Mary Washington and St. Mary's, each boasting one Capital Athletic Conference men's basketball championship in the history of the conference, will meet Saturday in Fredericksburg, Va., (2 p.m.) for the 2008 crown and an automatic bid to this year's NCAA Championship Tournament.

Fourth-seeded St. Mary's (16-11) outran eight-seeded Salibury (7-20), 95-89, in one semifinal showdown Thursday while second-seeded Mary Washington (18-8) held off sixth-seeded Marymount (15-12) by a 75-65 count in the other semifinal.

The Seahawks advanced to the CAC Championship game for just the second time in the 18-year history of the conference. SMC won the crown in the first year of the CAC (1991), posting an 85-84 victory at Marymount. The fourth-seeded Seahawks will hit the road to play for the title again Saturday.

UMW captured its only CAC men's basketball crown on the road in 2003, defeating Catholic University in the title tilt by a 70-68 count. The following season, the Eagles hosted CUA in the championship game but dropped an 81-72 decision. Saturday's contest will be just the third CAC championship game appearance.

During the regular season, SMC and UMW each successfully defended home court. The Eagles gained a 97-93 decision in Fredericksburg, Va., on Jan. 12, but the Seahawks bounced back to post a 78-63 victory on Feb. 13 in Saint Mary's City, Md.

The winner of Saturday's championship game will gain an automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The 64-team bracket will be announced Monday (3/3).