on the SIDELINES

Riders gearing up for Little 5 tryouts\nQualifications for the 53rd Little 500 begin Saturday with 42 men's teams and 31 women's teams taking part. The men's field will be narrowed to fit the 33 available spots while all the women's teams are guaranteed entry in the race.\nBeginning at 8 a.m. with the last qualification scheduled for 4:45 p.m., teams will use squads of two, three or four riders to complete four laps at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The times will then be used to determine the row order for the actual Little 5. \nHardaway signs with Pacers\nINDIANAPOLIS -- Tim Hardaway signed Thursday with the Indiana Pacers, who are trying to bolster their backcourt for the stretch run.\nThe 36-year-old point guard, a five-time All-Star, has not played this season. He is eligible for the playoffs because he is a free agent and not a waiver pickup.\nHardaway, who has been working as an analyst for ESPN, was expected to practice with Indiana on Thursday and could be in uniform for Friday's game at Chicago.\n"I'm happy to be back in the league with a team that feels I can help them out with veteran leadership going into the playoffs," Hardaway said.\nTo make room for him, the Pacers placed center Primoz Brezec on the injured list with a sprained left ankle.\nHardaway averaged 17.9 points and 8.3 assists in 12 seasons with Miami, Golden State, Denver and Dallas.\n"Tim is a solid veteran who can provide us some insurance at point guard if needed," Pacers president Donnie Walsh said.\nThe Pacers (41-30) are fourth in the Eastern Conference and have lost 15 of their last 19 games.\n"I'm not asking him to play a lot of minutes," coach Isiah Thomas said Wednesday. "If someone was to go down, he's the best out there on the market. If he can still do it, if he can still play, it would be great for us."\nOutdoor track season begins\nWomen's track sets off for outdoor season The No. 10 ranked Indiana women's track and field team, who finished its indoor season tied for eighth place at the NCAA Indoor Championships March 14-15, will begin its outdoor season this weekend at various meets around the country. The distance runners will compete at the Standford Invitational while other athletes will travel to the Purdue Invitationals at West Lafayette or the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla.