Marquette

It's a mixed bag today as three leagues determine their NCAA Tournament representatives and four others begin their sprint to the finish line. But the preview today will focus on the lone "regular season" game because there's an awful lot riding on it. Rivals Princeton and Pennsylvania meet at the Palestra, and the visiting Tigers need a win to force a playoff with Harvard for the Ivy League title (that game would be played at Yale).

By this time next Sunday there will be more than 20 teams guaranteed inclusion in the 2011 NCAA Tournament and the first three tickets were punched on Saturday. UNC Asheville (Big South), Belmont (Atlantic Sun) and Morehead State (Ohio Valley) all won their conference tournament finals while Princeton (Ivy) missed out on a chance to join the fun with their loss at Harvard. Now the Tigers need to beat rival Penn at the Palestra to forge a tie atop the standings, forcing a one-game playoff with Harvard for the Ancient Eight's automatic bid.

In the latest installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series, CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Marquette great Butch Lee. Lee was a two-time All-America during his career in Milwaukee, which included being named Most Outstanding Player of the 1977 NCAA Tournament after helping lead the (then) Warriors to the national title.

Jon Teitel: Your first name is Alfred but your nickname is "Butch". Who gave you the nickname and how do you like it?

Just a month ago the question was not just whether or not Gonzaga would get to the NCAA Tournament but also if their run atop the West Coast Conference was coming to an end. But what's said on the outside doesn't have to be accepted inside of a locker room, that's been the case for Mark Few's team as they've hung around. The end result was the chance to pull into a tie for first place, an opportunity the Bulldogs took full advantage of in their 89-85 overtime win at Saint Mary's.

One night after Cincinnati picked up a resume-building road victory it's Marquette's (16-11, 7-7) turn as they visit Connecticut (20-6, 8-6) at the XL Center. The Huskies need the win to keep pace with the other squads in the race for one of the four single byes in the Big East Tournament with an outside shot at grabbing a double bye, but they'll be without head coach Jim Calhoun. Coach Calhoun won't be present due to a death in the family, meaning that George Blaney takes over the reins.

If you haven't paid much attention to Jim Larranaga's George Mason Patriots it's about time you did. The Patriots made quite the statement on Tuesday night, going on the road to whip VCU 71-51 to wrap up at least a share of the CAA regular season title. A win in either of their last two conference games clinches the league outright, and this group is well on their way to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008. Ryan Pearson led five players in double figures with 18 points and eight rebounds, and George Mason assisted on 17 of their 23 made baskets.

While there are a number of good games on the schedule for Saturday the best matchup may not come until the evening deep in the heart of Texas. Rick Barnes' Longhorns (17-3, 5-0) have been outstanding for much of the season, having won 11 of their last 12 games with the defeat being by one point. But they'll encounter a stiff test in regards to both talent and style as a Missouri (17-3, 3-2) squad that needs a win to remain in the Big 12 title conversation visits the Erwin Events Center. Both squads are solid defensively but they do things in different ways.

No mistaking what the biggest game of the night is, especially when considering the conference title implications involved. Top-ranked Ohio State (20-0, 7-0) host #12 Purdue (17-3, 6-1) in a matchup of the top two teams in the Big Ten and a win over the Boilermakers would put Thad Matta's team on the fast track towards another conference championship. But this game also provides one of the best individual matchups of the season to date, one that will have the attention of both NBA scouts and college fans.

While some may use a pair of comeback overtime victories as proof that Tom Izzo's Michigan State (12-5, 4-1) Spartans are back on the right track, the true test of such recovery comes on the road. That's what lies in front of the Spartans as they face an Illinois (13-5, 3-2) squad that's dropped back-to-back games on the road and needs a win to avoid falling three games behind Ohio State in the loss column.

Many expected the matchup between #12 Missouri and #13 Texas A&M to be a thriller and it most certainly didn't disappoint, requiring an extra five minutes before rendering a verdict. Khris Middleton was outstanding for the Aggies, scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds as Mark Turgeon's team remained undefeated in Big 12 play with a 91-89 overtime victory. Five A&M players reached double figures but it was Middleton who made the difference, scoring 11 points in the extra session to lead the way.