The A-10 is loaded this year. It's so loaded, in fact, that Xavier could finish in the bottom half of the league. With the addition of Butler and VCU, it's a conference that could legitimately get a half-dozen teams into the NCAA tournament this season. Brad Stevens and Shaka Smart will be far more relevant throughout conference play nowadays -- and the A-10 tournament should get plenty of pub since it's in the brand-new Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This could be a banner season for the Atlantic 10 -- all the way around.
Goodman has the Miami (Fla.) at UMass game on Dec. 1 in the Mullins Center among his top ten non-conference games in the league.
He also has UMass tied for first (with defending regular-season champ Temple) in his "Best Guess on First to Worst" part of the preview.