Fordham's Atlantic 10 schedule revealed

Jeff Neubauer's second season of Atlantic 10 play at Fordham begins with home game against Duquesne. (Photo by Alan Kelly/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

An integral part behind Fordham's 17 wins and return to postseason play last season for the first time since 1992 was an 8-10 record in Atlantic 10 contests, a marked improvement from the five-year reign of former head coach Tom Pecora, who failed to escape the bottom four positions in the standings in each of his campaigns at the helm.

Today, Jeff Neubauer; skipper of a ship that was righted impressively considering where it had been when he arrived, learned of the second part of Fordham's schedule, when the Atlantic 10 announced times and dates for its 18-game league slate.

Following the Rams' final non-league game, which takes place on December 21 against Central Connecticut State, they will remain at home to begin their A-10 ledger against Duquesne on December 30. The Dukes bring a familiar face back home in this matchup, as head coach Jim Ferry spent 11 seasons building LIU Brooklyn into a Northeast Conference powerhouse prior to taking on his current challenge in Pittsburgh.

Fordham's first test of 2017 comes on January 4 against Chris Mooney and the University of Richmond, who got the better of the Rams in the A-10 tournament last March. A January 7 home game against Saint Joseph's precedes a two-game road trip, a journey that sees Davidson (January 11) and St. Bonaventure (January 14) open their doors to New York City's A-10 representative. On January 18, two herds of Rams collide as Fordham hosts VCU, marking the only time the 2015 A-10 champions compete in the Big Apple this season.

The VCU game begins a stretch of three out of four home games for Fordham, who makes the short jaunt to Amherst on January 21 to meet UMass before coming back to Rose Hill Gym to complete the back end of a home-and-home series with Davidson (January 28) before playing host to Archie Miller and reigning A-10 regular season champion Dayton on January 31. A second home-and-home series is completed immediately thereafter, as they visit Saint Joseph's on February 4.

A February 8 tilt with La Salle at Rose Hill is a precursor to a two-game road trip for meetings with George Mason (February 11) and likely preseason favorite Rhode Island (February 15) before Saint Louis and new head coach Travis Ford come to the Bronx on February 18. Fordham completes a home-and-home series with Duquesne on February 22, visiting Pittsburgh one more time before the A-10 tournament tips off in March. A two-game homestand against Richmond (February 25) and George Washington (March 1) will serve as the third-to-last and penultimate games on the regular season schedule.

The Rams' final tuneup before tournament play occurs on March 4, when they travel to Tom Gola Arena for a second game against La Salle. All told, eight of Fordham's A-10 games will be nationally televised, five of which will air on the NBC Sports Network.

2016-17 Fordham Atlantic 10 Schedule

Friday, December 30: vs. Duquesne, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, January 4: at Richmond, TBD

Saturday, January 7: vs. Saint Joseph's, 3 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

Wednesday, January 11: at Davidson, TBD

Saturday, January 14: at St. Bonaventure, 4:30 p.m. (NBCSN)

Wednesday, January 18: vs. VCU, 7 p.m.

Saturday, January 21: at UMass, 12:30 p.m. (NBCSN)

Saturday, January 28: vs. Davidson, noon (NBCSN)

Tuesday, January 31: vs. Dayton, 9 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)

Saturday, February 4: at Saint Joseph's, 6 p.m. (American Sports Network)

Wednesday, February 8: vs. La Salle, 7 p.m.

Saturday, February 11: at George Mason, 6 p.m. (ASN)

Wednesday, February 15: at Rhode Island, TBD

Saturday, February 18: vs. Saint Louis, 2 p.m.

Wednesday, February 22: at Duquesne, 7 p.m.

Saturday, February 25: vs. Richmond, 2:30 p.m. (NBCSN)

Wednesday, March 1: vs. George Washington, 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 4: at La Salle, TBD