North Idaho At Ricks

North Idaho College (2-4 Scenic West Athletic Conference, 10-8 overall) visits Ricks (4-2, 12-5) at 6:30 p.m. PST in Rexburg. About 3,000 are expected to cram Hart Main Gym. NIC’s women (2-4, 6-9) and Ricks (5-1, 16-1) clash at 4:30 p.m.

At a glance

NIC’s and Ricks’ strengths are similar. Both are strong in the guard and wing positions. Both are suspect on the interior. “We know they have some people who can score,” NIC coach Rolly Williams said. Two of those scorers are 6-foot-4 wings Ben Caton (22.7 points per game) and Clay Anderson (14.5). A top matchup should feature Caton and NIC guard Eddie Turner. Ricks can be exceptionally tough if 6-6 Jeff Gee, expected to return from an injury, and 6-6 Christiano Ruy are effective inside. Ricks, which handed Southern Idaho its only SWAC loss, should be fuming after fumbling away a 13-point lead with 5 minutes left in an 73-65 setback at Eastern Utah last week.