The football season has a ways to go and winter isn't here yet. But make no mistake, college basketball season has arrived in Havre.
    Tonight at 7, the Montana State University-Northen men's basketball team will get its regular season started when the Lights take on the University of Regina Cougars inside the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse.
    The Lights are coming off a 22-10 campaign in which they went 10-4 in Frontier Conference play and finished in the top half of the league yet again.
    But things will be much different this season as MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse, who's led the Lights to five 20-win seasons in a row, return no starters from last year's squad and only two players who have suited up in a Lights' uniform.
    So tonight's game against the Cougars is a big first step for a new-look Lights' team.
    "It's going to be process," Huse said. "I like this team, I like how we've progressed in practice. Things have gone really well so far. This is a hard-working group with a lot of talent.
    "But we haven't proven anything on the floor and we're going to have or ups and downs for sure, especially through the nonconference part of our schedule."
    And an easy nonconference schedule it isn't for the Lights, and that includes tonight's game.
    Regina is one of the top programs in the Canada's CIS, the highest level of college basketball, and the Cougars have always played the Lights exceptionally tough, including winning on Northern's home floor a few years ago.
    The Cougars come into tonight's game 1-3 on the young season and tonight is the first of three games in three nights in the U.S. Regina will also play at UGF on Friday night and Dickinson State on Saturday.
    The Cougars will also present matchup problems for the Lights in the post. Regina is a traditionally big team which likes to look inside, while Northern is considered somewhat undersized after losing all its post players from a year ago. So the Lights will look to newcomers, LaVon Myers (6-6), Joe Simpson (6-4), Chris Brown (6-4), Ben Mitchell (6-4) and Sean Kelly (6-6) to counter the Cougar's size.
    But Regina can also shoot the ball, so Northern's perimeter play will also be crucial.
    The Lights return guards Shaun Tatarka and Devin Jackson, but newcomers Jordan Harris and David Maddock will also be key in the Lights' progression.
    "This is not an easy opener for us," Huse said. "By no means is this just a warm-up game. Regina is always a very good team, they are well-coached and they are always capable of playing well on the road. So this game is going to test our new team in every way. It's going to be a big challenge for this group.
    "But we're excited to finally get out on the floor and play," he added. "The guys have been working really hard to be ready to start the season, and now we just have to go out and execute."
    Tonight's game between the Lights and Cougars tips off at 7 at the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse. Northern is on the road next weekend at South Dakota Tech and Black Hills State.