The University of Hawai'i has 19 NCAA teams but no easy answers among them when it comes to taking a quick machete to the athletic department's rising deficit.

UH was expected to conclude the 2008-09 fiscal year yesterday with a $2.58 million deficit on top of the $5.4 million net deficit accumulated over the previous five years. And, in the current economy, it is staring at the prospect of $2 million in red ink for the fiscal year that began today.

In the corporate world, the expedient solution might be, despite athletic director Jim Donovan's stated only-as-a-last-resort reservations, to whack one — or more — of the programs to clear a path to solvency.

In the NCAA world UH inhabits, however, it is rarely that simple. For one thing, UH must carry, at minimum, six men's sports and eight women's sports or lose its major college status. No major status, no bowl games, no NCAA Basketball Tournament money. Little in the way of a TV contract, either.

Currently, UH has seven men's teams, 11 women's teams and one coed squad, sailing, but not many options. UH isn't in compliance with Title IX, the federal law mandating equality in education, because women, who form the majority of the undergraduate enrollment, are underepresented in athletic opportunities. So, there can be no cuts of women's sports.

That leaves UH with one men's sport that could be chopped. But because the WAC and most conferences require members to have football and men's basketball, it couldn't be one of those. Nor would it make much sense since they are two of the top three revenue producers

At most places men's volleyball would be the easy cut. But Hawai'i isn't most places and not only does the sport have a following here, it has a money-making track record and considerable future potential.

As recently as three years ago, it was profitable at UH and the expectation, with the hiring of Charlie Wade, is that it will get back in the black in short order.

Slicing baseball could save UH $383,000, the amount it currently loses. But there is a cultural affinity for the sport here and there is further income potential. Not to mention the question of what would be done with Les Murakami Stadium?

So, basically, that leaves three men's sports: tennis, golf and swimming-diving. But only one of them could be cut, none of which would retire even 15 percent of the 2008-09 deficit the first few years due to scholarship and other obligations.

It took UH a while to get into this fiscal mess and an escape will likely take time, too.