NEW ARTICLE: Take My Pod...Please

BEVERLY HILLS (MI) -– As UD and the 7 other teams still alive in the Atlantic 10 Tournament (how ‘bout SBU and UMass?) head to Atlantic City to decide a Champion, I have to say that I really prefer the new format. What’s not to like? Reward the 4 best squads with a bye; give the next quartet the added bonus of an extra home game (and the revenue that comes with it); make the next 4 play on the road in order to earn a trip to Las Vegas on the Atlantic and send Fordham and whoever happens to be the 2nd worst team in the league (in this case, LaSalle) packing.

That rush of air that you might have felt after the UD/GW game went final was a collective sigh of relief from all of the UD Faithful who had deposits (of the non-refundable variety) on hotel rooms for the weekend at da Joisey Shore. Those Flyer fans didn’t know it at the time they confidently made their reservations, but they were the last of the riverboat gamblers.

As nice as the new A-10 Tournament schedule is, it is clear that something has to be done about the A-10 regular season “POD” system. If you didn’t know it, POD stands for “Piece Of Dried-up-something-or-other.” Why do they call it the POD? Because POS was already taken.

This season, UD played Xavier, Duquesne and St. Louis each twice, arguably the toughest POD of anyone in the league. And what did it get us? Seventh freakin’ place, that’s what. Meanwhile, Eczema feasted on Fordham twice, as did Rhody, while Temple faced St. Joe’s and 13th place LaSalle two times.

Yeah, that’s fair.

Ideally, the A-10 would be “right-sized” back to just a 12 team league with 2 divisions of 6. Teams would play the 5 other schools in their own division twice; they would face the other 6 once and -- BINGO -– you got yourself a nicely balanced, 16 game conference slate like “the good old days.”

Let’s face facts: that ain’t happenin’ anytime soon, kids. Unless the SLU administration suddenly decides to actually listen to Thick Rick and wander off to the Missouri Valley and Fordham comes to their senses and jumps down to the MAAC, it will remain the Atlantic 10 + 4.

I have a solution. All it needs is an acronym. So, what do we call it?

Basketball Athletic Division

Pretty Useless Schedule

Swampy’s Terrific Unbalanced Play for Inter-Divisional

Here’s how it works:

All teams play each other once for 13 games.

Each school plays its designated “Rival” one additional game:

UMass vs. Rhode Island -- this is, literally, a border war

Fordham vs. SBU -- battle of the New Yawkers

St. Joe’s vs. Temple -- 2 of the Big Five

LaSalle vs. Dukes -- East vs. West in PA

GW vs. Richmond -- the battle of I-95

UD vs. X -- natch

SLU vs. UNCC -- the Conference USA refugees beat each other up

This slate frees up each of the 14 A-10 schools to play another pair of home games, which means mo money, mo money. It even cuts down on travel, so Thick Rick Majerus might actually shut up for 10 seconds.

My plan will probably never happen, but it’s something for Bernadette McGlade to think about as she wanders along the shoreline, picking up sand dollars this summer in Virginia Beach. Don’t forget to wear your sunscreen, Madam Commissioner.

Go Flyers! It’s rubber match time! Win out in AC and we dance!

That’s it “From the Swamp.”
You can email me at: swampy@udpride.com

	Xavier XAVIER MUSKETEERS Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

	Temple TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple College became Temple University in 1907. Located in Philadelphia, Temple is a comprehensive public research university with 34,000 students, 8 campuses, and 300 academic degree programs. Notable alumni include Bill Cosby and Daryl Hall. Temple's nickname is the Owls and are fellow A10 Conference members.

	St Bonaventure SAINT BONAVENTURE Founded in 1858, St. Bonaventure University is a liberal arts college located on 500 acres in southwestern New York state. SBU offers 43 undergraduate majors, the most popular of which are elementary education, journalism, psychology, accounting, marketing, finance, and management. Total undergraduate enrollment is 2,000. Virtually all freshmen and most undergraduates live on campus. A founding member of the A10 Conference. Famous athletes include Bob Lanier. Historical nickname was the Brown Indians, but later changed to the Bonnies. Their mascot is a wolf.

	Rhode Island RHODE ISLAND The University of Rhode Island was chartered as the state's agricultural school in 1888. The school became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892. Located in southern Rhode Island, URI is a quintessential New England campus - rural in feeling yet close to the city of Providence, the state's capital. Linked to the city, the beaches, and nearly every corner of the state by both rail and public transit, the campus is easily accessible from Boston and New York URI currently offers 100 majors in seven degree-granting colleges. There are more than 12,000 students on the Kingston campus, about 3,000 in Providence, and a complement of about 700 faculty. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams.

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.

	Fordham FORDHAM Fordham University is an independent Jesuit university established in 1841 as St. John's College on old Rose Hill Manor in the village of Fordham, then part of Westchester County in the Bronx, NY. The name Fordham is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "ford" and "ham," meaning a wading place or ford by a settlement. Rose Hill is the name given to the site in 1787 by Robert Watts, a wealthy New York merchant, in honor of his family's ancestral home of the same name in Scotland. The College was originally staffed by diocesan clergy. The name was officially changed to Fordham University in 1907. Fordham's 10 schools enroll 14,448 students. There are 7,652 undergraduates, of whom 3,842 live in University-managed housing either on-campus or in the local community. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams. Athletic claim to fame is consistent mediocrity in nearly all sports and few A10 title winning programs.

	Duquesne DUQUESNE Duquesne University is a private, coeducational university, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania located on 48 secluded acres, on a bluff above downtown. Founded in 1878 as a Catholic college by the Order of the Holy Spirit. It is the only Spiritan institution of higher education in the world. Duquesne offers 10 schools of study and 100 degree programs to 6,000 undergraduates and 3,800 graduate students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Dukes.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.