After a season in which the Atlantic 10 surprisingly -- and somewhat controversially -- sent six teams to the NCAA tournament, the conference may struggle to produce such depth in 2014-15. Both Saint Louis and Saint Joseph's are fading, Rhode Island is rising (but not quite quickly enough) and the bottom of the conference remains soft. But the A-10 is certainly capable of yielding a team capable of making a deep tourney run like Dayton did a season ago.
A loaded VCU squad is the clear-cut favorite. Dayton is experienced and, with Jordan Sibert and Dyshawn Pierre back, blessed with potential star power. GW and its superb junior class have been building toward this season. And UMass -- even without Chaz Williams -- is balanced and talented. For a league that was supposed to fade without the likes of Temple and Xavier, that's a strong upperclass -- one that is again capable of making its doubters look foolish.