One team is battling for first place while the other is simply scrapping to get out of the cellar.

Squads that have been heading in different directions will collide Saturday when Virginia State travels to face Virginia Union at Barco-Stevens Hall.

Tipoff is about 4 p.m., following a 2 p.m. women’s contest between the same CIAA rivals.

Coach Jay Butler’s Panthers have been cruising in the fast lane with an overall 14-6 record that includes three losses in overtime. Meanwhile, the Trojans have sputtered to a 7-10 overall mark in what has been a rare down season for Coach Lonnie Blow’s squad. VSU has been among the CIAA leaders ever since Coach Blow came on board in 2013.

VUU showcases a balanced attack with eight different players averaging between 12.3 and 5.7 points per game.

Robbie Osborne, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior from Hermitage High, leads at 12.3 while hitting 57 from the field. A rugged inside operator, Osborne also leads the team in free-throw attempts, going 44 for 72, 61 percent.

The Panthers feature one of the top front courts in the CIAA with Osborne and bouncy 6-7 forwards Jordan Peebles and Raemaad Wright.

VSU boasts two All-CIAA candidates in 6-foot-6 B.J. Fitzgerald, a junior from Danville, and 6-foot-5 junior Terrence Hunter-Whitfield from Matoaca High in Chesterfield.

Fitzgerald averages 18.2 points and 5.7 rebounds while Hunter-Whitfield averages 13.2 points and 7.1 boards.

This will be a rematch of VUU’s 88-70 victory over VSU Jan. 15 at the Multipurpose Center in Ettrick.

There is a chance they could meet for a third time at the CIAA tournament Feb. 21-26 in Baltimore.