CHICAGO (Interstat) — The NJCAA Region 4 men’s basketball tournament opens Tuesday with a quarterfinal matchup featuring teams on opposite ends of the competitive spectrum, as the No. 2-seeded Olive-Harvey Panthers host the No. 7-seeded Richard J. Daley Bulldogs.

The Panthers (18-3) enter as heavy favorites, having dominated the regular-season series. They routed the Bulldogs 97-78 just five days ago on Feb. 26. In that game, Olive-Harvey guard Terrence Shannon was spectacular, scoring 23 points with five rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes. Shannon has been on a tear, averaging over 21 points, five rebounds and five assists in his last six games.

Olive-Harvey’s only loss in its last 10 games was a 103-88 defeat at Malcolm X on Jan. 29. Their other two losses this season were by a combined four points, including a stunning 68-67 upset at Daley on Jan. 22.

That January victory represents the peak of a challenging season for the Bulldogs (5-15). Since that win, Daley has gone 3-6, with the recent blowout loss to Olive-Harvey highlighting the gap between the teams. A player to watch for the Bulldogs is Daveon Turner, though he played only one minute in the most recent meeting.

The Panthers’ offense, averaging over 85 points per game in recent weeks, will be the primary challenge for Daley. Olive-Harvey’s balanced attack is led by Shannon, but supported by key contributors like Browder Marcus and Justin Jones, who combined for 29 points in last week’s win.

For the Bulldogs to replicate their January upset, they will need a significant defensive improvement after allowing Olive-Harvey to shoot nearly 50% from the field in the rematch. The winner will advance to the Region 4 semifinals on Friday.