NEWARK, Del. (Interstat) — The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders visit the Delaware Blue Hens on Saturday in a Conference USA matchup of teams looking to halt recent slides.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. EST at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Middle Tennessee (11-11) enters having lost four straight, including a heartbreaking 88-84 overtime defeat to Florida International on Wednesday. The Blue Raiders have struggled offensively during the skid, failing to reach 66 points in three of the four losses.

Delaware (6-16) has lost two in a row and eight of its last ten. The Blue Hens fell 75-69 to Liberty on Wednesday despite a strong performance.

A key matchup will feature two of the conference’s top guards. Middle Tennessee’s Marcus Whitlock is coming off a season-high 25 points in 27 minutes against FIU. The guard’s scoring has been volatile, but his explosiveness provides a primary offensive spark for the Blue Raiders.

Delaware will counter with Justyn Fernandez, a model of consistency who has logged 40 minutes in two of his last three games. He leads the Blue Hens with 21 points and four assists in the loss to Liberty and is averaging 16.3 points over his last six contests.

For Middle Tennessee, support for Whitlock will be crucial. Torey Alston and Kamari Lands each added 15 points in the overtime loss. Delaware needs more production beyond Fernandez and Macon Emory, who had 19 points against Liberty.

The teams will meet again in Murfreesboro on Feb. 21. Middle Tennessee visits Kennesaw State next on Feb. 12. Delaware travels to face Florida International on the same date.