Big Games Inside and Outside

Although there are still big games being played indoors as the winter season comes to a close, the important games also are being played outdoors, as the spring season kicks into high gear this weekend.

Gettysburg at Ursinus (Men's Basketball)
Seen this one somewhere before? For the fourth time this season, the Bullets (24-4) and the Bears (27-2) will meet on the hardwood. The stakes this time? A trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. This is the first time that two Centennial men's teams have reached the "Sweet 16" and the Conference is guaranteed a spot in the national quarterfinals for the first time since Franklin & Marshall reached the "Final Four" in 2000. Ursinus has won nine straight from Gettysburg to close its all-time deficit to 33-20. The Bullets' last win was a 71-63 triumph in Collegeville in 2005.

Haverford at Gettysburg (Men's Lacrosse)
It's a top-10 battle as the Fords (4-0) and the Bullets (4-0) meet on the Battlefield in the Conference opener for both teams. Haverford is ranked ninth nationally, while Gettysburg is No. 2 in the country. Last season, the Black Squirrels upset the then-#2 Bullets, 6-5, at Walton Field, in the CC opener. Gettysburg avenged that defeat in the Centennial semifinals, 12-11. The key matchup could be Haverford sophomore attacker Brian Fleischhacker (19-2-21) against Gettysburg All-American senior defender Andrew McGann.

Franklin & Marshall at McDaniel (Women's Lacrosse)
The defending national champion Diplomats (2-0) open defense of their 2007 Centennial title on the road in Westminster against the Green Terror (4-0). F&M has won six straight in the series to take a commanding 29-6-1 advantage. McDaniel's last win win was a 6-5 triumph in the 2004 ECAC first round. Keep an eye on a pair of fabulous sophs - the Diplomats' Blake Hargest (5-1-6) and the Terror's Brittany Baer (21-3-24).