Patriot League
Site -- Campus arenas of the higher seeds
When -- Today through March 9
Web site -- patriotleague.com
TV -- Championship game (March 9, 4:30 p.m) on ESPN2
Favorite -- No. 1 seed Holy Cross (22-8, 13-1)
State entry -- Navy (14-15, 4-10)
Outlook -- The Midshipmen have been an up-and-down team with no seniors in significant roles and four freshmen playing extensively. They face an uphill battle since all of their tournament games figure to be on the road as a No. 7 seed. The quest starts tonight at one of the league powers, Bucknell, which lost the top seed when Holy Cross won at Lehigh on Sunday. Bucknell is a better matchup for Navy than Holy Cross, although the Bison beat the Midshipmen twice as well. Navy has had trouble rebounding and will face big C Chris McNaughton and F Donald Brown, who returns after missing seven games with a broken hand. Brown was leading the league in rebounding and field-goal percentage when he got injured. Navy's top player is junior Greg Sprink (17.2 ppg).
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Site -- Charlotte (N.C.) Bobcats Arena
When -- Today through Saturday
Web site -- theciaa.com
TV -- Championship game (Saturday, 8 p.m.) on ESPN Classic
Favorite -- No. 1 seed Virginia Union (19-4, 16-4)
State entry -- Bowie State (17-9, 11-9)
Outlook -- As the sixth seed, the Bulldogs would almost have to win the conference tournament to make postseason play. They get an early break tonight, playing the bottom seed, Shaw, which won only one league game and is 3-24 overall. But the road will get tougher if they advance with No. 3 Johnson C. Smith looming. Bowie dropped four of its last five conference games but is still averaging 87.1 points with G Gil Goodrich (26.0) and F Tyronne Beale (21.6) leading the charge. The Bulldogs routed Shaw, 92-64, at Bowie and, 86-68, at Raleigh, N.C. The Bulldogs split with Johnson C. Smith, with each team winning at home.