The McMaster men's basketball team played all season to get homecourt advantage in the playoffs and now they need to defend their home against an invasion of Mustangs. The second-season gets underway on Saturday, February 22 at 2 p.m. with the Marauders playing Western, with a spot in the OUA Final-Four at stake.

The Marauders ended league play in first-place in the OUA West division, and the team's 18-4 record was good enough to reach the No. 5 position in the last CIS top-ten of the season.

Western comes to Hamilton after winning a tough opening-round playoff contest 68-65 at Lakehead on Wednesday night. There is no tougher place to play in the OUA than Lakehead's Thunderdome so Western has already shown it can win on the road.

McMaster won both head to head match-ups with the Mustangs this season, but history won't help the Marauders defeat Western for a third time. "Our emphasis will be on defending every possession and rebounding," said Marauder Coach Amos Connolly. "I think if we can dictate the pace of the game, we should be successful."

Saturday's game will be the final home appearance for the Marauders, as a win would propel them into the OUA Final-Four being hosted at Ryerson's Mattamy Centre on February 28 and March 1^st.

The McMaster women's basketball team is heading to Windsor to take on the Lancers in an OUA quarter-final. Game time on Saturday is at 6 p.m. and the game is available via the internet on Windsor's live stream. Marauder Fans can also watch the game on Cable 14 on Sunday at 12-noon on a tape delay.