The A-10 is arguably the next best basketball league outside of the P6. It will not be a one-bid league. Going forward as currently constructed, it'll likely continue as an annual 2-4 bid league with a #7-9 conference NET/RPI/KP ranking (after the P6 conferences).
The 16-team 2013 A-10 lost Butler, Xavier, Temple, and Charlotte. The replacements (Davidson, GMU) are a cumulative/considerable downgrade and, over time, less bids (than 4-5 annually) are expected as a result (less teams (16 to 14), less quality).
The A-10 would have had at least 2 teams in the dance in COVID-abbreviated non-NCAA 2019-2020 (Dayton, Richmond)...........maybe more depending on the A-10 tourney outcome. The same can be said each year for other competitive, potentially multi-bid non-P6 conferences (say conferences #7-12) and, quite frankly, the A-10 in most years (the results of the A-10 tourney sometimes provides that extra bid).
Most years, VCU/Dayton/St Louis/Richmond/St Bonny/Rhody (nearly half the league) will generally provide enough firepower to generate 2-3 bids. Sometimes another team will surprise (like Sweet 16 LaSalle or a strong GW or a St Joes). A mediocre A-10 year will generate 2 bids. A decent year will yield 3. An outstanding year will yield 4. That's about right for a non-P6, basketball-centric conference with 14 teams (and our typical metrics).
As for scheduling (to get more A-10 bids), that's more of a conference issue/problem.............certainly not a VCU issue/problem. The Rams have scheduled OOC brilliantly, taken on typically tough/challenging A-10 slates, and won enough games by Selection Sunday (typically 24+ wins) to garner the most at-large bids of any non-P6 school over the past decade.
Dayton, St Louis, Rhody typically schedule well too.
Any team's schedule needs a delicate balance of rigor/softness, of road/neutral/home, of conf/OOC challenges to position itself (metrically) for an at-large. VCU has practically "written the manual" to achieve this result by Selection Sunday. Scheduling these "conference challenges" with other non-P6 conferences is probably not value-added in the long run. Accomplished programs like VCU/Dayton/St Louis/Rhody/UR (with realistic at-large hopes) can get those games on their own.
There will always be enough challenging OOC games to go around (whether we play 11, 13, or 15 of them annually). As for conference play, the upper echelon, at-large-contending A-10 schools tend to play each other twice........which is sufficient. You need a nice mix of "get well" games (i.e. expected wins) as well to keep your metrics and conference standing lofty.
What the article should say is that the lower echelon A-10 teams (generally small, private northeastern-based schools) need to start investing in facilities and such to keep up with VCU/Dayton/Rhody/St Louis/UMass/Richmond/GMU. That is way overdue and probably not feasible (budget-wise) for many. However, Bernie is not going to "rock the boat" with any ultimatums. Her retirement account is doing quite well as is. Status quo is all she desires, much like Tom Yeager back in the CAA days.
What the article won't say (and truth be told) is that Fordham, LaSalle, GW, St Joes, Duquesne, St Bonny, even Davidson should probably be playing in other (lesser) leagues with schools more aligned with their size/budgets/alum base. They should probably be competing with schools like Canisius, Mercer, Campbell, Wagner, St Francis, Albany, Hofstra, Northeastern, Drexel, Robert Morris, etc.