DEPAUL NEAR DECISION TO JOIN ATLANTIC 10 HOOPS

     DePaul University is near a decision to move to the Atlantic
10 conference, a basketball-only, East coast based league.  The
A-10 came into the picture Tuesday after DePaul "resisted"
following Marquette and St. Louis in a move to a new football
conference formed by Louisville, Houston, Tulane, Southern
Mississippi and Great Midwest members Memphis, Cincinnati and
UAB.  The A-10 has only nine members for this season:  Rutgers,
WV, UMass, Temple, St. Joseph's, Duquesne, Rhode Island, St.
Bonaventure and George Washington.  Next season, Rutgers and WV
will join the Big East, where they already compete in football,
while Xavier goes to the A-10 (Toni Ginnetti, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES,
11/17).