Last season, Morgan State sat out the festivities while its four local Division I rivals strove for the Battle of Baltimore basketball tournament.

This season, the Bears will not only be in the thick of the action, they will be hosting the tournament starting Nov. 23, when Loyola, UMBC and Towson visit Hill Field House to decide the fifth annual titlist.

Coppin State, which alternates with Morgan, will be missing this time.

"I wish we could find a way that we could all play every year," said Morgan coach Butch Beard. "It is a good barometer of where you are and where you have to go."

Short of persuading Division III Johns Hopkins to join the field or going outside the Baltimore area to bring in Mount St. Mary's, Maryland-Eastern Shore or the Naval Academy, the four-team format is likely to remain intact.

With the home-court advantage and no clear-cut favorite as UMBC was the past two tournaments, the Bears have an equal chance to launch this season successfully after a nightmarish 2001-02 campaign in which they didn't win until Jan. 21 and finished 3-25.

"This can set the tone for the season, whether you win or lose," Morgan guard Randy Dukes said. "Our football team stepped up so the pressure is on us to do the same."

"Our biggest concern is scoring. We're going to depend a lot on the guards [Dukes and Cedric Barrow] to carry the offense," Beard said. "But we're way ahead of where we were last year at this time."

With a lighter pre-league schedule that includes five home games by Dec. 9, Morgan should be able to avoid another distressing start.

"If we can get to the MEAC with some wins, we should be all right," said Beard. "But next year we'll pay for this schedule with the reverse."

UMBC is missing three key transfers from a 20-win team, including leading scorer Peter Mulligan. Towson is still a developing squad, and Loyola, which won only five times in 2001-02, is youthful.

The Bears are small, but Beard "likes my little team. I've seen high school teams bigger than us, but we practice hard and I think we'll be all right."

Local coaches use the tournament as a measuring stick to determine strengths and weaknesses.

"It tells kids how hard they have to work," said UMBC's Tom Sullivan.

Loyola won the first two Battle of Baltimore tournaments.

Battle of Baltimore

Where:Hill Field House, Morgan State University

Schedule:Nov. 23 - semifinals, UMBC vs. Towson, 7 p.m.; Loyola vs. Morgan State, 9:15 p.m. Nov. 25 - Consolation, 4:30 p.m.; championship, 7 p.m.

TV:Ch. 2

Ticket prices:General admission, $10 per night; Advance student tickets, $3 per night; Student tickets (with ID), $5 per night.