Tuesday, ESPN reported that a Big East division could bring seven schools into the Atlantic 10’s ranks, making it a 21-team conference.

But a new report from the New York Post cautions that, should those programs break from the Big East, they might not be interested in becoming part of the A-10. Instead, the Post reported, they may want to combine with a select few Atlantic 10 programs to make a new conference.

“A source said the Big East was leaning towards a second option – adding schools. It wants to return to its days as a 10-12 school conference with a homogenous membership headlined by elite basketball programs in urban markets,” the Post reported.

So far, the Atlantic 10 has emerged as one of the conferences to benefit from the ongoing realignment, adding Butler and VCU to its ranks this year. This season, the A-10 has a 16-team field that will shrink to 14 after Temple and Charlotte depart at the end of the 2012-13 season.

Rounding out the league’s changes is a new media rights deal that increases the conference’s national profile significantly.