Frontier Notebook: It was a big week for Providence men and women

The Frontier Conference basketball season is nearing the halfway mark and, right now, things are really going well for the University of Providence Argos.

On the men's side last week, the Argos added former Great Falls High star and NCAA Division I transfer Brenden Howard to an already stout lineup. Howard was able to transfer down from the University of North Dakota and gained eligibility with the Argos for the second semester.

Also this past week, Steve Keller earned his 300th career win. Keller started what has been an incredible coaching career in the Frontier, at Montana Western, before spending the last several seasons with the Argos.

Meanwhile, on the women's side, the Argos became the first team to knock off Rocky Mountain College this winter when they beat the Battlin' Bears 57-55 in Billings last Saturday. The win pushed UP into a first-place tie with Rocky in the Frontier standings, setting the stage for an exciting stretch run of both men's and women's basketball in Great Falls.

COVID again front and center

Of course, not everything has been exciting in the Frontier. As is the case all over college basketball right now, COVID-19 is a constant threat. Last Saturday saw games between Western and Montana Tech called off due to COVID protocols.

COVID recently hit the MSU-Northern women's program hard, as the Skylights, while still able to play, were without players, and head coach Chris Mouat on and off for the last two weeks, while they went through COVID protocols.

However, unlike last season, teams can play through this most recent COVID waves as long as they can field a team. Last season the Frontier postponed or canceled games with a just one positive result within a program.

Wide Open

The Frontier men's championship could go to just about anybody right now. Entering last weekend, MSU-Northern, Montana Tech and Carroll College were all tied for first, but, the Lights fell to both the Orediggers and Fighting Saints, so now, Carroll sits a half game ahead of Tech for first place. The Lights, who host Providence Thursday and Rocky Saturday, are alone in third, while the Argos and Battlin-bears sit at 2-4, which, while below .500, is just three games off the pace.

Montana Western is in last place in the standings, but even the Bulldogs have been an extremely tough out this season.

The second half of Frontier play begins next week, with the conference tournament set to begin Feb. 21 at sites all around the Frontier.