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PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- Things are starting to get interesting around the University of Pikeville men's and women's basketball teams as each tries to improve its standing for the postseason heading into the final stages of the regular season.
Next up for the Bears is a visit with Shawnee State on Saturday in Portsmouth with the women tipping off at 2 p.m. ET and the men to follow at 4. Both games can be heard locally and online on Z Rock 107.5 FM, an East Kentucky Broadcasting station.
Free, live video is also available via Shawnee State's Livestream with live stats being provided by the Ohio-based Bears here.
UPIKE's 23rd-ranked women have two games left in the regular season and enter Saturday with a 22-6 overall record and 7-5 mark in the Mid-South Conference. The Bears are currently in sole possession of third place in the league standings, but could finish as high as a share of second place depending how the rest of the league fares.
A win over No. 20 Shawnee State would go a long way for the women in their quest for a bid to the NAIA National Championship. While the MSC gets an automatic qualifier by winning the conference tournament, the at-large bids will be selected by national ranking. UPIKE is 3-3 against ranked opponents so far this season.
On the men's side, third-ranked Pikeville has three games left in its regular season and can make sure it holds on to first place in the league standings with a 3-0 finish.
But that won't be a walk in the park as Shawnee State has proven capable of an upset by beating No. 10 Campbellsville (Ky.) and Monday's opponent is No. 8 Georgetown (Ky.). The final game will be a trip to MSC newcomer Life (Ga.) on Thursday which is one of five teams to beat UPIKE over the past two seasons.
The first stage of the postseason is scheduled for March 5-8 with the MSC Tournaments at the Frankfort Convention Center in Frankfort, Ky.
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