Nothing stirs up the competitive juices like a good old-fashioned rivalry and the McMaster basketball teams are looking at that on Wednesday night when the Windsor Lancers invade the Burridge Gym.

The Marauder women's team should need little motivation in facing the defending CIS Champion Lancers, who have won the last five national titles.   Ranked No. 6 in the national top-ten, McMaster will be looking to make a statement against the perennial powerhouse from Windsor, which is currently in the unfamiliar position of being unranked.  

It will be a clash of first-place teams as McMaster leads the OUA Central with a record of 7-2 and Windsor sets the pace in the OUA West with a 7-3 record.   The game also has playoff implications as the OUA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) determines playoff seeding and the Lancers are currently ahead of the Marauders in league RPI.

McMaster will again lean on its balanced scoring as Danielle Boiago (19.3-PPG) sits second in OUA scoring, and her teammates Clare Kenney (12.2-PPG), Linnaea Harper (10.9-PPG), and Hilary Hanaka (10.3-PPG) are all hitting double-digits in points per game.   
 
While perhaps not as dominant as past Windsor squads, the Lancers still have some very good talent led by 6-3 post Cheyanne Roger (14.1-PPG), and forwards Andrea Kiss (12.6-PPG) and Emily Prevost (12.4-PPG), who combine to make for an imposing frontline.

Tip-off at the Burridge Gym is set for 6-pm.

The men's game will renew a rivalry that has seen McMaster and Windsor each eliminate the other in each of the last two seasons.   The two teams have played some intense contests over the last few seasons and the Marauders will have last year's early playoff exit on their minds when they face  the Lancers on Wednesday. 
 
The Lancers come to Hamilton without Coach Chris Oliver, who has taken a sabbatical from the Windsor bench,  and former Lancer Ryan Steer has stepped in to serve as interim head coach for 2015-16.

Currently the 6th-ranked team in Canada, McMaster has become a difficult team to shut down as the scoring is well spread out, with six Marauders scoring in double-digits.  Top shooter is Leon Alexander (18.6-PPG), followed by Connor Gilmore (14.0-PPG), Troy Joseph (13.2-PPG), Aaron Redpath (12.0-PPG), Rohan Boney (10.4-PPG), and Trevon McNeil (10.2-PPG).    Windsor looks to 5th-year guard Alex Campbell, who leads the team in scoring at 20.3-PPG, while rookie Isaiah Osborne chips in 14.7-PPG.

The Marauders have a 7 and 2 won-loss record, which is good for second in the OUA Central, while Windsor leads the OUA West at 5 and 5.  McMaster will be looking to extend its OUA win streak to seven games with a victory. 

The game will start at 8-pm.

Both men's and women's basketball games are available on CFMU 93.3 FM, via live stream at OUA.tv and on community television Cable 14 on a tape delay basis.  Check your local listings for viewing times.