George Mason Will Reportedly Join the Atlantic 10

George Mason will be the latest collegiate school to change conferences as it is set to join the Atlantic 10 next season.

Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports was the first to report the news via Twitter:

According to Steven Goff of the Washington Post, the school will join the conference in all sports this summer:

The Atlantic 10 was one of the most competitive conferences in the country this season, sending five teams to the NCAA tournament. Every team won at least one game in the Big Dance as well.

Unfortunately, Butler and Xavier will leave to enter the new Big East with the seven departed Catholic schools from the original Big East conference (via Kieran Darcy of ESPN). 

It is unknown how many other schools will depart, but it is obvious that there are plenty of impressive programs—both athletically and academically—that would be appealing for other conferences.

As a result, the Atlantic 10 will bring in George Mason in a move that will be announced on Monday, per Goodman's tweet. The Patriots most notably reached the Final Four as a No. 11 seed in 2006, but the squad has many other impressive performances out of the Colonial Athletic Association.

This past year, Paul Hewitt's team went 19-14 with a 10-8 record in conference.

However, the upgrade to the Atlantic 10 is certain to bring about a strong future for the school. Additionally, the conference adds a solid basketball program that will be able to live up to the group's expectations. 

It is apparent that this is a solid move for both sides.