The Virginia Union University Panthers have taken care of important basketball business in Pennsylvania.

The next stops on the team’s planned hoops itinerary are North Carolina, then Maryland and then, perhaps, the NCAA Tournament at points now unknown.

Following a crucial 79- 71 victory last Saturday at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Coach Jay Butler’s squad has taken the pole position, steering into next week’s CIAA Tournament in Baltimore.

VUU will finish the regular season Saturday,

Feb. 19, at Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C., before heading for the tournament in Baltimore, which starts Tuesday, Feb. 22.

If the Panthers can hold on to the top spot in the CIAA Northern Division, their likely quarter final tournament opener would be Thursday, Feb. 24, at Royal Farms Arena.

The CIAA Tournament finals are set for Saturday, Feb. 26. ESPN-Plus and ESPN-U will provide TV coverage throughout the week.

VUU’s victory at Lincoln University put distance between the Panthers and the runner-up Lincoln Lions for the Northern Division top seed.

VUU forward Robert Osborne received no mention in the preseason All-CIAA voting. But he’s due for much more recognition when the more important postseason All-CIAA team is announced next week.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior powerhouse out of Hermitage High School in Henrico County was at his burly best at Lincoln, hitting 12 of 20 field goals and scoring 26 points.

Jordan Peebles, the pogo-stick senior for- ward from Emporia, added 19 points and nine rebounds at Lincoln and is always a best-bet for the highlight reels.

In only 20.5 minutes per game, Osborne leads the balanced Panthers in scoring (12.6 points per game), field goal percentage (.573) and in getting to the foul line (50-for-82). Defensively, the big guy is hard to get around and would be a top prospect for VUU football Coach Alvin Parker if he weren’t committed to the hardcourt.

This is Coach Butler’s sixth season calling the shots on Lombardy Street and it could end up being his best. Rebounding from a year layoff due to the pandemic, VUU is 19-6 overall, 12-3 in the CIAA and 6-2 in the Northern Division. That includes two victories over Southern Division leader Winston-Salem State University.

Previous records under Coach Butler were 18-11 in 2020, 19-11 in 2019, 18-15 in 2018, 22-8 in 2017 and 16-14 in 2016.

VUU won the CIAA Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., under Coach Butler in 2018. Before that, the last CIAA Tournament triumph was in 2006 under Coach Dave Robbins.

The Panthers went to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2017 and 2018 and could go again if the ball bounces their way in Maryland.