Every Wednesday, ESPN.com previews the big matchups and story lines in college sports. All stats are through April 26.
No. 13 Kentucky at No. 21 Vanderbilt, Friday, 7 p.m. ET; Saturday, 4 p.m. ET; Sunday, 2 p.m. ET
Kentucky is on a roll after sweeping South Carolina, its first sweep of a ranked opponent in 15 years. The Wildcats rely on heavy hitters John Shelby and Ryan Strieby, who each contributed two homers in Kentucky's last three games. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, hasn't been as lucky. The Commodores' ace pitcher suffered his first loss of the season last weekend and freshman Pedro Alvarez showed his inexperience at the plate in three straight losses to Alabama. Can Vandy regain momentum with an upset of the No. 13 Wildcats? Will Pedro's slump be short-lived?
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No. 14 South Carolina at No. 24 Mississippi State, Friday, 7 p.m. ET; Saturday, 4 p.m. ET; Sunday, 1:30 p.m. ETBuilding a lead hasn't been the Gamecocks' problem; holding onto it, however, is another matter. South Carolina gave up six-run leads in both Saturday's and Sunday's losses to Kentucky. Slugging isn't really an issue; the Gamecocks outhit Kentucky 41-33. South Carolina's defense leaves a bit to be desired -- the 15 runs allowed in Saturday's game were the most by the Gamecocks in an SEC game since 1998. This weekend's series is a rematch of last year's SEC tournament game in which the Bulldogs were victorious. However, this is not the same MSU team that sprinted to a 21-1 start this season. The Bulldogs are 8-10 in their last 18 games. Which club will turn it around?
No. 18 North Carolina State at Miami, Friday, 7 p.m. ET; Saturday, 1 p.m. ET; Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Miami slid out of the Top 25 after losing its third straight ACC series. The Hurricanes won't catch a break in this series; N.C. State will come out fired up after being swept by arch rival North Carolina last weekend. The Wolfpack have been packing Doak Field, season tickets sales doubled last season's numbers. North Carolina State boasts the ACC's most potent offense and is among the national leaders in hits, runs batted in and on-base percentage. Miami's starting rotation -- sophomores Carlos Gutierrez, Manny Miguelez and Scott Maine -- has struggled of late. Will the Canes be able to stop State's bats?
Conference tournaments
Conference USA, the Pac-10, Big 10 and the Mountain West tee off this week to decide the conference champion. The Big 12, Missouri Valley, Big West, Mid-Continent and Conference USA each crowned champions earlier this week. UCLA is the favorite in the Pac-10, but if last year's tournament is an indicator of things to come -- Washington made a 17-shot comeback in the final round -- then this is a wide-open match. Golf World's Ryan Herrington sees Arizona State's Alejandro Canizares as the man to beat.
For a preview of the men's conference tournaments, check out Golf Digest's Campus Insider blog.
Conference tournaments
The WAC, Pac-10 and Big 10 are all in action this week. San Jose State jumped out to an early lead in the WAC tournament, which is under way at the Coyote Creek Golf Club Valley Course in Morgan Hill, Calif. Nevada and Boise State are nipping at San Jose's heels, and the tournament should come down to the final holes. Boise State freshman Mandi Hedberg currently has sole ownership of first place.
For a preview of the women's conference tournaments, check out Golf Digest's Campus Insider blog.
ACC Men's Lacrosse Championships
No. 3 Maryland vs. North Carolina, Friday, 8 p.m. ET
No. 1 Virginia vs. Maryland/UNC winner, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
The ACC boasts a number of the top lacrosse teams in the country, and the conference tournament should give these teams great experience before the NCAA tourney. While the Maryland-North Carolina game looks like a mismatch on paper -- the Terps beat Duke earlier in the season and their defense was able to hold Sacred Heart scoreless for three quarters Saturday -- this is a very streaky Maryland team. After beating Georgetown, Duke and Towson -- three of the top teams in the nation -- the Terps lost to unranked Bucknell, 7-6, in double overtime, and later dropped a game to Navy in College Park. If the Tar Heels can capitalize on Maryland's weak offense and take Tewaaraton Trophy nominee Joe Walters out of the game, North Carolina will advance to the final.
