With just three games to go for most Liberty League men’s basketball combatants, the race for the league tournament’s four spots is kicking into full swing. Here’s a quick breakdown for the league's two local teams — RPI and Skidmore; Union is in second-to-last place — with postseason aspirations.

RPI (13-7, 7-3), Second Place

To start this off, RPI picked up a huge win on Friday night when it hosted Skidmore. The Engineers emerged with a 65-63 win paced by a 16-point effort from senior Travis Jones, as RPI just barely escaped — the team had led by 11 points with under two minutes to play.

Remaining on RPI’s schedule are four more games, two of which will be played against teams with records better than .500. The team's next two games, both home affairs are must-win games for the Engineers — the team takes on Union and Vassar, who both reside in the Liberty League's basement.

After that, things get much tougher for the Engineers. RPI will travel on Feb. 18 to take on first-place Hobart and then turn around the next day to play fourth-place Hamilton.

RPI looks like it will need to win three of its four remaining games to make the Liberty League tournament; as long as chalk holds, the Engineers should make the league's postseason without too much of a problem.

Skidmore (13-8, 7-3), Tied for Third Place

Meanwhile, in the wake of the team's loss to RPI, Skidmore has some work to do.

The Good News: Skidmore has three more games, only once of which is on the road; also, Skidmore will not play a team the rest of the season with a winning record.

The Bad News: Skidmore is tied for third with Hamilton, but fifth-place St. Lawrence is just one game back of both.

In all likelihood, Skidmore can clinch a playoff spot if the Thoroughbreds handle St. Lawrence when the two teams meet on Feb. 18 at Skidmore. If the Thoroughbreds beat St. Lawrence and win at least one other game, Skidmore is in to the tournament.

Check back on Sunday for an update on where the women of the Liberty League stand!

--Michael Kelly