Just as college basketball action is heating up, so is the competition in the Points for Pints college blood drive contest.

Blood drives yesterday on the UA Mall and at Yavapai Residence Hall, 1222 E. South Campus Drive, were the first two in a series of 17 drives this semester, which will count down towards the Points for Pints totals.

Points for Pints, which began Oct. 1 and ends April 1, is a blood drive competition correlating with the NCAA Division 1-A basketball season. Other schools competing include Duke University, University of Kansas, Michigan State, University of Maryland and the University of Connecticut.

The more than 1,100 pints collected during the annual UA/ASU Blood Drive last October count in the Points for Pints drive.

"The standings are based upon population and the percentage of donors," Lynn A. Cunningham, marketing and communications coordinator for the Southern Arizona Red Cross, said. "So a school like (Pennsylvania) State or Ohio State, which has donated a lot but have a larger population than the UA, can be beaten."

"Someone we need to look out for is Duke because they have a small population - 8,000 - so they don't have to get that many," she added

The need for blood has gone up dramatically in light of the recent shortage, Red Cross officials said. Donation has dropped below pre-Sept. 11 levels.

"Currently we are down to just over a 2-day supply," Cunningham said. "Typically, 330 pints a day are needed in Southern Arizona. At one point, we were down to two pints of O-negative. People need to remember blood lasts for only 42 days and you can donate every 56 days."

Gary Yee, a computer science sophomore and the president of the Yavapai Hall Student Association, said people shouldn't wait for a shortage to donate blood.

"With that attitude there will always be a shortage," Yee said. "People look to what they have, like a 10-day supply and it quickly becomes a 10-day shortage."

At the Yavapai drive, officials set a goal of 50 pints, and not just those who live in Yavapai came to donate.

"Donating helps people out and is a good community service thing to do," said Jonathan Wilson, an engineering sophomore and Yavapai Hall resident.

The next drive is today at Coronado Residence Hall, 822 E. Fifth St. from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Next week there will be drives on Monday at the Tucson Institute of Religion, 1333 E. Second St., and Wednesday on the UA Mall.

The Red Cross recommends that donors drink extra water, eat a small meal or snack two to four hours before donating and plan to stay about 45 minutes for the whole process.

The 17 drives are tentatively scheduled and more will likely be added, included a greek competition.