Junior Ryan Salmonson carries the ball against Montana earlier this season at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. File photo.

In what has been a successful season for the Green and White so far, perhaps their biggest weekend of basketball is here.

Depending how UND plays its next couple of games, it could end up being the No. 2 seed or remain completely out of the playoffs — the race for the Big Sky Conference Tournament is that close.

“The last couple weeks have been a little nutty, I think,” UND coach Brian Jones said. “Some teams are starting to win on the road, so you just never know. All the teams that are in this same group seem to play one another.”

Saturday, Eastern Washington will come to Grand Forks to try and take down UND.

The Eagles could not accomplish that feat the last time the two teams faced off in Eastern Washington as UND held the advantage over the Eagles, 73-61. The Green and White played a dominant game on the defensive end, forcing 16 turnovers, blocking five shots and contesting many of the Eagles shots — causing them to shoot only 37.7 percent from the field.

Alex Stadnik is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]

On the offensive side, senior leaders Troy Huff and Aaron Anderson took over the game, scoring 17 and 15 points, respectively. Along with some solid bench play, UND coasted to its fourth straight victory.

Things have changed, though, since the last time the two teams played. While UND has played solid basketball, it has not always yielded the results they have been looking for.

“Last Thursday, I don’t think we played well, and we only lost by five,” Jones said. “At Portland State, we played well for 20 minutes and lost by two. We’ve had our moments. When we’ve played well, our focus has been there and our energy has been there.”

After its four-game win streak, UND failed to find its groove. It lost two in a row to conference leading Weber State and a Portland State team that is right in the thick of the tournament race. After that stretch, the team has played just over .500 ball, going 3-2 from Feb. 8-22.

On the other side, the Eagles have been playing their best basketball of the season. As of Feb. 25, they are 5-2, with some dominant wins over Big Sky conference teams. In those five wins, the Eagles won on an average of 15.2 points more points than their opponent.

The man responsible for this dominant play — Tyler Harvey — has been on a tear. As of the Feb. 25, he has averaged 26.1 points per game, scoring a season-high 38 points in an overtime victory in Northern Colorado. Along with solid play from role-players, Eastern Washington has moved itself back in the race for the conference tournament.

UND has some tough games ahead. After it completes its last home stand of the season against Portland State and Eastern Washington, it will go on the road to face top-seeded Northern Colorado. The last game of the regular season is against Southern Utah — a team that has not won a conference game all season.

With some luck and a little solid play, UND could turn a successful season into a historic one.

“These next seven days are going to show a lot of character about our guys and just their ability to focus small on the steps right in front of them,” Jones said.