AUBURN – Bates vs. Colby men? Good as it gets. Southern Maine vs. Bowdoin women? Top-notch.

There is no shortage of splendid college basketball played in Maine every winter, but what might be the state’s most underrated rivalry is renewed tonight.

Central Maine Community College welcomes Southern Maine Community College to Kirk Hall for the schools’ second doubleheader of the regular season.

The women, both ranked among the top 15 in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association national poll, tip off at 6 p.m. The CMCC and SMCC men, tied for No. 2 in the country behind defending national champion Williamson Trade of Pennsylvania, follow at 8.

A reported crowd of 1,000 watched the schools’ first collision of the campaign Dec. 18 in South Portland. The Seawolves swept the Mustangs, with SM prevailing 68-65 in the women’s contest and outlasting CMCC 92-77 on the men’s side.

“That’s the one that we really want out of them all is to beat them,” said CMCC sophomore point guard Matt Sceviour of Boothbay Harbor.

The Mustangs (11-3) hope to unload two seasons’ worth of frustration against their southern tormentors, who are seeking their unprecedented third straight Yankee Small College Conference championship.

Southern swept three tussles with Central’s men a year ago, capped by a two-point verdict in the conference tournament final.

“I think we just have to control the tempo,” said Sceviour. “We got more into their run-and-gun style the first time we played this year.”

Sceviour steadies a starting lineup with significant star quality. Tyler Smithgall and Nate Damm of Winthrop, Cam Angell of Turner and Matt Lyons of Rumford round out the group.

Community colleges have grown exponentially in the specter of a struggling economy and job losses, and their basketball programs appear to be sharing in the harvest.

With the exception of Angell, each member of CMCC’s starting five won a regional or state championship with his local high school team.

“How many teams can say that?” said CMCC men’s coach and athletic director Dave Gonyea, who recently earned his 300th victory at the school. “The school has changed in the last five years. I’m getting calls every week from players who want to come or from coaches referring them. Unless they’re going to Bates, Bowdoin or Colby, they’re looking at community colleges sometimes before they look at anything else.”

CMCC also has benefited from the arrival of a second-semester reinforcement.

Farrell Jean-Gilles is one of four players on the Mustangs’ roster from Fatima High School in Chepachet, R.I. Jean-Gilles debuted with 18 points in 27 minutes as CM pulled away from the University of Maine at Augusta in the second half Monday night.

“He’s going to turn some heads,” Gonyea said.

SMCC (14-4) flaunts a stellar inside-out game with brothers Coleman and Matt Findlay. Coleman, a 6-5 forward, averages 20.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Matt is connecting at 38 percent from 3-point range.

Josh Tuplin, Joe Jardine and Scott Proudman also supply scoring punch in the Seawolves’ backcourt.

“They have a deep bench,” said Sceviour, a criminal justice major who chose CMCC over the likes of Thomas and Fisher colleges and the University of New England. “The competition has gone up with every team. I think that’s because of a lot more people going to these small colleges. You can’t help but get better when you play.”

Central Maine’s women (12-3) also received a holiday boost when Sara Martin of Strong left her job at the school in order to enroll and lace up her sneakers one more time. Martin previously played sports at both the University of Maine at Farmington and Springfield College.

Martin blends with an explosive offense that includes first-year standout Michelle Holmquist (19.2 ppg, 9.7 rpg), explosive shooter Tiffany Seams and playmakers Kerri Harris and Kayla Ellis.

Sonya O’Tash, formerly of the University of Southern Maine team, leads SMCC (10-7). O’Tash (17.9 ppg, 9.7 rpg) and Rachel Del Camp anchor a strong frontcourt for the Seawolves.

Both CM teams hope to use the twinbill as a push to the national tournament, to be held in Pennsylvania this year.

“I think both of our teams can make a run at it. I haven’t felt that way about the men’s team since 2002,” Gonyea said.