TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (February 12, 2019) - The Salt Lake Community College men's basketball team has the benefit of being able to start playing meaningful games well before the postseason actually starts.

With the Bruins currently sitting in the middle of the Scenic West Athletic Conference's pack, Salt Lake can begin playing pressure-packed games with a few weeks in the regular season. This week, SLCC will travel to play at league-leader Southern Idaho on Thursday and will return home to play Snow College on Saturday in the program's "Sophomore Night". Fortuitously, those teams are the programs in front of Salt Lake in the standings, giving SLCC a chance to move up in the standings. 

Understanding the importance of this week's games, Salt Lake coach Todd Phillips said his players are ready to seize the opportunity in front of them.

"This is a big week for our team," he said. "Our conference champion will be decided this week and we can still win if we take care of our business."

Thursday's game at Southern Idaho provides the opportunity for Salt Lake to send a message across the Scenic West, with the Golden Eagles sitting on top of the league standings with a record of 6-2. Salt Lake has fallen to CSI both times this season, including a 100-91 loss to open league play in December, but the Bruins have been competitive in both losses. Sitting just 1.5 games back with 3 games to play, it is possible for Salt Lake with an undefeated 3-0 mark to take the league lead.

The matchup with Snow College on Saturday is also critical for SLCC, with the Bruins sitting just one game back of the Badgers in the standings. SLCC is also 0-2 against Snow, with a narrow 92-90 loss at the Lifetime Activities Center on Jan. 12. Snow will finish the season with games against USU Eastern, SLCC and Southern Idaho.

With all of the various scenarios that can affect Salt Lake going forward, Phillips said it's important for his team to solely focus on the tasks in front of them.

"We are focused on pushing the ball in transition and limiting teams to one shot," he said. "We are working towards playing our best basketball this time of year."

Salt Lake's game at Southern Idaho will start at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, with Saturday's game against Snow College starting at 5:00 p.m. inside the Lifetime Activities Center. The Bruins will honor Daron Henson, Matt Lindsey, Josh Colon and Hunter Schofield as part of the program's "Sophomore Night" festivities.