Last March, the Massachusetts Minutemen steamrolled to a 13-3 record in the Atlantic 10 and gathered in front of their TV’s on Selection Sunday holding 23 wins and big hopes.

In a decision that wasn’t that controversial, Travis Ford’s team didn’t get a call from the NCAA. That won’t happen this March.

Any A-10 team fortunate enough to navigate the conference with 13 wins not only will make the NCAA’s but will likely merit a top four or five seed. The promise the A-10 flashed in November and December via several marquee victories has matured into a clear-cut statement as conference play heats up around the country. The Atlantic 10 is good and it is deep.

“The league is just so deep. The teams are very good and it’s not just the top of the league,” says URI coach Jim Baron.

While URI, UMass, Dayton and Xavier grabbed the early season headlines and still boast good-looking RPI numbers, they are not the only four teams to watch. Saint Joseph’s can win the league as its two-game sweep of UMass clearly shows. Charlotte, Duquesne and Temple are dangerous, especially on their home courts.

Why has the A-10 turned tough after a two-year slumber where it was fortunate to get two teams in the NCAA’s field? Good coaching is a nice place to start. Recent hires in the conference have panned out. Ford is a star on the rise in Amherst. In fact, he’s so good he’ll probably hear from schools based closer to his Kentucky roots (South Carolina anyone?) soon. Duquesne’s Ron Everhart has done the impossible in getting the Dukes up and running.

The nation learned about Phil Martelli’s skills at Saint Joseph’s when Jameer Nelson and Delonte West were setting records in Philly. Dayton’s Brian Gregory and Xavier’s Sean Miller are two of the better middle-aged coaches around. It’s taken Baron six years to get Rhody in position to make an NCAA run but he’s done it his way, with patience, discipline and hard work.

That group of coaches is impressive, as are the A-10’s top players. URI’s Will Daniels is an outstanding college player. So is Dayton guard Brian Roberts. St. Joe’s big man Ahmad Nivins can play anywhere and no two scorers are having as much fun as UMass’ Gary Forbes and Ricky Harris.

This is only one year but if the coaches can continue finding players like those, the days of the A-10 being a two or three-bid league will be over. We see four or five teams dancing this March.

Until the bids are unveiled, if you want to tweak you’re A-10 pals just mention the words “mid-major” when they start rambling on about the Flyers, Musketeers and Rams. The conference has a thin skin on that front, even if its postseason performance over the last five years justifies that definition.

“Schools have made conscious efforts to play teams outside the conference. Who decides who is mid-major and who is high major? I don’t know,” said Rhody’s Baron. “I think our conference is as strong as it’s ever been and the coaches are as good as they’ve ever been and the players have gotten themselves better. The Atlantic 10 Conference is a real conference and is a conference to be reckoned with.”

Agreed. We’ll check back in March and see if the conference keeps winning when the stakes really get raised.

kmcnamar@projo.com