Loyola Chicago, a member of the Missouri Valley Conference since 2013, has accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic 10, the league and school jointly announced Tuesday.
"I am excited to announce that Loyola University Chicago will be joining the Atlantic 10 Conference beginning in the 2022-23 academic year," said Loyola President Jo Ann Rooney. "The A-10 is widely regarded as one of the top leagues 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 development is a boost to the A-10, especially in basketball, considering the Ramblers were in the 2018 Final Four and Sweet 16 of last season's NCAA Tournament. They're currently 2-0 under first-year coach Drew Valentine and ranked 32nd at KenPom, which is higher than any current A-10 member.
"Loyola University of Chicago is steeped in tradition both academically and athletically," Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade told CBS Sports. "As a basketball centric Institution committed to graduating student-athletes, national success in basketball and outstanding success in several other Olympic sports, they are a great addition to the A-10. The addition of the Chicago market to the A-10 footprint also gives us a presence in three of the top five media and recruiting markets in the country."
This round of realignment is the latest blow to the Missouri Valley Conference, which was established in 1907. Schools such as Butler, Cincinnati, Creighton, Houston, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Memphis, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Saint Louis and Wichita State have each called the MVC home at one point or another. The conference obviously lost most of those members decades ago -- although Creighton and Wichita State exited more recently, respectively in 2013 and 2017.
A source told CBS Sports' Matt Norlander that the MVC is expected to respond by further expanding. The league is already set to add Belmont next year.
Here is the expected membership of the Atlantic 10 conference in 2022-23:
- Davidson
- Dayton
- Duquesne
- Fordham
- George Mason
- George Washington
- La Salle
- Loyola Chicago (joining in 2022-23)
- UMass
- Rhode Island
- Richmond
- Saint Bonaventure
- Saint Joseph's
- Saint Louis
- VCU
