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The Basketball "Rivalry" Takes Center Stage

As everyone knows, I'm a football guy.
Even with the football season seven months away, I still get a lot of football news to sift through - but this weekend, an old-fashioned basketball "Rivalry" takes center stage.

Don't get me wrong, I still have a ton of football news to report. I'm watching the "Goodman 20" DVD for an upcoming DVD review for the blog, I'm discovering great articles about current Lehigh football players such as one gem about junior LB Tim Diamond (is he really getting talked about as a possible NFL prospect?) and on announcement about former Lehigh coach Casey Creehan getting a position with the Montreal Alouettes as a defensive line coach.

But with the 8-11 wrestling team traveling to Harvard and Brown this weekend (after their biggest win of the year this year against nationally-ranked Navy this past week), the hottest ticket in the Valley are one game in Easton and a possible sellout at Stabler Arena.

The first one features the surging women's basketball team (12-7 (4-0), Sagarin: 193) taking on the hated Lafayette Leopards (11-8 (3-1), Sagarin: 222) at 1PM in Easton in a battle for the league lead. A win here for the Lady Hawks would put head coach Sue Troyan's team in the driver's seat for the regular-season title with their seventh-straight win - including a key win against "that school in Easton". The Lady Hawks are doing it with balanced scoring and the emergence of sophomore G Alex Ross (10 ppg) and freshman G Erica Prosser (9.3 ppg, 22 steals, 2.6 apg). It's worth checking out this early battle for Patriot League supremacy and cheer the Lady Hawks on....

...and still give you plenty of time to get to Stabler for the 7PM tipoff for the men's basketball team (9-9 (2-2), Sagarin: 255) who also faces off against Lafayette (13-6 (4-0), Sagarin: 144). It's going to be a real extravaganza: it's "kid's night" with mascots, pop-a-shot and kid's activities (courtesy of the Hawk's Nest student supporters) for children, making a night out a Stabler a fun time for the whole family. Plus, the men's basketball team will be available to sign autographs for young fans as well. As a result of this promotion, the lower level is sold out - but there may be upper level seats still available.

A young Lehigh squad is 2-2 in the league, but can jump right into the upper echelon with a big win over the only undefeated team remaining in Patriot League play. Lafayette is winning from behind the 3-point line, averaging 11 hits from behind the arc per game. Fortunately for the Mountain Hawks, sophomore F Zahir Carrington (12.5 ppg) and senior F Bryan White (10.3 ppg) have been anchoring a powerful Lehigh frontcourt that has been playing much better defense of late.

It's going to be a rocking time at Stabler this weekend. These "Rivalry" clashes always are.

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