CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — On Thursday night, two of the longest tenured head coaches visit the Powell Athletic Center for a Mid-South Conference doubleheader. Melissa Irvin and Ginger Colvin played against each other in the 1989 and 1990 seasons and have been a part of their respective programs for 26 years. Donnie Butcher was a mentor for coach Brent Vernon and actually gave him his first coaching job after his playing days were over at Cumberlands in 2002.
 
But the doubleheader tonight has a little more meaning than the rivalry created by the coaches. Tipoff for the women's game is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET with coverage on 88.7 The Tiger starting at 5:45. WLCU-TV and Comcast channel 10 will also air the game starting at 6. The men are scheduled to tip 20 minutes after the women's game concludes.
 
On the women's side, the two teams have met a whopping 101 times with the Lady Tigers leading the series, 67-35. Colvin and Irvin have met a total of 29 times altogether and Thursday marks the 24^th game while leading their respective programs – Colvin leads the series 13-10. But going back to their playing days, Colvin leads the matchup with a 17-11 record.
 
The Lady Tigers boast a 21-4 overall record and are one of 10 teams from across the country with 20 wins this season. CU is also 6-3 inside conference play – three games behind No. 4 Lindsey Wilson and No. 6 Shawnee State.
 
In the previous matchup on Jan. 9, the Lady Tigers defeated UC 57-37 in Williamsburg. CU held the Patriots to 27 percent shooting and forced 28 turnovers – holding the UC to its lowest point total all season. Lexxus Graham led CU with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 4-of-5 from behind the 3-point line.

Emily Fox leads the Lady Tigers on the Year by averaging 15 points per game. Before tonight's matchup, the coaching staff is honoring her for becoming the 21^st Lady Tiger to reach 1,000 career points – and she did it in just 2.5 years.

Cumberlands is led by Cheynne Madden's 14.6 points per game and 51 percent shooting from the floor. The Patriots also have a pair of seven-plus rebounders – Madden (7.1) and Shaniece Wright (7.4).

On the men's side, the Tigers and Patriots have met 130 times in history with 10th-ranked Cumberlands owning an 84-46 record over CU. But in the previous few games in the Powell Athletic Center, Campbellsville has finished on top with a pair of thrilling victories – Eric Gaines' steal and slam dunk with 30 seconds remaining in 2015 and the Tigers erased a 23-point deficit last season to upset the Patriots.

Campbellsville could use a little bit of that magic tonight after dropping its last two games and the last six of seven conference games.

Earlier in the season, the Tigers had a chance to knock off Cumberlands but Hagen Tyler's last second 3 at the buzzer rimmed out for a 68-66 loss. After leading by seven points in the first half, the Tigers dug themselves a hole in the second stanza trailing by as many as nine points.

The telling stat in the previous matchup was CU hitting just 8-of-17 from the free throw line.

Hagen Tyler leads the Tigers with 13.5 points per game, while Erik Kinney has been a force the last six games with a double-double in each. He is 0.4 rebounds per game away from averaging a double-double for CU.

Four-year letter winner Elliott Young is also on the cusp of breaking into the 1,000 point club. Young is six points away from that barrier entering Thursday's game vs. Cumberlands.

Campbellsville currently sits in seventh place in the MSC standings with a 2-7 record and 12-11 overall. But Shawnee State, which is in eighth place proved anyone could be beaten after the Bears knocked off No. 3 Georgetown last weekend.
 
Life University sits in first-place with a 9-2 MSC record but is 13-10 overall.