Three Things

Three things that NEED to go RIGHT … 1. The running game takes over. The Titans' defensive line is thin and vulnerable, great news for Ray Rice, Vonta Leach and company. 2. The Ravens control the top guns. Chris Johnson and Kenny Britt are game-breakers, and containing them would render the Titans' offense powerless. 3. Taking care of business. The Ravens say they've moved on from beating the Steelers, and they can show it with a dominating performance against an overmatched team.

These two teams will meet for the 18th time, but for the first time since 2010. Loyola owns a 12-5 lead in the series, but Notre Dame has won the last four meetings. These teams faced each other in the NCAA tournament just once with the Greyhounds enjoying a 21-5 thumping in the first round on May 11, 1997. The No. 4 seed Fighting Irish (13-2) defeated Yale, 13-7, in the first round and No. 5 seed Virginia, 12-10, in the quarterfinals. No. 1 seed Loyola (16-1) beat Canisius, 17-5, in the first round and Denver, 10-9, in the quarterfinals.

Three things that need to go RIGHT … 1. Provide a healthy serving of Rice. The Jets' run defense was gouged for 234 yards by Darren McFadden and the Raiders last week. The Jets feel it was an aberration, but Ray Rice could test that theory. 2. Ravens defense proves best. In what will be billed as a battle of two elite defenses, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will be anxious to show their former coordinator that they're still the gold standard. 3. Ravens win fourth quarter.

Salisbury is 9-4 in this series against its Capital Athletic Conference rival, but since coach Paul Cantabene took Stevenson's reins in 2005, the Mustangs have tagged the Sea Gulls with four of their eight losses over that same span. Stevenson (18-4), which has won its last four contests, is making its third Final Four appearance in the last four years, but has never gotten to the NCAA tournament final. The nine-time reigning national champion Sea Gulls (21-0) haven't lost since April 16, 2011 - to the Mustangs - and are playing to get to their 14th title game.

The final result was closer than it should have been, but Maryland advanced to the second round of the ACC tournament last night by beating N.C. State, 75-67. Jordan Williams carried the load offensively, scoring 16 points and adding 13 rebounds. But the sloppy Terps committed 15 turnovers, allowed the Wolfpack to grab 17 offensive rebounds and showed no killer instinct as the Wolfpack whittled their lead down to six points in the final minute. "The positive thing is we won, and believe me, that's important," Maryland coach Gary Williams told reporters after the game . "And now we feel good in preparation.

Denison enters this NCAA tournament quarterfinal with a 15-1 record and a six-game winning streak. But the Big Red's only loss of the season occurred April 7 at the hands of Stevenson, which is 17-4 and has won five of its last six contests. The Mustangs are 3-1 all-time against Denison and have won 12 of 13 games at home this season, most recently against Gettysburg in the second round last Saturday night. Here are a few factors that could influence the outcome at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills Wednesday night.

"The foundation of my life is three things -- my children, love of fellow human beings -- sometimes even your conductor -- and music" MIHALY VIRIZLAY, principal cellist A popular fixture in the BSO for 37 years and a longtime Peabody Conservatory teacher, principal cellist Mihaly Virizlay can often be found in the well-used kitchen of his Mediterranean-style home near Johns Hopkins University. Virizlay - universally known as "Misi" (pronounced "Mee-Shee") - spends hours preparing dishes from his native Hungary, among them 12-spice cherry soup with sour cream, chicken paprikM-as, gulyM-as and, for dessert, poppy seed noodles.

These two in-state rivals will meet for the 109th game all-time and the 13th time in the NCAA tournament. Johns Hopkins won nine of the 12 tournament contests, but Maryland, which defeated the Blue Jays, 9-6, on April 14, can take comfort in the knowledge that the regular-season winner is 7-5 when the sides meet again in the tournament. No. 2 seed Johns Hopkins (12-3) is 21-9 in the NCAA tournament under coach Dave Pietramala and seeking its first berth in the Final Four since 2008.

Gettysburg has a slight 2-1 lead in the series and defeated Stevenson, 12-7, in a NCAA tournament semifinal in 2009. The Bullets (11-6) had dropped their three previous contests until beating Ohio Wesleyan, 7-4, in the first round on Wednesday. The Mustangs (16-4) have won 11 of 12 games at home this season, most recently against Birmingham-Southern in the first round. Here are a few factors that could influence this NCAA tournament second-round contest at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills Saturday night.