MINOT, N.D. – It's been an exciting journey throughout the season for the Minot State men's and women's basketball teams and now they get to start a new month on their home court.

MSU will host Bemidji State on Friday in a Battle of the Beavers and the University of Minnesota Crookston on Saturday and both teams can use wins to their advantage to hope for a spot in the playoffs.

Friday's matchup with Bemidji State can be a great game to turn things around following losses this past weekend on the road. Bemidji scores the second most points in the NSIC at 59.0 PPG and allows 70.7 PPG to opponents, which ranks 3^rd in the conference.

With a 10.7 differential between points scored and points allowed, it's not crazy to say that if the MSU Beavers can finish the game near or above their season average of 61.1 PPG, they should go home with the win.

Minot State leads the all-time series record between both teams 11-10, however, Bemidji State has won the previous six meetings, most recently a 71-58 win on December 31^st, 2022.

Saturday's matchup vs Minnesota Crookston can have similarities to Friday's as the Golden Eagles allow the second most PPG in the NSIC at 70.9. This game can turn into a battle of which team can outscore the other. Freshman guard Emma Miller averages 18.6 PPG, second in the NSIC, but while she looks to get busy on offense, MSU Beavers senior guard Kate Head will look to put some pressure on the freshman. Head averages 16.0 PPG which is sixth in the NSIC and will no doubt hope to facilitate a clean game for MSU versus a team who scores as many points as they allow.

Minot State also leads the all-time series vs Minnesota Crookston 13-11. Minnesota Crookston won the previous matchup back in December 2022, but this is a different time and scenario for the Beavers. MSU enters this weekend (9-13) dropping a few games back in the playoff standings. Every game from here on out will be crucial as they hope to work their way into playoffs.

On the men's side, they enter this weekend (9-11) dropping their last 4 games, this weekend they would love to get back to .500. As they prepare for their Beaver Showdown with Bemidji State, the MSU men must prepare for a physical game. Bemidji State is the number one shooting team in the NSIC at 49.6 percent per game.

Bemidji State Junior John Sutherland is 6^th in the NSIC in scoring (19.5 PPG) and his 25 points 12 rebound double-double on December 31^st, 2022, helped propel Bemidji State to an 81-73 win. That game was played on Bemidji's home floor, a place they seem to love, however, they are 3-6 on the road this season, which is something MSU can use to their advantage.

This game may come down to MSU outshooting Bemidji State from three. In their game in December, MSU put up 25 three-point attempts to Bemidji's 16. Sharpshooters Cam'ron Dunfee and Jaxon Gunville both attempted 5+ threes in that game, given that the looks from three will be there, it may come down to how many threes the Beavers can make to pull out this win.

Saturday's game versus Minnesota Crookston should not be too much of a battle for MSU. The visiting Golden Eagles are 2-20 on the season and 0-11 on the road. The Beavers lead the all-time series record between the teams (29-5) and won the previous matchup back in December comfortably, 77-57.

Finishing this weekend at 11-11 can help the Minot State men's team gear up for a push toward playoff contention. Saturday's game can also be a game where the Beavers gain some confidence versus an inferior team, expect multiple players to finish the game with double-digit scoring outputs.