MEN’S BASKETBALL

MAINE vs. DELAWARE

Time, site: 7:30 p.m., Bob Carpenter Center, Newark, Del.

Records: Maine 4-2 (0-1 America East), Delaware 3-4 (2-1)

Series, last meeting: Delaware leads 15-9, UD won 68-46 on March 5

Key players: Maine – 6-2 G Huggy Dye (17.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg), 6-10 F Julian Dunkley (17.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg), 6-6 F Carvell Ammons (11.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg), 6-3 G Errick Greene (7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), 6-2 G Derrick Jackson (5.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg); Delaware – 6-9 F Ajmal Basit (15.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg), 6-1 G Austen Rowland (13.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg), 6-0 G Billy Wells (13.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg), 6-8 F Maurice Sessoms (6.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg), 6-4 G Greg Miller 5.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg)

Outlook: The Black Bears entered this road trip aiming for two big wins. A disappinting Thursday night loss to Towson leaves them looking to salvage a split instead … and this venue is one of the league’s most unfriendly. Basit, a transfer from the University of Massachusetts, gives the Blue Hens a formidable force down low that the Bears will struggle to counter. The Bears were sloppy against Towson and won’t likely get off to as rocky a start as they did in Maryland. If they do, the BCC faithful will make life miserable. Dunkley struggled and Dye forced matters on Thursday. If they don’t play better, UMaine will return to Orono with an 0-2 league mark.