George Ferguson Column: Frontier basketball is about to heat up the winter

The Montana State University-Northern men's and women's basketball teams each have three non-conference games in sunny and warm Phoenix next week. And then, it's Frontier Conference basketball and Frontier only.

Yes, when the Lights and Skylights return from Arizona, they'll have nothing but their biggest rivals on their minds.

Starting Jan. 4, Frontier play resumes for good, and that means, winter wars in gyms all over the Treasure State and beyond.

And, based on what's happened thus far, it's going to be a very interesting next two months.

On the women's side, the Skylights will be a part of a Frontier that continues to be perhaps the best league in all of NAIA basketball. To date, five of the Frontier's seven teams are ranked in the NAIA Coaches Poll, with Carroll College and UM-Western checking in at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. Providence is ranked No. 12 and Rocky Mountain College comes in at 18. That's four Frontier teams inside the Top 20. And, for good measure, Lewis-Clark State, a perennial Frontier power, is just outside the Top 25.

Want more evidence that the Frontier is that good? As of Dec. 13, every team in the league has a winning record, and that's remarkable considering how many good teams every Frontier squad has played during its non-conference schedule. So, the race to the Frontier championship and to Billings and the NAIA national tournament could be one for the ages.

The men's side of things is going to be really fun, too.

Through non-conference play at least, the league is certainly looking like it has a legitimate national championship contender in Carroll College. New head coach Curt Paulson hasn't skipped a beat with the Fighting Saints, as they have risen to No. 3 in the NAIA and have lost just once this season, and that was to perhaps the single best team in all of Canada, the University of Calgary.

But, anyone who thinks the Saints will just run away and hide in Frontier play might want to think again.

The conference is once again stacked, though the balance of power has shifted some, with Steve Keller leaving Western to go to Providence. Keller has turned the struggling Argos around in a hurry, and, on the flip side, the Bulldogs have struggled some in non-league play. Rocky Mountain College and Lewis-Clark State are also very strong again this year, while Northern will be in the mix like the Lights always are, and Montana Tech has shown vast improvement.

In other words, the path to the men's Frontier title is going to be what it always is, a fight to the bitter end, and it's likely that no one is going to emerge from that fight without some scrapes and bruises.

So, Northern fans, so, Frontier fans, get your popcorn ready, because Frontier hoops is almost back. Get ready to get in the Armory for plenty of exciting winter nights, and a lot of really good basketball to watch.

In other words, sit back and enjoy the ride, because the next two months of college basketball are going to be very entertaining.

Editor's Note: For full Frontier Conference men's and women's previews, see our Dec. 31 sports pages.