George Mason, VCU In Discussions To Join Atlantic 10, According To Report

The George Mason Patriots, CAA conference foe VCU Rams and Horizon League's Butler Bulldogs might all be making the move to the Atlantic 10. This, according to CBSSports.com:

VCU, George Mason and Butler have had discussions with the Atlantic 10 and indicated to the league they have potential interest in joining for the 2013-14 school year, sources told CBSSports.com.

VCU and George Mason are currently in the Colonial Athletic Association and Butler is in the Horizon League. All three schools would need approval from their respective school boards to make the move.

Grabbing all three of these schools would be a major coup for the Atlantic 10, as all have made Final Four runs in the past five years and would greatly bolster the level of competition in the league, which in turn would benefit the programs themselves as they currently reside in "one-bid" leagues. If George Mason and VCU were to leave the Colonial Athletic Association, the league could be in serious trouble, as they would have to scramble to replace two of the perennial conference powers.

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