HELENA — Meaningful basketball will be played across Montana and throughout the Frontier Conference this week as teams battle for regular-season championships, league tournament seeding, and to potentially strengthen NAIA National Tournament bids.

Both regular-season title races enter the week deadlocked, and on the men’s side, five teams are within one game of first place. Will championships be shared? Which teams grasp greatness in the regular-season’s final moments?

We’ll find out in due time.

Jeff Graham’s Orediggers continue to build their case for Montana Tech’s first NAIA Tournament appearance since 2011. Monday’s quadrant records (see below) revealed Tech leads the Frontier (women’s and men’s) with six Q1 victories. That’s triple Carroll College’s total, two more than Rocky Mountain College, and one additional compared to Providence's women.

Saturday was Tech’s fourth nationally-ranked Frontier triumph of the season, securing the Orediggers’ most single-season victories (17) since 2010-11.

With two regular-season games to play, Tech is locked into its first plus-.500 Frontier campaign since 2013 and has captured its most league wins (8) in eight seasons.

Tech is currently second in the Frontier in scoring (66.5 PPG), first in team 3-point percentage (33.7%), and third in team field goal percentage (41.2%). Defensively, the Orediggers are one of three Frontier women’s teams allowing fewer than 60 points per game.

Entering the regular-season’s final week, Tech is squarely a fringe national tournament squad.

Making the Frontier Tournament championship game would only strengthen Tech’s case.

Women’s Basketball

Carroll ( vs. RMC) = Saints + No. 1 Frontier Tournament seed

Rocky ( @ CC) = Battlin’ Bears

Carroll College (vs. RMC, @ MSUN) = Saints + Frontier Tournament seed

Rocky (@ Carroll, @ UMW) = Battlin’ Bears + Frontier Tournament seed

for Carroll & Rocky = ; Saints No. 1 Frontier Tournament seed (Providence & Tech enter weekend one game back)

Men’s Basketball (Tech, Providence only)

Providence ( @ MSUN) + Tech ( vs. UMW) = Argos

Tech ( vs. UMW) + Providence ( @ MSUN) = Orediggers

Winner of Saturday’s H2H (), assuming Tech and Providence each win Thursday, determines outright and Frontier Tournament seed

Montana Western, Rocky, Carroll are all 7-6, one game behind Tech and Providence. Any of those teams could steal a title share should the Orediggers or Argos stumble further.

Points per game

Isaiah Crane (CC) – 17.7

Jalyn Stepney (UMW) – 16.5

Jamil Bowles (UP) – 16.1

Field goal percentage

Carter McCoy (RMC) – 57.6

Jaylon Lee (RMC) – 57.1

Nikolajs Atanasovs (UP) – 55.5

3-point field goal percentage

Mike Wright Jr. (UP) – 42.9

Anthony Mendez (MSUN) – 41.8

Kyle Gruhler (UMW) – 40.4

Rebounds per game

Jaylon Lee (RMC) – 12.0

Jamil Bowles (UP) – 8.8

Derek Kramer (CC) – 8.3

Assists per game

Jesse Owens (RMC) – 3.3

Keeley Bake (Tech) – 3.1

Isaac Round (CC) – 3.0

Steals per game

Antoine Boyd Jr. (UP) – 1.7

Hayden Diekhans (Tech) & Isaiah Crane (CC) – 1.5

Kellen Harrison (CC) & Carter McCoy (RMC) – 1.3

Points per game

Keanna Salave’a (UP) – 17.0

Sydney Dethman (RMC) – 16.1

Kyndall Keller (CC) – 15.2

Field goal percentage

Keanna Salave’a (UP) – 59.0

Canzas HisBadHorse (MSUN) – 53.3

Shyan Krass (MSUN) – 52.7

3-point field goal percentage

Kyndall Keller (CC) – 40.8

Brooklynn Hankwitz (Tech) – 38.4

Sydney Dethman (RMC) – 37.2

Rebounds per game

Keanna Salave’a (UP) – 10.9

Willa Albrecht (CC) – 7.0

Keke Davis (UMW) – 6.9

Assists per game

Ashlee Maldonado (UP) – 5.6

Taya Trottier (MSUN) – 5.1

Gracee Lekvold (RMC) – 3.7

Steals per game

Gracee Lekvold (RMC), Katelynn Forner (MSUN), Maddy Moy (UMW) – 2.0

Isabella Lund (UMW), Ashlee Maldonado (UP), Trinidie Nichols (UMW) – 1.9

RPI and SOS are primary criteria considered by the National Selection Committee when determining at-large berths and seeding for upcoming national tournaments. Metrics are released weekly, through March 5.

An updated Area Ranking Committee (ARC) report will be available Tuesday. ARC is another primary criteria.

