NATIONAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Pitt and Providence are the leading contenders for two of the three Eastern at-large bids to the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Basketball Tournament, committee member Ernie Casale said yesterday.

Casale, Temple University's athletic director, told a meeting of the Philadelphia Basketball Writers Assn. that his committee would talk again next Thursday about the three spots.

Seventh Ranked

Pitt is the seventh ranked team in the nation with a 20-1 record, while Providence has posted a 20-3 mark. In contention for the third Eastern at-large bid are Boston College, UMass., Connecticut, Syracuse, St. Johns, Manhattan, Rutgers, and Maryland-Eastern Shore, Casale said.