The way 2016 ended for the Nipissing Lakers men's basketball is the way they would like 2017 to begin.

The Lakers had an outstanding weekend, defeating both Waterloo and Laurier to close out the first half of the season.

With two big wins and momentum on their side, the Lakers will look to stay hot on home court this weekend, as they host McMaster and Brock.

Nipissing finished 2016 with a 3-5 record and is right in the middle of the playoff hunt, so kicking off the New Year in style would be a huge boost to the team.

To make these two games even bigger, the Lakers hit the road and travel to Ottawa to face Carleton and Ottawa next weekend, so if they can find success at home, they'll be confident going into the toughest road trip in U Sports basketball.

McMaster enters the weekend with a 3-4 record and is on a three game slide after starting the year 3-1.

With the RPI system in place for post-season berths, every game is key and with these two teams so close in terms of record, a win by the Lakers would go a long way in helping their cause.

Saturday, it's the division-leading Brock Badgers who invade the RJS Athletic Centre.

Brock comes to town with a 4-2 record, but ended 2016 with a pair of road losses after going a perfect 4-0 in November.

Still, Brock poses a threat to Nipissing, as they managed at least 71 points in all of their wins and have cracked the 60-point mark in every game this season, including their two losses.

Brock is 1-2 on the road and a perfect 3-0 at home, so the Lakers have a chance to catch a team that has to travel to Sudbury to face Laurentian the night before right after a holiday break – an opportunity for Nipissing, who was able to stay at home for their first weekend back.

Last season, the Lakers hung tough with both opponents, but fell short in terms of a win at the end of the day, a result they're looking to reverse.

Tip-off for both games is schedule for 8pm at the RJS Athletic Centre, Friday and Saturday night.