There will be a playoff feel at Investors Group Athletic Centre this weekend, as the basketball teams host Mount Royal for a two-game set. The women play at 6 and 5 pm on Friday and Saturday, respectively while the men play at 8 and 7 pm. Click here to get tickets. The games will be the first of five in a row being played at IGAC, as the Herd look to take advantage of home cooking. 

The women are aiming to continue their winning ways, after a sweep of the Brandon Bobcats, which puts them just three wins behind Lethbridge for a top 12 playoff spot at 2-10. In last weekend's victories, Manitoba out-rebounded their opposition by double figures, recording 46 and 47 boards, respectively. Those numbers were both above their season average of 40, and they'll look to continue to battle hard on the glass against a big, physical 6-6 MRU squad that's also averaging 40 rebounds per game. 

Veteran forward Autumn Agar was particularly strong against the Bobcats. She recorded her first career double-double in Friday's game with 15 and ten, and followed that up with a 19-point showing on the Saturday, just one point shy of tying a career best. Overall, the combination of Agar, Mar Tomas Arbos, Emily Johnson, Lauren Barlett and Keziah Brothers combined for 63 rebounds over two games, which helped lead to many second chance opportunities, something the hosts will look to repeat against MRU. 

The Cougars have been led offensively by 5'10" guard Maddison Hooper and 6'1" forward Jenessa Ramsoomair, who are both averaging just under 12 points per game, however the story for MRU has been their defence, as 6'2" forward Tanis Metcalfe is sixth in the conference, with 14 blocked shots, while Ramsoomair is tied for seventh with 11. 

Offensively for the Bisons, veteran guard Lauren Bartlett is averaging a team-best 11.67 points per game, while her 4.6 assists per game is currently the fourth-best total in single season program history. Agar is also averaging over ten points per game, while the sharp-shooting Talia Peters has come on strong as of late, with seven treys in her last four games. 

On the men's side, Manitoba is in first place as the only one-loss team at 11-1, having won six regular season games in a row. Nipping at their heels are Victoria, at 12-2 as well as cross-town rival Winnipeg at 9-5, while MRU is 7-5, so every win counts in the race to host multiple playoff series'. 

The Cougars boast two of the top scorers in CanWest, as 6'2" guard Holt Tomie and 6'1" guard Keivonte Watts are both in the top seven, averaging 24.1 and 19.1 points respectively. Guard Ijah Nelson is also averaging just under 11 points per game, as the Cougars -- who have 16 players in their first or second year of eligibility -- get most of their points from their back court. 

Mount Royal plays an up-tempo style, which should make for a fun battle against a Manitoba team that's giving up a conference best 72.4 points per game, thanks in part to their relentless full-court defence. The Bisons are also undefeated against MRU dating back to 2018. 

Guard Mason Kraus and forward Isaac Miller-Jose help pace a defence that can guard one through five regardless of who's matched up on who. Kraus' 2.7 steals per game currently rank third in single season history, while Miller-Jose's 26 blocks are the sixth most in a single season. Miler-Jose is also coming off a weekend where he scored six points in the final minute in a come-from-behind win last Friday against Brandon. In that same sequence, Kraus made a heroic block, while also getting a key steal, assist and the game-winning free throw in a Herculean effort. 

Shooting guard Elijah Lostracco is also averaging 15 points per game, while rookie sensation Simon Hildebrandt is averaging 16. The latter is fresh off a Saturday win against Brandon where he hit nine free throws in the final ten minutes to help seal a sweep. Overall, the 6'9" Hildebrandt hit 13 consecutive free throws, which is the second most in a game in a row, just behind the record he set himself in week one against Alberta, when he had 14 in a row.