| PLAYERS TO WATCH |
| Norris Cole |
| Cole and Cleveland State have the best record (25-7) and RPI (42) in the Horizon League. But with two losses to Butler (21-9), the Vikings probably need to win the conference tournament to earn an NCAA berth. Their quest begins Friday night against Wright State. (Fri., 6 p.m., ESPN3) |
| Kenneth Faried |
| The nation’s most rabid rebounder (14.3 pg) leads Morehead State (22-9) into the Ohio Valley Conference tournament in Nashville. The Eagles get a double-bye into the semifinals Friday night and will play either No. 7 Southeast Missouri State (10-21) or No. 3 Austin Peay (19-12). (Fri., 9 p.m., ESPNU) |
| Maalik Wayns |
| With eight losses in their last 13 games, Wayns and Villanova (21-9, 9-8) are leaking oil. But a win at cross-state rival Pittsburgh (26-4, 14-3) would provide a boost. The sophomore guard has contributed to the swoon, hitting 21 of 68 shots (30.8 percent) in his last seven games. (Sat., 4?p.m., CBS) |
| Christian Webster |
| Much will depend on the Landon grad (13.6 ppg) as Harvard (21-5, 10-2) tries to tie Princeton (22-5, 10-1) in the Ivy League and force a one-game playoff for a berth in the NCAA tournament. The last such playoff came in 2002. Harvard is the league’s only team that has never won an Ivy title. (Sat., 7 p.m., ESPN3) |
| Harrison Barnes |
| The North Carolina freshman hit the winning 3-pointer with three seconds left Wednesday at Florida State to deliver the Tar Heels (23-6, 13-2) to a dream matchup at home against archrival Duke (27-3, 13-2). The ACC regular-season title and top seed in the conference tournament are at stake. (Sat., 8 p.m., CBS) |
LOCAL CAPSULES
Va. Tech at Clemson
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When » Saturday, noon
Where » Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, S.C.
TV » ESPN2
Radio » 106.7 FM
With a win, Virginia Tech (19-9, 9-6) can finish as high as third place in the ACC and punch its ticket to the NCAA tournament. A loss, however, could drop the Hokies into a three-way tie for fourth with Clemson (19-10, 8-7) and Boston College (18-11, 8-7), teams Virginia Tech has gone winless against, and likely would require a victory or two in next week’s ACC tournament. On Tuesday, the Hokies were outrebounded 38-24 in a dreadful 76-61 loss to BC, with Jeff Allen getting three rebounds in 37 minutes on Senior Night.
Dayton at GW
When » Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where » Smith Center
Radio » 1500, 820 AM
For GW (16-13, 9-6), seeding in the Atlantic 10 tournament is at stake against Dayton (19-11, 7-8). With a victory, the Colonels would finish in fifth place and face Fordham (6-21, 0-15) on Tuesday at home in the opening round of the A-10, with the winner playing Duquesne (18-10, 10-5) in the quarterfinals Friday in Atlantic City. A sixth-place finish would give GW a home game against Charlotte (10-19, 2-13) or St. Joseph’s (8-21, 3-12), with Richmond (23-7, 12-3) waiting in the quarterfinals.
CAA Tournament: James Madison vs. William & Mary
When » Friday, 8:30 p.m.
Where » Richmond (Va.) Coliseum
Interesting matchup in the opening round of the CAA tournament as talented, underachieving sixth-seeded James Madison (21-10, 10-8), led by 6-foot-10 Denzel Bowles (18.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg), faces talent-challenged but plucky 11th-seeded William & Mary (9-21, 4-14), which ranks second in the CAA in 3-pointers (7.9 pg). The winner advances to a quarterfinal game with No. 3 Hofstra (20-10, 14-4), led by G Charles Jenkins (23.2 ppg, 4.8 apg), who was honored as CAA Player of the Year Thursday night at the pre-tournament awards banquet.
