The Atlantic 10 Conference has an unmistakable bond with the city of Pittsburgh. Five of the league’s first six men’s basketball championships took place at the old Civic Arena — known as the Igloo, to the locals — and the league’s first office was founded in the Steel City in 1978.
For the conference’s 50th anniversary, the A-10 is now returning to its roots.
The A-10 announced Tuesday that its men’s basketball tournament will return to Pittsburgh in 2026, to be held at PPG Paints Arena. The arena, which is home to the Penguins, hosted the 2017 A-10 championships, which Rhode Island won. The location has also hosted multiple NCAA men’s basketball March Madness opening rounds in the last few years.
“We are excited to return to Pittsburgh in 2026 to celebrate the league’s history in a city that was integral to the beginning of the Atlantic 10,” A-10 commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade said in a statement announcing the decision. “Pittsburgh is an amazing city with a very rich sports history. It has previously been a tremendous host for the A-10 Championship, both in 2017 and in the first six years of the conference.”
In its statement, the A-10 noted Pittsburgh's history and proximity to the conference’s member schools, saying the city is “less than a seven-hour drive from 79 percent of the league’s footprint.”
The Civic Arena played host to the A-10 basketball championships in the conference’s infancy from 1978-82, back when it was known colloquially as the “Eastern 8,” with Villanova (1978, ’80), Rutgers (1979) and Pitt (1981, ’82) capturing titles during that time.
Duquesne won last season’s A-10 men’s basketball championship, making March Madness as a No. 11 seed and earning a first-round upset win against BYU in Omaha, Neb., the school’s first NCAA tournament win since 1969.
“We’re excited to welcome the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship back to Pittsburgh, especially for its milestone anniversary in 2026,” SportsPITTSBURGH executive director Jennifer Hawkins said in the statement. “Of course, Pittsburghers will flock to cheer on the Dukes with hopes of another championship title, but we also invite other fans, friends and families to join us to support their teams and experience the [camaraderie] that we pride ourselves on along with all our city has to offer.”
First Published: May 21, 2024, 8:48 p.m.
Updated: May 21, 2024, 11:36 p.m.