The Missouri Valley school will join in July 2022, joining Saint Louis in the conference for next year’s season in all sports.
The family in the Atlantic 10 gets a little bit bigger as the Loyola Chicago Ramblers will be joining the conference as a full-time member in July of 2022. Meaning next basketball season the Atlantic 10 will have 15 member schools vying for its championships.
In an announcement Tuesday afternoon, the Atlantic 10 caught everyone off guard by announcing its newest member school. While fans in the A10 often saw Loyola as a potential fit for the conference, there was not an inkling of rumor or whisper of news until just 30 minutes before the formal announcement.
“The Atlantic 10 Conference Presidents Council has formally accepted Loyola University Chicago’s application to be the league’s 15th member institution.” The release from the A-10 opens with followed by a comment from commissioner Bernadette McGlade:
“I am honored to welcome Loyola University Chicago to the Atlantic 10 Conference, and we look forward to working closely with an exceptional group of administrators, coaches and student-athletes,” McGlade says. “Loyola’s commitment to the high-level scholastic achievement of all of its students, coupled with its excellent athletic profile, from success in basketball, soccer and volleyball to outstanding facilities and resources, is a perfect fit for the A-10. The addition expands the A-10 footprint into the Chicago market, giving the conference a presence in three of the top five media markets in the United States.”
The addition of Loyola-Chicago and the Chicago metro market means the A-10 now has member institutions in seven of the top thirty media markets in the country.
“I am excited to announce that Loyola University Chicago will be joining the Atlantic 10 Conference beginning in the 2022-23 academic year,” Loyola President Dr. Jo Ann Rooney said in the joint statement. “The A-10 is widely regarded as one of the top conferences in the country for its success in competition and in the classroom. This move will continue to grow our visibility at a national level, while at the same time placing us in a league with three other Jesuit institutions. We are confident this is a move that positions Loyola for even greater success, both athletically and academically, in the future.”
The Ramblers have been a story of consistent success in the Missouri Valley Conference. Having made the NCAA tournament twice in the last five years, including a sweet sixteen and final four appearance. They’ve also made an NIT appearance and won the CBI in last 7 years. Their departing the MVC deals a blow to the annual MVC “Arch Madness” conference tournament held at Enterprise Center every March.
But what is one groups loss is another’s gain. The Ramblers will be joining the SLU Billikens in the Atlantic 10, creating a new rivalry not only built on location, but as both Jesuit institutions. Adding another matchup into the St. Louis-Chicago rivalry, building on the Cardinals-Cubs and Blues-Blackhawks, Loyola becomes closest conference rival to the Billikens by far.
As the Atlantic 10 expands and is now at an uneven number of teams (15) many speculate about a potential 16th team to join the league. The preference is to have an even number and while 16 is an unprecedented number it would create balance and have a matchup for everyone in the league every week.
Some speculative names to arise are that of Wichita State, who may need a new home in a basketball conference as the American Athletic Conference loses members. Former A-10 stalwart Temple has also been raised as possible, and while Belmont just recently joined the Missouri Valley, with Loyola leaving it may lead to a potential change of course.
Alternatively, Massachusetts has been talked about as a potential departing factor, desiring a more football-oriented situation.
With the dynamic nature of conference alignment in the current landscape, especially since Texas and Oklahoma opting to move to the SEC setting off a dominoes effect of change, it felt like it was a when not an if for when the A10 would make its move.
It was yesterday. And the A10 got their program.