GREAT FALLS, Mont. – When the Frontier Conference Playoffs kicks off on Thursday, both University of Providence basketball programs won't be playing. Instead, both programs will receive first-round byes, and will begin their playoff hunt on Saturday, Feb. 27. The women's team will play at 5 p.m., while the men will play at 7 p.m. 

Below is a look at the playoff scenarios for both teams.

MEN
The men's team finished the season as regular season champions, finishing the season with a record of 15-2. It was the first time the Argos have cut down the nets since 1982.

"I'm very proud of this team," head coach Steve Keller said. "We've had a couple of shutdowns and we didn't get to start until December. We were a little bit behind, but boy they came together quickly. To win 15 out of our 17 games, I couldn't ask for much more."

The Argos will watch the opening round of the Tournament on Thursday to see who will come to the McLaughlin Center on Saturday. As the top seed in the tournament, they will play the lowest seed of the two winners of the opening round games. #3 Montana Tech will host #6 Rocky Mountain, while #4 Montana State-Northern will host #5 Montana Western.

"It's huge to have home-court advantage," Keller said. "We've played pretty much all-year long extremely well at home. In the past we've had to go on the road for some tournament games and it's tough. It's better to have them at home."

In the meantime, the Argos will enjoy the short break. In the past 24 days, the team has played a total of 11 games.

"We really need two or three days off this week," Keller said. "I think that'll be good for our guys physically and mentally. They'll be ready to go by Saturday."

The Argos will host their semifinal game at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

WOMEN
The women's team used a late-season surge to jump into the #2 spot in the Frontier Conference regular season standings.

Trailing Montana Western by a game and a half going into the final week of the regular season, the Argos knew that their game against the Bulldogs on Wednesday was massive. The squad not only defeated the Bulldogs, but swept Rocky Mountain this weekend to move into the #2 spot.

"Considering how much practice everyone else had and the fact that they got to start really early with some preseason games, I'm really proud of our team and how it ended up," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. "We had a late season push which is normal for our team. It takes us awhile for all of us to get on the same page and get clicking, and I think we're making a push playing really well at the end of the year. That's the goal, to play your best basketball the last games of the year. We've put ourselves in a good position to play well in the playoffs."

Like the men, the women's team will be playing close attention on Thursday to see who they will host. As the #2 seed, the Argos will play the higher seed of the two teams that win their opening round games. #3 Montana Western will host #6 Rocky Mountain, while #4 Montana State-Northern will host #5 Montana Tech.

"We're happy to have this first-round bye," Himmelberg said. "We don't have to travel. The other teams have to play on Thursday so they'll be more tired. Anytime you can play at home and sleep in your own bed it's a major advantage. The fact that we'll have a little bit more time to prep this week will be good. These are all good things for us."

The team is excited for a chance to compete in the postseason, especially considering the slew of cancellations that they've had this year.

"Postseason basketball is the most fun thing," Himmelberg said. "It's everything you play for. I can't even describe how it feels being here again in the playoffs. Just being able to play even postseason right now is a blessing. It gets your blood pumping."

The Argos will host their semifinal game on Saturday at 5 p.m.