For some it’s finally the postseason. For others it’s early in the regular season. And in many cases, a loss could mean the end of the season. Thus brings the onset of a barrage of events tonight to suit the tastes of all kinds of Washington-area college sports fans:
» MEN’S BASKETBALL
NCAA Division III Tournament first round at Catholic
Messiah (19-6) at Catholic (22-5), 8 p.m.
Mini-March Madness comes to Northeast, where the Cardinals have won six in a row. Catholic senior Patrick Dwyer is coming off 25 points, including 6-for-7 from 3-point range, in the CAC championship.
Messiah’s offense revolves around seniors Matt Henninger (15.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Jared Yoder (14.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.5 apg).
Alvernia (23-4) and Lincoln (18-8) meet in the first game of the doubleheader at 6 p.m.
Colonial Athletic Association Tournament first round at Richmond Coliseum
George Mason (15-14) vs. James Madison (7-22), 8:30 p.m.
In the final game of a first-round quadruple-header, the reeling sixth-seeded Patriots should be favored against the eleventh-seeded Dukes, who lost the teams’ two meetings this season by an average of 19.5 points. A healthy return for leading-scorer Folarin Campbell (14.1 ppg) is crucial for the Patriots. James Madison forward Terrance Carter (Largo High) averaged 19.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in February.
» WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Greensboro Coliseum
Maryland (26-4) vs. Georgia Tech/Miami winner, 8 p.m.
A dangerous first postseason game could await the third-seeded Terrapins, whose only loss, outside of three combined to No. 2 North Carolina and No. 1 Duke, came against the Yellow Jackets. Maryland beat Miami, 111-53, on Jan. 10.
The Terps are ranked in the top three in the ACC in 11 different statistical categories — and tenth in two, steals (7.7 per game) and turnover margin (-2.1). Improvement in the latter is critical for another magical postseason.
» Other televised games today on Comcast SportsNet:
N.C. State vs. Florida State, 11 a.m.
Duke vs. Virginia, 3 p.m.
» MEN’S LACROSSE
No. 2 Duke (2-0) at No. 6 Maryland (2-1), 7:30 p.m.
Under the lights at Byrd Stadium the Blue Devils make their first return to D.C. since the tumultuous events of last spring. Attack Michael Phipps (six goals, six assists) is the only current Terrapin to have scored against Duke at College Park. For diehard fans, the game is a warm-up for Saturday’s double-header at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore: No. 9 Johns Hopkins vs. No. 3 Princeton; and No. 10 Virginia vs. No. 11 Syracuse.
