In its first season in the Summit League, the UND women's basketball team sits in the middle of the conference standings after five league games.
The Fighting Hawks are about to learn how steep the climb is to the top.
In a seven-day span, UND will play Summit leader South Dakota State (Friday, 7 p.m.) and No. 2 South Dakota (Jan. 24, 7 p.m.), while facing rival North Dakota State between those two showdowns on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Fargo.
"I think they're all big games for us," said Summit League leading scorer Lexi Klabo, who's averaging 19.2 points per game. "The first one against South Dakota State is a good opportunity for us to bounce back. It's a good opportunity for us to get a little respect on our name. It's an opportunity to go out there, try to get a good win and have it roll into the next two games."
UND (8-10 overall, 3-2 Summit) has gone 15-8 against Summit League schools since joining Division I.
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But the Hawks haven't played SDSU, considered the league's best for years, much in the Division I era.
UND has played SDSU twice since 2004, losing both times. UND lost 83-72 at the Betty in 2016, while SDSU picked up a 66-52 win in Brookings in 2017.
"You have to earn the respect," UND coach Travis Brewster said. "Each time we play a Dakota school it's a big deal. That's why we're in the Summit. You need to be competitive. You also have to play them again, so you need to put your best foot forward especially at home."
SDSU, 12-6 overall and 4-1 in the Summit, features a balanced look with three players in the Summit's top 11 in scoring.
Macy Miller is No. 2 in the league at 17.1 points, followed by No. 9 Madison Guebert at 13.9 and No. 11 Myah Selland at 13.5.
The Jacks rank No. 13 in the nation in field-goal percentage at 47.2 percent.
"We're going to have to be mindful in our defensive strategy," Brewster said. "We can't get lost and have to take pride in stopping penetration.
"I think all these games are big games in the aspect of getting our juices going. We have to take them one a time but competing each night is going to be fun."
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South Dakota St. (12-6, 4-1)
at UND (8-10, 3-2)
When: 7 p.m. tonight.
Where: Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
TV: MidcoSN 2, Fox College Sports
Radio: 100.3 FM, 740AM
Online: Fox Sports Go, ESPN-Plus
