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GREAT FALLS, Mont. – An attempt at a run in the Frontier Conference playoffs for University of Providence men's basketball will begin in a  first round  road game against (19) Lewis-Clark State College on Tuesday, February 27. UP enters the tournament as the 6-seed, while LC State is the 3-seed, hence the home court advantage for the Warriors.

The two teams have faced three times in the regular season, and each one was close. The three games were decided by an average of just over 6 points per game and all three had the chance to go the other way in the final minute.

The closeness of those games in the good news for the Argos, the bad news is the final results, particularly based on location. In those three games, UP is 1-2 against the Warriors, and both of those losses came in Lewiston, Idaho where the playoff game will be held.

Part of the reason why the Argos and Warriors have played such tight contests has been the effectiveness of UP's offense against LC State. Three different Argos are averaging over 12 points per game against LCSC, with senior guards Sergio Berkley and DuShaun Rice score 12.6 ppg and senior forward Steven Daho-Clark averaging 12.3 ppg and 8 rebounds per game.

Overall, the Argos have shot 48 percent from the field against the Warrior defense, up from the team's 45 percent shooting on the season. The Argos will likely have to keep up that pace or improve on it as they face one of the most efficient offenses in the NAIA.

LC State ranks 5th in NAIA Division I in Field Goal Percentage (50.6), 6th in Free Throw Percentage (75.0) and 6th in Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.347). With no player averaging more than 12 ppg, but nine players averaging 8 ppg or more, the Warrior offense is a hard one to key on.

That balanced team offense provides a challenge for an Argo defense that keys on forcing turnovers with a constant pressure and frequently used  full court  press. UP ranks 18th in the NAIA in Steals Per Game (8.286  spg ) as a team and Rice ranks 13th in that category as an individual (2.038  spg ).

This will be the fourth straight season that the Argos enter the Frontier Conference playoffs as the 6-seed. Only once has the team moved beyond the first round – a 67-64 upset of  then ranked   University  of Montana Western on March 1, 2016.

The game will be played at 8 p.m. Mountain Time, 7 p.m. local time in Lewiston.