Winners of three straight and eight of their last nine games, the Pittsburgh Panthers (24-7; 13-5) are now ready for another successful run in the postseason. But first they’ll look to avenge a loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (22-10; 11-8) Thursday evening when the two meet in the quarterfinals of the 2010 BIG EAST tournament.

The Irish continued their late charge last night with a 68-56 besting of 10th-seeded Seton Hall in second-round play. ND's current winning streak started with a 68-53 upset of Pittsburgh on Feb. 24. The Irish outworked the Panthers who were laggard in that meeting. Don’t expect a similar effort from Jamie Dixon’s club which prides itself on outworking their opponents.

The Panthers will be out for revenge and they’ve excelled in this role in recent years, going 3-1 ATS this season and 10-3 ATS the last three years revenging a road loss vs. an opponent. Look for a more concerted effort from the Panthers, especially on the defensive end of the floor, which should lead to the Panthers advancing to a semifinals versus Cincinnati or West Virginia on Friday. Play on the Pittsburgh Panthers for 1 unit. Good luck to all.

The Georgetown Hoyas (21-9; 11-8) hope the third times a charm as they try to avoid a season hat trick at the hands of the Syracuse Orange (28-3; 15-3). The two will meet Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST tournament at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. EST on ESPN.

This will be Syracuse’s first game of the tournament as the top four seeds received a double-bye. The Hoyas advanced to the quarterfinals with a 69-49 win over South Florida on Wednesday. Presumably locked into a No.1 seed in next weeks NCAA tournament, the Orange will try to attempt something that is very hard to do in a college basketball season, and that’s beat a good team three times in one season.

There’s no doubt that the motivation edge will lie with the Hoyas Thursday afternoon. The Orange won the first meeting, 73-56 at the Carrier Dome back on Jan. 25. The Hoyas allowed the Orange to shoot in 53% from the floor and couldn’t make up the disparity at the charity stripe, as the Orange went 21-for-28 from the line, compared to 6-for-11 for the Hoyas. In the second meeting, back on Feb. 18 at Verizon Center, the Hoyas couldn’t overcome an early deficit as a furious comeback fell just short. Again, the disparity at the free throw line was crucial, as the Orange went 27-for-30 from the stripe, compared to 16-for-24 for the Hoyas.

So what can we expect the third time around? For starters, the Hoyas are going to have to stay out of foul trouble, particularly on the interior, where Greg Monroe and Julian Vaughn will be needed to bang with Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson of the Orange. Georgetown must take advantage of the fact Syracuse hasn’t played since a 78-68 loss at Louisville on Saturday.

Both meetings this season were closer than the final scores indicate. Thursday’s game will come down to focus and execution. Both teams are familiar with each other’s sets and what the other wants to do. I think the Hoyas have an advantage already having played yesterday and I expect them to come out motivated as they look to avenge those two earlier losses. This one will be closer than the marketplace suggest, and it would not surprise me if the Hoyas find a way to send the Orange home early. Play on the Georgetown Hoyas for 1 unit. Good luck to all.

Third-seeded Baylor (24-6; 11-5) will face No. 6 seed Texas (24-8; 10-7) in the quarterfinals Thursday of the 2010 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship at Sprint Center. The Bears will be looking to complete the hat trick against the Longhorns, after winning in Waco on Saturday, 92-77, and winning in Austin back on Jan. 30, 80-77 in overtime.

Texas won its sixth straight game against Iowa State Wednesday night, 82-75. Texas has faced Baylor more times (233 entering Thursday) than any other opponent, so you can expect emotions to be high Saturday as neither team wants to back down. Since Rick Barnes arrived in Austin, the Longhorns have emerged as the dominant college basketball program in the state of Texas. Although recent history would suggest the Bears have something to say about that.

Baylor is 31-8 (.795) in its last 39 games, including a 7-2 (.778) record in its last nine postseason games. Through games of March 7, Baylor ranks in the top 20 of six different categories. Baylor is fifth in blocked shots per game, seventh in field goal percentage defense, seventh in rebounding margin, 13th in FG percentage, 16th in scoring margin and 20th in 3FG?percentage.

Their success under head coach Scott Drew is no fluke, and a win Thursday will be their fourth straight against the Longhorns. Baylor's current three-game winning streak over Texas is its longest since winning six straight from Feb. 7, 1981-Feb. 26, 1983. The Bears snapped a 24-game losing streak to the Longhorns with a 76-70 in the semifinals of the 2009 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

Starting with its epic run at the 2009 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City, Baylor is 16-7 (.696) in its last 23 games away from the Ferrell Center -- 6-4 in true road games and 10-3 in neutral-site games. While it’s difficult to defeat a team three times in one season, the Bears are capable of pulling off this feat. They have proven twice this season they are the better team and I think they’ll take the court Thursday with a chip on their shoulder as they are still looking for respect. This will be a slugfest, but I expect Baylor to find a way to complete the hat trick. Play on the Baylor Bears for 1 unit. Good luck to all.

Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal round action will continue at Quicken Loans Arena this afternoon when the sixth-seeded Eastern Michigan Eagles (17-14; 9-8) take on the third-seeded Akron Zips (22-9; 12-4). The sixth-seeded Eagles, who finished in a three-way tie for second-place in the West Division, opened tournament play Sunday with a 65-59 victory at home over Northern Illinois. Akron closed out its regular season with a 74-61 setback to Kent State.

The Eagles were not at their best in their first-round matchup against Northern Illinois, but the team did just enough to grab a victory over the Huskies. Eastern Michigan shot a pedestrian 40.9 percent from the floor and finished 25-of-41 from the foul line. Expect a more concerted effort on Thursday however, as the Eagles look for their second straight win over the Zips.

The Eagles grabbed a 62-59 victory over the Zips back on Feb. 1 in Akron. The Zips shot 34.7 percent (17-of-49) from the floor, played without starting guard Humpty Hitchens (suspended for a rules violation) and were outscored 31-27 in the second half. Even still, the win snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Eagles against the Zips.

'The monkey we may have had on our back with them before this year is kind of gone,' EMU coach Charles Ramsey said. 'There is a certain confidence level we will go into this ballgame with.' The Eagles are playing better basketball coming into this one, and they’ll be out to show the first time game was no fluke. The Zips loss to Kent St was a tough one, and I’m not sure if the Zips have the talent to turn it on like they did last year. This one will be closer than people think, and may end up being an upset, so take the points. Play on the Eastern Michigan Eagles for 1 unit. Good luck to all.