DEKALB, Ill. (Interstat) — Two men’s basketball teams seeking momentum at the end of difficult seasons will meet Saturday when the Ball State Cardinals visit the Northern Illinois Huskies in a Mid-American Conference matchup.

The game at the Convocation Center pits teams with nearly identical records. Ball State enters at 9-19 overall, while Northern Illinois sits at 9-18. Both squads are coming off losses in their most recent outings but have shown flashes of competitiveness within the conference slate.

Ball State arrives fresh off a dramatic 74-73 overtime victory against Massachusetts on Tuesday, a result that snapped a four-game losing streak. The Cardinals have struggled on the road, however, with a 2-11 record away from home. They will rely on guard Davion Hill, who is averaging 17.1 points per game in his last eight contests. Hill scored a team-high 26 points in the win over UMass and has been a consistent offensive force.

Northern Illinois looks to rebound from a 79-69 road loss at Toledo on Tuesday. The Huskies have found wins hard to come by, dropping five of their last seven games. Guard Gianni Cobb leads their backcourt, coming off a 17-point, five-assist performance against the Rockets. He scored 23 points in a road win at Buffalo on Feb. 17, highlighting his capability as a primary scorer.

The teams met just over a month ago in Muncie, with Ball State securing a 58-53 home victory on Jan. 24. That result gives the Cardinals a slight psychological edge in the season series.

With the MAC tournament on the horizon, Saturday’s contest represents a critical opportunity for both programs to build confidence and improve their seeding. The matchup features two of the conference’s top guards in Hill and Cobb, whose backcourt battle could decide a game between evenly matched opponents desperate for a win.