Women’s+ (with change)

Carroll College – RPI (-8); SOS (+2)

Providence – RPI (-7); SOS (-1)

Montana Tech – RPI (+1); SOS (+22)

Rocky Mountain College – RPI (+3); SOS (-6)

MSU-Northern – RPI (-4); SOS (-8)

Montana Western – RPI (+1); SOS (NC)

+ – out of 227 teams; released Monday, Feb. 17

Men’s+ (with change)

Montana Tech – RPI (-11); SOS (+2)

Rocky Mountain College – RPI (+4); SOS (-6)

Carroll College – RPI (+16); SOS (+3)

Providence – RPI (-15); SOS (-5)

Montana Western – RPI (+8); SOS (-5)

MSU-Northern – RPI (-7); SOS (+6)

+ – out of 225 teams; released Monday, Feb. 17

Another primary criteria, along with RPI and SOS (see above), the NSC uses when determining at-large berths and seeding for upcoming national tournaments. Released Monday.

Only wins/losses against NAIA competition are counted. Team RPIs and game location factor into quadrant records. Below is the RPI range of an opponent, based on game location, that determines what quadrant a game is counted toward.

Home – (1-45); (46-90); (91-135); (136+)

Neutral – (1-55); (56-105); (106-150); (150+)

Away – (1-65); (66-120); (121-165); (166+)

Women’s

Carroll College – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

Rocky Mountain College – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

Montana Tech – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

Providence – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

MSU-Northern – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

Montana Western – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

Men’s

Montana Tech – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

Providence – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

Rocky Mountain College – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

Montana Western – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

Carroll College – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

MSU-Northern – Q1; Q2; Q3; Q4

Women’s

Carroll College – (+1)

Providence – (NC)

Rocky Mountain College –

Montana Tech –

Men’s

Montana Tech – (-6)

* – poll released Wednesday, Feb. 12

Women’s

No. 25 Providence , No. 19 Carroll College 35

RV Rocky Mountain College , RV Montana Tech 36

MSU-Northern , Montana Western 66

Men’s

Rocky Mountain College , No. 15 Montana Tech 69

Carroll College , Providence 88

Montana Western , MSU-Northern 62

Women’s

RV Montana Tech , No. 19 Carroll College 57

No. 25 Providence , Montana Western 58

RV Rocky Mountain College , MSU-Northern 42

Men’s

Carroll College , No. 15 Montana Tech 58

Rocky Mountain College , MSU-Northern 52

Montana Western , Providence 94 (OT)

Women’s

: Graduate student guard Ashlee Maldonado, University of Providence

Defense: Freshman guard Paige Wasson, Rocky Mountain College

Men’s

Offense: Redshirt freshman guard Isaiah Crane, Carroll College

Defense: Junior forward Jaylon Lee, Rocky Mountain College

Women’s

Providence guard Ashlee Maldonado – 16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists (Thursday, CC); 31 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 1 block (Saturday, UMW)

Carroll College guard Kyndall Keller – 29 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals (Saturday, Tech)

MSU-Northern forward Canzas HisBadHorse – 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal (Thursday, UMW); 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist (Saturday, RMC)

Montana Western guard Isabella Lund – 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists (Thursday, MSUN)

Rocky Mountain College forward Sydney Dethman – 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals (Saturday, MSUN); 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal (Thursday, Tech)

Montana Tech guard Brooke Badovinac – 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals (Saturday, CC)

Men’s

Carroll College guard Isaiah Crane – 30 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists (Thursday, Prov.); 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists (Saturday, Tech)

Providence guard Mike Wright Jr. – 26 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks (Thursday, CC); 21 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal (Saturday, UMW)

Montana Western guard Kyle Gruhler – 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block (Thursday, MSUN); 25 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist (Saturday, Prov.)

Rocky Mountain College forward Royce Robinson – 22 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks (Thursday, Tech)

Providence guard Jamil Bowles – 30 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block (Saturday, UMW)

MSU-Northern guard Cinque Maxwell – 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals (Saturday, RMC)

Thursday, Feb. 20

Montana Tech vs. Montana Western (Butte)

Carroll College vs. Rocky Mountain College (Helena)

MSU-Northern vs. Providence (Havre)

Saturday, Feb. 22

MSU-Northern vs. Carroll College (Havre)

Montana Tech vs. Providence (Butte)

Montana Western vs. Rocky Mountain College (Dillon)

Women’s

Carroll College – 9-4 (17-9)

Rocky Mountain College – 9-4 (17-9)

Providence – 8-5 (18-7)

Montana Tech – 8-5 (17-9)

MSU-Northern – 3-10 (12-14)

Montana Western – 2-11 (7-18)

Men’s

Montana Tech – 8-5 (20-6)

Providence – 8-5 (14-12)

Rocky Mountain College – 7-6 (18-8)

Montana Western – 7-6 (15-11)

Carroll College – 7-6 (12-14)

MSU-Northern – 2-11 (8-18)