MSU-N men home for Thanksgiving Classic

It’s been a long, long time since the Montana State University-Northern Lights played meaningful basketball games on Thanksgiving weekend. But, that’s about to change.

Northern head coach Shawn Huse is looking to start a new tradition for his Lights, one that will become a Thanksgiving regular. And that tradition starts tonight as the Lights play the first of two games in the Thanksgiving Classic inside the Armory Gymnasium.

Northern, which is off to a 3-0 start this season, will play New Hope Christian tonight at 6, followed by a game against Salish Kootenai College Saturday afternoon. The University of Great Falls Argos will also play both Salish Kootenai and New Hope over the weekend.

“It’s exciting to be back home,” Huse said. “We’re trying to make this a yearly tradition.”

Not only will this weekend be a new look for the Lights, it’s also an important one. Northern was last in action back on Nov. 4-5 with two blowout wins in Great Falls. And while the time off is always good, Northern needs to get back into the swing of things, and quickly, considering the Lights begin Frontier Conference play on the road next weekend.

Both games this weekend should provide the Lights with the necessary time to prepare for those tough road tests at Montana Tech Dec. 1 and Lewis-Clark State Dec. 3. Northern is led by seniors Badhasa Margarsa, David Straughter and Tyler Chandler, who are combining to average nearly 25 points per game, while 6-10 center Ryan Reeves continues to be a force in the paint. Northern will also show off its incredible depth this weekend. Every player on the Lights’ roster is in the scorebook thus far, and MSU-N is getting nearly 30 points per game from its bench. Newcomers Charles Porter and Cameron Epps, as well as redshirt freshmen Adam Huse, Devin Bray and Seth Christiaens are all giving the Lights excellent minutes.

And while Northern is likely to be prohibitive favorites in both games in the Thanksgiving Classic, the Lights won’t take either team for granted. The NAIA now considers Salish Kootenai a team that can be counted on the schedule, and five Frontier teams have the Bison on their schedule this season. Former Browning standouts Sherman Red Tomahawk and Jalen Croff highlight the Bison’s roster.

First however, Northern must deal with New Hope Christian tonight. The Deacons, members of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association, have played mostly NAIA teams thus far, on their way to a 3-7 overall record. But, Huse expects a tough game no doubt.

“This has shown to be a really good team that has the ability to put up a great deal of points,” Huse said of the Deacons. “We need to be on our toes defensively if we expect success on Friday. They can all shoot and attack very well, as well as disrupt things with their active defense.

"(Salish) is similar to New Hope,” he added. “Each player has the ability to shoot the ball and create for themselves on offense ... much of which is initiated by their scrappiness and active hands on defense. We will need to be prepared for anything, convert when we get our looks, and work hard in transition so as to not give them easy ones. We expect challenges from both games.”

And challenges are what the Lights are looking for, especially with the toughest portion of their 2016 schedule coming up. After Northern opens Frontier play next weekend, the Lights still have three tough road games in Phoenix, Arizona, as well as a Dec. 28 trip to Lethbridge yet to come.

Tonight’s game between the Lights and Deacons will tip at 6 inside the Armory Gymnasium. UGF plays Salish Kootenai at 4. Saturday, the Argos take on New Hop at 11:30 a.m. and the Lights play the Bison at 1:30 p.m., with all the action taking place in the Armory Gymnasium.