Lights look to stay hot as Frontier play returns

In a matter of weeks, the Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team has gone from being picked fifth in the Frontier Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, to being ranked inside the Top 15 in the NAIA.

The Lights (13-1, 2-0) have put together an impeccable resume during the first half of the 2016-17 season. Now however, the real work begins.

Tonight, the No. 15 Lights restart Frontier play when they visit the UGF Argos in Great Falls. And Saturday, MSU-N trips to Helena for a showdown with Frontier favorite and nationally ranked Carroll College.

And while both games will be tough, Northern head coach Shawn Huse feels good about where his team is at. The Lights have lost just once, and already own a pair of Frontier road wins. On top of that, MSU-N, as a team has been versatile, dynamic and deep, and that should cause problems for the rest of the Frontier over the next two months.

While Huse's balanced roster features only Ryan Reeves (12 ppg) and David Straughter (10 ppg) averaging double figures. The Lights are so deep, anybody can light it up on a given night. Reserves Justin Dunsmore, Cameron Epps, Charles Porter and William Walker each average eight points per outing, while six more Lights score between six and seven points per night.

Northern is also leading all of the NAIA in 3-pointers made per game, scoring defense, total 3-pointers, scoring margin, and the all-important field goal percentage, as the Lights shoot an outstanding 55 percent from the floor per night. And for good measure, to go along with a defense allowing just 56 points per game, the Lights are also the second-highest scoring team in the nation, averaging just over 97 ppg. Add all of those factors up, and MSU-N has plenty of reasons to be optimistic as conference play becomes a reality.

"This team has made a lot of strides," Huse said. "I feel like we've continued to grow and get better every day, and that's what you want out of this first part of the season. I really like how hard this group works, and they have really gelled together. They have a lot of confidence in what they're capable of, but, at the same time, they also know we have to get better, that we have to keep growing."

Northern will do some growing this weekend. While UGF (9-4, 1-1) was picked to finish sixth in the Frontier this season, the Argos always play the Lights tough. And led by Isaac Howard's 13 ppg, the Argos are a high-scoring bunch that will give Northern's defense a big challenge.

"The Argos are once again a team to be reckoned with," Huse said. "Coach (Anthony) Owens continues to do a great job of recruiting and coaching his guys at UGF. We will have to do an excellent job of converting on offense and playing tough on defense, if we are going to have success down there."

And then there's the Saints (11-3, 1-1). Saturday night's game in Helena against No. 23 Carroll might be the NAIA Game of the Week. And even though the Saints have lost two straight and dropped drastically in the NAIA Coaches Poll this week, Carroll is absolutely loaded with talent, including super-star All-Americans Zach Taylor and Ryan Imhoff, and, as the team to beat in the Frontier, Northern's first of two trips to Helena this season will be a real and true test of exactly what the Lights are made of this season.

"The Saints are a very seasoned group, that have shown they can score at a highly efficient rate," Huse said. "Stopping them is no easy chore in their barn as they are very explosive in the half court and in transition."

Tonight's game between MSU-N and UGF starts at 7:30 in Great Falls. The Lights and Saints meet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night in Helena. Northern then makes its conference home debut next weekend against Western and Rocky Mountain College.