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How do Butler, VCU stack up against rest of A-10?

spt-120515-stevens-net

Mike Miller

Gotta hand it to the Atlantic 10. The hoops-centric league will lose Temple to the Big East and Charlotte to C-USA, but will replace them with Butler and now VCU. Yes, George Mason elected to stay in the CAA. Tough break.

The league’s still going to be better than ever.

The A-10 usually ranks as the top non-BCS conference in college hoops. Sometimes the Mountain West is better and Missouri Valley manages it occasionally. Heck, it was even better than the Pac-12 last season. That makes the A-10 the top spot for mid-major hoop schools. (Sorry for the term.)

And the ideal place for Butler and VCU.

Butler’s joining in 2013-14. The Rams will move right away. Even if they don’t win the league right away – Dan Hanner’s projection points to St. Louis as the favorites – their recent history suggests only Xavier and Butler could be considered better programs.

Here’s a comparison for the A-10’s future schools and how they fared in 2011-12.

A-10ranks

Mike Miller

Note that VCU and Butler already spend more than most A-10 schools. The Bulldogs didn’t have one of their best seasons, but compare that to what they’ve done the previous five seasons in terms of wins and average efficiency rank.

A10-average

Mike Miller

The rest of the A-10 has its work cut out for it once Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens start vying for those league crowns.

*-Financial info taken from BBState. Efficiency ranks from kenpom.com.

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.