THE Ballarat Miners will have to overcome the South East Australian Basketball League's team of the moment, Mildura, to continue their push towards the south conference play-offs.
Ballarat faces the Mavericks at Mildura on Saturday night.
Mildura has won its past six games, including a victory over Ballarat at the Minerdome, to rocket from the bottom to the top of the east conference table.
The Telstra Country Wide-Telstra Shop Miners must keep winning to maintain the pressure on Mt Gambier and ensure they stay ahead of Hobart and North West Tasmania.
Mt Gambier holds fourth position - the only spot remaining open in the south conference top four.
Top pair Bendigo and Kilsyth are guaranteed finals berths, while third-placed Knox would need to collapse dramatically to miss out.
While Miners coach Paul Tudorovic is right in saying that all his players can do is focus on their own games and ensure they put wins on the board, there is no question that they will be closely monitoring Mt Gambier's fortunes
as the home and away season winds down.
Ultimately, if Ballarat is to get past Mt Gambier, the Pioneers must drop games.
Tudorovic is hoping Mt Gambier's first stumble will be in the Australian Capital Territory this week against Canberra and Australian Institute of Sport - a road trip it split last season.
Losses there and a win for the Miners would put Tudorovic's in fourth position.
THE ROAD AHEAD
MINERS: v Mildura (away); v Canberra; v Bendigo (a); v Geelong; v Knox; v Geelong (a).
PIONEERS: v Canberra (a); v AIS (a); v Knox ; v Albury-Wodonga; v Mildura (a); v Nunawading; v Bendigo; v Knox (a); v Frankston (a).