MINOT, N.D. – It'll be a big weekend on the hardwood for the Minot State basketball teams as the Beavers make a late-season push in the NSIC standings by hosting their final two home dates of the season.

Friday night the Minot State women host runner-up national champion Minnesota Duluth at 5:30 p.m., then at 7:30 p.m. it's a Top 25 battle as the 23^rd-ranked Beaver men host the 17th-ranked Bulldogs.

Saturday, the action tips off at 3:30 p.m. with the Minot State women hosting Concordia, St. Paul for Cancer Awareness Day, and the Beaver men hosting the Golden Bears at 5:30 p.m. for both Cancer Awareness and Senior Day as Minot State will honor Ben Bohl, Khari Broadway, Michael Jok, Quincy Minor, Jr. and Jake Lieppert prior to the game.

While the extra activities will add to the weekend's impact, the race for the NSIC Playoffs is heating up as well, and the weekend could go a long way to securing postseason berths for both Beaver teams.

The Minot State women (8-19 overall, 5-13 NSIC) find themselves in a three-way tie for 11^th, 12^th, and 13^th in the NSIC standings with Sioux Falls and Augustana. The top 12 teams advance to the postseason and the Beavers find themselves in the driver's seat for a playoff spot with wins over both the Cougars and Vikings as the season winds down.

Of course, it won't be an easy home finale for Minot State as they take on last season's runner-up national champs in the Bulldogs (16-7, 13-6) who squeaked past the Beavers, 54-50, back in December in Duluth.

Saturday, the Beavers take on an equally tough foe in Concordia, St. Paul (17-7, 13-6) as both the Bulldogs and Golden Bears find themselves in a six-team race for the final 3 berths in the NSIC quarterfinals and a first-round playoff bye.

As for the men's games, a then-unranked Minot State team (18-6, 13-5) toppled 24^th-ranked Minnesota Duluth 85-69 in Duluth back in December.

Now both teams are ranked with the Bulldogs (20-5, 15-4) at No. 17 and Minot State at No. 23, and both are fighting to maintain a spot in the top four in the NSIC standings and an automatic berth in the NSIC Playoff quarterfinals.

In their previous meeting, Minot State rained down 10 3-points on the Bulldogs and dominated the boards, outrebounding UMD 39-28, both of which could be a factor if the Beavers want to complete a season sweep of Minnesota Duluth.

Minot State then will honor its five seniors on Saturday against a foe in the Golden Bears (9-16, 4-15) who are fighting for their playoff life as Concordia, St. Paul is one spot out of the postseason picture currently.

The Beavers didn't overlook Concordia, St. Paul back in December, rolling to a 103-65, and will look to close out the home slate with the same kind of focused performance this weekend.