Clayton Barlow-Wilcox is scoring 18.5 points per game for Carnegie Mellon, which is 17-5 this season. Click photo for larger image.

A trip to the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 1976-77, the most wins in a season and the first University Athletic Association championship are within the grasp of the Carnegie Mellon men's basketball team.

The Tartans (17-5) can reach these milestones with victories on the road against league opponents Case Western Reserve (5-18) tonight and the University of Rochester (20-4) Saturday afternoon.

"We talk about those things, absolutely," CMU coach Tony Wingen said. "It's been a progression of four years for these seniors, and we talk about the legacy of their class, all the things they can accomplish as a group."

Three of the eight seniors on the roster have started at least three seasons -- 6-foot-2 Michael Divens (14.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg) of Penn-Trafford, 6-1 Eliot Goren (9.6 ppg, 89 assists) and 5-10 Jason Walters (9.2 ppg, 46 percent 3-pointers).

"This is the group we decided we were going to build around," Wingen said.

They were 9-16 as freshmen, 11-14 as sophomores and 14-11 last season.

CMU is 11-3 and Rochester 11-2 in the UAA, whose champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. If the teams are tied, CMU would get the bid based on the head-to-head tiebreaker because the Tartans earlier defeated the Yellowjackets, 78-71, at Skibo Gym.

The Tartans are assured of no lower than second place for their highest finish in the UAA's 18-year history.

CMU's only appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament was 19976-77 when the Tartans set the school record for victories with an 18-6 record under Dave Maloney. CMU lost to Wittenberg in the first round, 82-68.

If CMU loses a game and doesn't get to the NCAA tournament, the Tartans can expect to play in the ECAC Division III South Region tournament for the first time.

	Winning Ways Winning seasons for Carnegie Mellon basketball since the school starting keeping comprehensive records in 1972-73. Year Coach Record 1976-77 Dave Maloney 18-6 1977-78 Dave Maloney 14-7 1994-95 Tony Wingen 14-11 2003-04 Tony Wingen 14-11 1978-79 Dave Maloney 11-9 1985-86 Larry Anderson 11-9 1995-96 Tony Wingen 13-12

Rochester, which has been ranked in the Top 25 at times this season, is 13-1 at home. The Yellowjackets feature 6-foot-6, 245-pound center Seth Hauber (20 ppg, 12.3 rpg), the school's career rebounding leader.

CMU's strength also is underneath, with 6-2 Clayton Barlow-Wilcox (18.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and 6-6 Nate Maurer (17.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg).

But the Tartans can't afford to look past Case Western Reserve. To illustrate the importance of that game, the Tartans took the bus to Cleveland last night after late classes rather than the making the usual bus trip the morning of a nearby game.

"The university is supporting us," Wingen said. "They understand the gravity of the situation we're in."

Streaking St. Vincent

St. Vincent (23-4), winner of 14 games in a row, ranked fourth in NAIA Division II and champion of the North Division of the American Mideast Conference, will play host to South champion No. 4 Walsh (22-7) in the AMC title game Saturday night. St. Vincent, the first team to go undefeated in the division during the regular season of the AMC, already is assured of a spot in the national tournament as a divisional winner. Walsh defeated visiting St. Vincent in December, 66-64. St. Vincent's 6-7 Tony Washam, the second-leading scorer in Division II with a 24.8 average, is AMC player of the week.

Bethany's double trouble

Top-seed Bethany (22-3), which set a school record for wins in a regular season, will play host to the lowest remaining seeded team tomorrow night in the semifinals of the Presidents' Athletic Conference tournament. Bethany features the 6-6 junior Drahos twins -- Mike (19.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Matt (19.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg). Mike was named the league's player of the year. The PAC champion doesn't receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs because the six-team league doesn't have the required seven members to qualify.