The NCAA Tournament returns to Reckling Park today after a one-year hiatus. And after a week of almost constant rain, the skies have cleared and it looks like we'll be good to go this weekend.

The action gets underway at 4:00 this afternoon, with the host Rice Owls (50-10) taking on the #4 seed Prairie View A&M Panthers (33-20). The late contest will feature the Arizona State Sun Devils (36-19) and the Baylor Bears (35-24) at 8:00 Central. Today's games, as well as the rest of the regional, can be seen live on CSTV.

The Panthers won the Western Division of the SWAC during the regular season, then swept through the conference tournament to earn their first invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Four years ago, Prairie View finished the season 3-46 and was the victim of six perfect games. Enter Michael Robertson as the new head coach, and after a losing record in 2003 the Panthers have finished the each of the last three seasons with a winning record. For more on the rise of the Panthers, read M.K. Bower's excellent piece in today's Houston Chronicle.

The 2006 Panthers are about speed and pitching. Prairie View led the nation with 211 stolen bases, led by Calvin Lester with 54 and Michael Richard with 41. They led the SWAC with a 5.48 ERA and were third in batting average with a .313 mark. Wrandel Taylor is the ace on the mound, and will take the hill against the Owls on Friday with a 10-2 record and 3.95 ERA. He pitched twice during the SWAC Tournament two weeks ago, leaving without a decision in game one against Alabama State while winning the championship game against Alcorn State. Four starters finished the season with at least a .340 average, while Eugene Wedwards, Johnny Giles and Arthur Christal tied for the team lead with five home runs.

Most of Prairie View's success came against the SWAC and schools from lower divisions (they were 11-1 against non-Division I opponents). However, the Owls are unlikely to overlook the Panthers after Texas Southern's success at the 2004 regional on the same field. Rice took the field in game one of that regional against a team that hadn't won a game against a school outside the SWAC, and were unable to put away the Tigers. A mammoth homer by Herman Coachman gave the Tigers the upset 4-3 victory. Rice knocked TSU out of the tournament the next day, but could not recover from the early loss and Texas A&M advanced to the Super Regionals. That tournament was the only time in six postseason appearances at Reckling Park that the Owls have not advanced to the next round.

Rice earned the #2 national seed while winning their eleventh straight conference championship in their first year in Conference USA. The Owls finished the regular season with a 22-2 conference record, then swept four games last week at Reckling Park to capture the tournament title, downing crosstown rival Houston 11-5 in the championship game. Since the NCAA tournament format was changed in 1999, this is the fifth time that the Owls have earned a national seed and the fifth time that they've hosted a regional at Reckling Park.

The Owls are led by a pitching staff that ranks fourth in the NCAA with a 3.02 ERA, while their win total (50) and loss total (10) are both the best in the nation. Rice is expected to send freshman righty Craig Crow (8-1, 2.63) to the mound against the Panthers on Friday. The staff features four pitchers with at least seven wins, while Cole St. Clair anchors the bullpen with 10 saves and a 1.59 ERA (and a NCAA leading .137 opponents' batting average). The bullpen was outstanding during the Conference USA tournament, allowing no runs over 13 1/3 innings.

Shortstop Brian Friday leads a balanced attack, pacing the team with a .379 batting average and 62 runs. Six starters currently bat at least .315, while nine batters have knocked at least five balls out of the park. And in a tribute to both the pitchers and hitters, the team's .320 batting average is higher than the slugging percentage that the pitchers have allowed (.317). Joe Savery (.332-7-57) was the most outstanding player at the Conference USA Tournament, while Josh Rodriguez (.342-8-53) has provided clutch hits throughout the season.