No. 12 Towson at No. 6 Johns Hopkins, Saturday, 2 p.m. ET ESPNU
Towson comes into the game on a four-game winning streak and with experience in big games. Towson dropped its third game of the season to Maryland, 9-6, at College Park. The Tigers' balanced attack is hitting its stride, with eight players scoring in Towson's 14-5 rout of Sacred Heart. If the Tigers can improve their accuracy -- they went 14-for-61 on Saturday -- they could give Hopkins a run for its money. The Blue Jays are a formidable foe, entering this week's game with an all-time record of 855-267-15. A win over Towson puts Hopkins one game closer to winning its ninth NCAA championship.
ACC Women's Lacrosse Championships
No. 6 North Carolina/Virginia Tech winner vs. No. 5 Virginia, Friday, 3 p.m.
No. 9 Maryland/Boston College winner vs. No. 2 Duke, Friday, 5:30 p.m.
Championship Game Sunday, 1 p.m.
With four teams ranked in the top 10, the ACC tournament could arguably be as tough as the NCAA tournament. Neither North Carolina nor Maryland have a cakewalk into the semifinal. Virginia Tech is 8-8 on the season, but 0-5 against ACC foes, including losses to North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia. In their regular season matchup, the Heels outscored the Hokies 18-11 in Chapel Hill, N.C. Look for Lindsay Pieper to be a formidable presence for Virginia Tech. Boston College jumped out to an early lead in the Eagles' regular season matchup with Maryland, before dropping the contest, 13-11. Boston College is 1-4 in its inaugural season in the ACC; the Eagles' lone conference win came against Virginia Tech.
The winners of the first-round games face a much bigger challenge in Virginia and Duke. Both squads have looked invincible at times, although there is some hope for their opponents. Virginia lost just two games this season; an early match with nearby Richmond and a 10-9 heartbreaker to the Tar Heels. Duke nearly completed a perfect season, had it not been for the Cavaliers, whose 11-10 victory on April 1 is the only black mark on the Blue Devils' record. A Virginia-Duke rematch in the final Sunday would be the perfect chance for the Blue Devils to redeem themselves and grab momentum heading into the NCAA tournament.
No. 2 Texas at No. 17 Texas A&M, Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET ESPNU
This heated instate rivalry -- dubbed the "State Farm Lone Star State Showdown" -- marks Texas A&M's final home game of the regular season. The Aggie Softball Complex will be buzzing as two of the nation's best pitchers take the circle. In her last outing, Aggie ace Megan Gibson struck out 10 batters and hit a game-winning home run. Most likely to start for the Longhorns is Cat Osterman, who recently won her second consecutive and eighth Big 12 Pitcher of the Week award this season, after posting two shutouts last week. The last time these teams met, Texas A&M came out on top, although the Longhorns lead the all-time series, 13-11.
Illinois at No. 5 Michigan, Friday, 6 p.m. ET ESPNU
This matchup has big implications for the Big 10 Tournament. Currently in sixth position in the conference, a win over No. 12 Michigan would give the Illini a chance to move up in the rankings and solidify their position. Illinois' sluggers -- led by Jenna Hall, who owns a .505 batting average, a .922 slugging percentage and a .677 on-base percentage -- will be the key to the game. Michigan boasts a number of tough pitchers, including player of the year finalist Jennie Ritter, who leads the Big Ten with a 0.73 ERA. In softball, the team that has the more dominant pitchers usually wins, but Illinois might be able to up its game under the pressure of conference play.
No. 3 Arizona at No. 1 UCLA, Friday, 4 p.m. ET
Two of the nation's top teams face off in what could become an instant classic. Arizona went 5-1 against the Bay Area schools last weekend; the lone loss came at the hands of No. 6 Cal. UCLA suffered an upset by Oregon State, but rebounded to sweep Oregon and remain the No. 1 team in the country in the latest USA Softball/ESPN.com Top 25 Poll. With Caitlin Lowe back in the lineup, Arizona has the ability to knock off any team, any day. The Bruins' loss proves they're not invincible, but they're pretty close. UCLA swept Arizona (without Lowe) earlier this month and have won the past six contests between the two teams, dating back to 2004.
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament, Thursday, 8 p.m. ET; Saturday, 10 p.m. ET
The No. 5 UCLA takes on No. 3 Pepperdine in the tournament semifinals. The Bruins have won 10 straight matches, but the Waves have won the last four meetings between the two schools.
No. 1 UC Irvine (on a nation-best 21-match win streak) hosts No. 2 Long Beach State in the second semifinal. UC Irvine won the MPSF regular season title with a 20-2 conference record. Long Beach State leads the series 30-6, but UC Irvine won both meetings this year. Player to watch: UC Irvine outside hitter Jayson Jablonsky, the conference player of the year.
The tournament champion receives the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA championship.
