Both Muhlenberg basketball teams will look to defend championships when they tip off the season with the 25th Scotty Wood Tournament this weekend.

Last year was the first since 1999 that both Mule teams won the Scotty Wood title. To repeat, they will have to contend with a strong field.

The women’s tournament features two teams that were invited to the NCAA Tournament last year in Muhlenberg and Cortland State. The Mules (26-3 last year) won the Centennial Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA second round, but graduated seven seniors. The Red Dragons (23-5) received an at-large bid to the NCAAs after capturing the State University of New York Athletic Conference regular-season championship.

Muhlenberg, seeking its fourth straight Scotty Wood title, opens up with North Carolina Wesleyan (2-23), while Cortland faces a strong Delaware Valley squad that went 17-9 and qualified for the Freedom Conference playoffs last winter.

All four teams in the men’s tournament qualified for their conference playoffs in 2005-06. Muhlenberg (14-12) returns all but one player and features a veteran squad with eight seniors. The Mules play Rensselaer, which won nine of its last 14 games to finish at 11-14 but lost all five starters.

The other first-round game pairs Arcadia (16-11), which tied for second place in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, with a Stevens (15-12) team that is coming off its first winning season in 10 years.

Tournament Schedule
Friday, November 17
Cortland State vs. Delaware Valley (women), 1:00
Arcadia vs. Stevens (men), 3:00
Muhlenberg vs. North Carolina Wesleyan (women), 6:00
Muhlenberg vs. Rensselaer (men), 8:00

Saturday, November 18
women’s consolation, 1:00
men’s consolation, 3:00
women’s championship, 6:00
men’s championship, 8:00

Check back later this week for season previews of the Muhlenberg basketball teams.