founding members and that, along with an "exciting future" and stability were the reasons GMU AD Tom O'Connor cited for not leaving the Association. This means that, for now, Xavier remains one of 13 members of the Atlantic 10. A10 officials will be working to balance the conference, but hopefully not by adding a perpetual also-ran along the lines of the Patriots.

That still leaves the Rams of VCU as a possible addition to the A10. We've already detailed how much better it would be for the conference if VCU landed here, and now that remains a possibility. While it may be portrayed as such, the loss of the George Mason University Patriots is no loss at all.