The lead in the Iowa Conference men’s basketball race will be on the line in Dubuque on Saturday when Central College visits the University of Dubuque. Both teams are 9-2 in the league race and the Spartans will be looking to bounce back from a last second loss to arch rival Loras.

Dubuque coach Robbie Sieverding says they talked about it before the game and also talked about the impact of this game and the implications for the conference championship. The winner will have a one game lead with two to play and the inside track to home court advantage in the conference tournament. “They know, we know, we all can look at the records and see that there are a couple of games left and the winner of this game has a little bit of an edge,” Sieverding says.

Central has moved into title contention on the strength of a seven game win streak. “This has been a great run for us and we’ve got to keep it rolling,” Central coach Craig Douma says. He expects the Dutch to face an angry Dubuque squad that comes back hungry after the loss.