Mavericks aim to shoot down Skyhawks.

Minnesota State has watched Fort Lewis all season. Well, at least on paper they have. The two teams that have been battling in the region polls all season, and will finally clash on the hard wood on Tuesday night.

Fort Lewis had been ranked #1 in the first two regional polls until the Mavericks bumped them and took the top spot in the poll released February 9th. Fort Lewis held on to 2nd place, nipping at the Mavericks heels, but Minnesota State's performance down the stretch gave the Sky Hawks little chance to regain the top spot.

Fort Lewis College is lead by senior guard DeAndre Lansdowne. Landsdowne has been the Skyhawks leadings scorer, averaging 15.1 points per game despite shooting an abysmal 49% from the free throw line. In a big game, at home, look for MSU to put Lansdowne at the line rather than give him any free runs at the hoop.

The Mavericks have had different players step up so far throughout the tournament. Marcus Hill stepped up on Saturday night, putting up 27 points as the Mavericks pulled away from Winona State. Sunday saw Taylor Morrow stepping up to sink key three pointers to turn the tide for MSU. With a talented lineup, the only question is, who will step up on Tuesday night and punch the Maverick's ticket to Springfield, MA?

The Mavericks and Skyhawks square off Tuesday night at 7:00pm at MSU's Taylor Center. Tune into the game right here on your home for MSU Basketball, AM 1230 KYSM The Fan Mankato.