The No. 1 and No. 3 ranked teams both got major tests on Thursday, readying for their showdown on Saturday afternoon. Top-rated Amherst barely survived, overcoming an eight-point halftime deficit to edge MIT, 66-60. Brian Baskauskas scored a team-high 16 points, including 10 late in the second half, offsetting an impressive effort from Engineers junior Jimmy Bartolotta (27 points), who hurt his ankle in the final seconds of the game.

They'll come into a Saturday meeting at Brandeis undefeated, though the hosts won't. The No. 3 Judges fell to unbeaten Mass-Dartmouth, 71-64, in overtime. “This is the biggest win we've had in a few years,” said Corsairs head coach Brian Baptiste. A.J. Tavares scored 22 for the 6-0 victors.

Elsewhere, two teams who fell out of the Top 25 -- Mississippi College and Rhode Island College -- each won in trying to work themselves back in. On a busy night in the Northeast region, Tufts (4-2), Fitchburg State (5-1) and Coast Guard (7-0) all won, with the latter edging Wentworth Tech 74-72 in a matchup of two surprise 2007 NCAA Tournament teams.

&&b-boxr&& More of Thursday's men's scores on the scoreboard.

In women's hoops, two top ranked teams, No. 4 Messiah and No. 2 Howard Payne won easily. The Northeast business included now-unranked Bowdoin winning at home against Colby-Sawyer, and Eastern Connecticut improving to 7-0 by beating Mount Holyoke.

More women's scores on the scoreboard.