First place in the Ohio Athletic Conference will be on the line when the Wilmington College men's basketball team travels to face Mount Union 3 p.m. Saturday. However, the WC staff and players could care less about the ramifications this game plays on the conference standings.

"I am not focused (on the standings)," said Wilmington head coach K.C. Hunt. "Its just one game at a time; next opponent, and it happens to be a team that is undefeated (in conference play). We have to really step up to this challenge. Mount Union is very talented. They have a lot of depth, and they play super fast. It's going to be a challenge to slow them down. We have to guard in transition, and we have to guard the three-point line. They are attempting almost 30 three's per game, and making close to 12 of them. They play really fast, so our challenge is going to be to stop the ball early, slow them down and make them play our kind of game."

The game pits the top-scoring defense against the second-best scoring offense in the league. Wilmington is allowing just 70.2 points per game, while the Purple Raiders are tallying 87.2 points. Part of the reason for the both teams success lie beyond the arc. WC tops the OAC, allowing 28.1 percent of three-point shots, while Mount Union is making a league-best 39 percent (149-of-382).

Mount Union comes into the game winners in nine straight, including a 73-72 home victory over preseason favorite Marietta. The Purple Raiders are 11-2 overall with both defeats coming away from home.

"Obviously, it's a huge opportunity for us," said Hunt. "We have to go back on the road. It really takes a total team effort to win on the road, especially against a quality team like Mount Union. It's going to be quite a challenge."

Three players, led by sophomore Cody Dillon's 13.5 points, are averaging double figures for UMU. Senior guard T.J. Gillespie is adding 13.0 points, while sophomore Jarrett Ruffin is dropping in 12.5 points per game. Ruffin leads the team with 6.2 rebounds.

Junior Nate Jacubec, who scored a career-high 31 against WC last season, is scoring 9.5 points per game.

"You have to be really concerned with their guards," said Hunt. "Cody Dillon and Nate Jacubec are both capable of getting 20 per night. Jared Ruffin is a tremendous athlete that has the ability to play on the perimeter and the post, so there is a lot of challenge presented to us. We have to have a urgency level to really guard those guys."