The current 10-game win streak that has vaulted Middle Tennessee into the Top 25 began with a Jan. 10 win over Western Kentucky.
On Thursday, the No. 24 Blue Raiders host a rematch with the second-place Hilltoppers at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn., with Conference USA supremacy on the line.
Middle Tennessee (23-5, 15-1 C-USA) leads Western Kentucky (22-7, 14-2) by a game with two to play and can clinch the outright regular-season conference title with a win Thursday.
"That's why we do this stuff," Blue Raiders coach Kermit Davis told WGNS radio. "You've got your archrival.