One week after a thrilling showdown at Knox-Windham Gymnasium, Miles and Tuskegee will run it back on Saturday, this time at Chappie James Arena in Tuskegee. Just like last weekend, there is still a lot on the line in both games.

The Lady Bears have a comfortable lead in the SIAC Western Division and already have a 19-point victory over Tuskegee this season. But the team is making historical moves on the hardwood this season, having won 16 consecutive games and has reached No. 18 in the WBCA weekly Top 25 poll. Those are both best-in-program-history accomplishments. After Iemyiah Harris torched the Golden Tigerettes with eight 3-pointers and scored 27 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks, she was named SIAC Player of the Week.

But Miles has struggled at Chappie James Arena, losers of six straight and having not won on there since 2018. Sumaiyah Abdur-Rahim scored 20 points in the loss last week and has scored in double figures in eight straight games. Tuskegee is one of four teams in the SIAC shooting over 30 percent on 3-pointers but will go against Miles, which has the No. 1 3-point defense in the country (.199).

The men's contest has a lot more on the line as it pertains to the Western Division standings. After a late surge by the Golden Tigers cost the Golden Bears in a one-point loss last weekend, Miles tumbled out of first place. But a big win against Spring Hill on Monday put Miles right back on top. Still, there is not a lot of breathing room, as Miles has a one-game lead over both Tuskegee and Spring Hill but all three squads have eight conference wins each. For Miles to maintain its edge, it has to win on Saturday, which would put them up two games on the Golden Tigers - three in the loss column - and avert a TU season sweep, which could be the tiebreaker at the end of the regular season.

The Golden Bears have been piecing it together all season. The top four scorers from last year did not return. The team's top rebounder, Anthony Latty, went out for the season after the third game. Now, starting forward Elijah Horton is out 2-3 weeks with an ankle sprain suffered in the win over Spring Hill. But Miles has stayed afloat thanks to its top-ranked defense that allows the fewest points per game among SIAC teams (61.1), a team that shoots it well (top-5 in field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage) while not turning the ball over (No. 1 in SIAC, 10.8 per game).

Still, Tuskegee is one of the hottest teams in the league, haviing won six straight and all against Western Division teams. The defense has come alive, having kept four of those opponents under 60 points. The Golden Tigers rank third in the conference in scoring defense (66.2 ppg) and third in defensive field goal percentage (39.2). .Another low-scoring battle could be in the offing between these two squads.