Today the 2011 MAC women’s basketball tournament starts with a familiar cast of characters. On the Freedom side, King’s, DeSales, and Manhattanville finished the regular season in a three-way tie for first place, and Misericordia ended up as the fourth seed after a disappointing loss at Manhattanville on Saturday. DeSales has won three straight championships and hosts King’s (at 6 PM), who has been in 15 of the last 16 tournaments (only missed last year). King’s (10-4, 16-9) is guided by all Freedom Conference standout Celia Rader, a sophomore guard who averages 13.4 points per-game while adding 2.9 rebounds. Rader is also one of the premier shooters in the league, topping the Freedom Conference in three point field goal percentage (37.0) connecting on 60 treys during the year. Since 2000-01, King's has posted a 7-7 record in tournament play, winning two conference titles in 2000-01 and 2002-03. DeSales owns a 27-22 lead in the all-time series between the two teams, while King's holds a slim 4-3 advantage in games played in the Freedom Conference tournament. DeSales has won eight of the last nine meetings between the two teams. This year the home team won each game in the season series. DeSales (17-8, 10-4 Freedom) enters the postseason having won seven of its last eight games. Senior guard Lori Lidlow, a first-team All-Freedom choice, leads the team in scoring at 16.9 points per-game (4th in Freedom) and adds 2.6 assists. Freshman guard Sondrine Glovas, the conference’s Rookie of the Year, follows with 10.4 points. Cherelle Simmons, an All-Freedom second-teamer, adds 8.8 points and leads the league in rebounding with 10.0 boards.

After losing at Manhattanville (10-4, 17-8) badly on Saturday, Misericordia (9-5, 15-10) are in the unenviable position of having to return to perhaps the toughest venue for visitors in the MAC (7 PM). To prevail, the Cougars will need a big game from Freedom Player of the Year, Christine Marks, a junior, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 18.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. She ranks third in the Freedom Conference in both categories. She leads the Freedom in field goal percentage (54.4%) and is third in free throw percentage (84.6%). Joining Marks on the all-conference team is sophomore teammate Tyann McDaniel. The Valiants have their own premier players, two first team seniors, Simona Gordan and Carey Hickey. Kennedy Gym should be rocking tonight!

On the Commonwealth side, the four 2010 teams go at it again, with perennial champion Messiah (12-2, 18-6) taking on their nemesis Widener (10-4, 19-6) at home (7 PM), and Lebanon Valley (13-1, 23-2), the top seed, trying to win the championship for the first time with an opening round match up with Alvernia (6-8, 13-12). Widener is in the conference tournament for the eighth time in the last nine years. It is playing Messiah in the semifinals for the fourth straight year and sixth time in the last nine seasons, capturing two of five meetings. The Falcons and Pride split the season series. The Pride are led by two first team All-Commonwealth players. Sophomore guard Kate Dellinger leads the team with 17.1 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per contest, an.819 free throw percentage, and is third with a .356 three-point percentage. Sophomore point guard Lil Carney is 11th in the league with 10.6 points per game, second with 5.6 assists per contest, fifth with a .779 free throw percentage, and second with a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Last season she was the conference Rookie of the Year. Messiah needs big games Dori Gyori and Michelle Schleich, both all-conference team members, to return to the championship game on Saturday.

Alvernia, after a blow out game at LVC on Saturday, must try to recover as they return to Annville for a repeat matchup (6 PM). The Dutchman swept the series this year. Alvernia claimed the #4 seed after securing the tiebreaker over Elizabethtown. The Dutchmen have been ranked in the d3hoops.com Top 25 and USA TODAY/ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches' Poll every week this season. The Crusaders sport two players with double digit scoring averages, led by 14.1 from all-conference Angela Altemose and 10.6 from Allie Toczylowski Both players also lead the team in rebounding - Altemose has 241 total rebounds while Toczyloswki has tallied 239 boards. LVC is 4-9 all-time in tournament play and has reached the conference final four in 2001-02, 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10. The Dutchmen are directed by Andrea Hoover, back-to-back Commonwealth Conference player of the year and a first team all-conference member for the third straight season. She led the conference with 5.6 assists per game and a 1.7 assist to turnover ratio, while ranking in the top 10 in scoring and free throw percentage. Hoover leads the team with 10.9 points per game, 141 assists, and a .793 free throw percentage. She ranks 17th nationally in assists per game and set a new program record for assists with 544 in her career. Suzie Noyes, another first team all-conference performer, adds a double threat for the Dutchmen.

After a Saturday of upsets, overtime, and last second shots, anything is possible for the men’s teams as the tournament begins. On the Freedom side, DeSales (9-5, 18-7) is in a familiar spot as they try to defend their championship by opening at home (8 PM) against Misericordia (8-6, 15-10). Senior Brian Hunter and sophomore Brett Moyer, all-Freedom players, lead the Bulldogs. The Cougars also have two standout performers – junior Ethan Eichhorst and senior Robbie Johnson. The teams split their regular season games.

Delaware Valley (9-5, 15-10), the top seed, is in an unusual position as they host their first men’s basketball tournament game ever (7 PM) They are led by Freedom Conference Player of the Year James Jones and another all-conference performer, sophomore Jeremy Beckett. Wilkes (8-6, 15-9), who lost both regular season games to the Aggies in the final seconds, travels to Doylestown. This will be the Colonels 21st trip to the postseason and seventh time in the last 10 seasons. They have faced DVC just once in postseason play, defeating the Aggies 64-60 at home in the first round in 2008-09. The Colonels depend on all-Freedom senior Chris DeRojas who finished fourth in the conference in scoring with 17.6 points per game, is the top free throw shooter in the conference converting 83-of-91 attempts for a 91.2 percentage, and shot 41.3 percent from beyond the three-point line, hitting 52-of-126 shots.

Lebanon Valley (10-4, 19-6) returns to the Commonwealth Conference tournament as one of the hottest teams in the nation, riding a 10-game winning streak into the postseason. Behind Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year Anthony Trautman, the Dutchmen host long-time rival Widener (8-6, 13-12). Lebanon Valley has not been to the conference final since 2004-05, and has not won a title since 1994-95. Widener last won the conference in 2008-09, capping four straight Commonwealth crowns. Widener entered the final day of the regular-season in a four-way race for the final two tournament spots. They defeated Lycoming in double overtime and received lots of help with two conference upsets. LVC and Widener split their season pair as Widener is the last team to have beaten Lebanon Valley when BJ Smith's desperation 65-foot shot fell at the buzzer. Widener has dominated the Dutchmen in the Commonwealth tournament as they've won all five meetings. LVC has been led by the conference's best backcourt. All-conference shooting guard Joe Meehan (18.5 ppg/5.3 apg) and Trautman lead the conference in scoring. Widener is paced by second-team all-conference pick Jack Brennan who leads the team with 13.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg at center.

Top-seeded Alvernia (11-3, 16-6) will host its first Commonwealth Conference tournament game Wednesday (7 PM) when Messiah (7-7, 12-12) travels to Reading. Alvernia swept Messiah during the regular season. The Falcons needed help on the last day of the regular season to win a three-way tie over Albright and Elizabethtown at 7-7. Alvernia is led by First Team All-Commonwealth center Cory Boone who is averaging 12.1 points per game and 9.0 rebounds. He leads the Commonwealth and is fourth in the nation in blocked shots with a school-record 81. Second Team All-Commonwealth Alvernia guard Tad Gillis also average double figures.