The men’s and women’s basketball teams will both be in action this weekend. The men will compete in the Cyclone Challenge while the women will battle Western Illinois on Saturday afternoon.

The men will open up play tonight against Mississippi Valley State.

The Delta Devils finished last season with a mark of 14-13 and have four of five starters coming back from last year’s squad.

They did lose guard Faragi Phillp, who averaged 20.9 points per game last year to lead the team.

So far, MVSU has struggled mightily, losing all four games it has played.

After opening the season with a 19-point loss at UNLV, the Delta Devils were beaten at home by Creighton, 70-62.

They then lost at Jacksonville State, 71-63 and fell in their last game 72-50 to Detroit.

They have been led by Dewayne Jefforson, a junior college transfer who is averaging 15.0 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Also contributing are Marcue Metcalf, a senior point guard who is also in double figures at 10.8 points per game.

However, he is shooting only 28.4 percent from the field so far this year.

As a team, the Delta Devils have shot 33 percent or below in each of the four games.

The game, which represents the first meeting between the schools, will tip off at approximately 8 p.m.

In the other game, Montana State will take on Sam Houston State.

The Montana State Bobcats are 2-2 so far this year with their losses coming to Oklahoma, 91-76, and Indiana State, 81-64.

They have two consecutive wins coming into the tournament, as they have bested Cal St. Fullerton 88-64, and Alaska Fairbanks 77-61.

They are led by 6-7 forward John Lazosky, who has averaged 16.3 points per game, and Justin Brown, who is averaging 15.0 points so far this year.

Sam Houston State, meanwhile, comes off a year which saw it go 10-16.

It looks better this year, however, as it is off to a 2-1 start.

Its lone defeat came at New Mexico, 71-61, in one of the toughest arenas in the nation to come out with a victory. The victories have come over Schreiner, 121-101, and Texas Wesleyan 85-70.

The Bearkats are led by Jeremy Burkhalter, a 6-4 guard who is nailing 43 percent of his three-point attempts.

Also scoring in double figures are Senecca Wall and center David Amaya.

The Cyclones enter the tourney with a record of 2-2. After a disappointing loss at Drake to open the season, the Cyclones had a very good trip at Hawaii, going 2-1.

They beat Division II Hawaii-Hilo, 108-72, then upset Arkansas by a score of 77-71.

They then fell to the nation’s top-ranked team, Cincinnati, by a score of 85-70, though they trailed by only five points with 1:59 to play.

Marcus Fizer has been the big gun for ISU, averaging just under 22 points per game in Hawaii.

The championship game will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday night.

The women will take on Western Illinois on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. This will be the first of three Saturdays where both the men and women will play at Hilton.

The Westerwinds struggled a year ago, finishing 7-19 under first-year coach Leslie Crane. They return all five starters this year, however, and figure to be much improved.

So far, they are 3-2 with wins over Lewis, American and Belmont. They are led by Laura Gondringer, who is pouring in 16.8 points per game.

The Cyclones will enter the contest with a 3-1 record, the lone defeat coming at the hands of Stanford, a game played in Palo Alto.

The Cyclones were very impressive in dismissing Northwestern Tuesday night in Ames.

They outscored the Wildcats 41-15 in the second half en route to a 67-32 win.

ISU has been led by Megan Taylor, who is averaging 15.5 points, and Stacy Frese, who is scoring 13.3 points per game.

Also averaging double figures are Desiree Francis and Angie Welle, who have both put in 11.8 points.

The Cyclones will once again be without senior forward Monica Huelman, who has missed the previous three games with swelling in her surgically repaired knee.

As a team, ISU is making 39 percent of its three-point attempts, one of the top figures in the nation. They are currently rated 13th in the country.