The Lauren Jackson Sports Centre could well be the venue for a good old-fashioned shootout when the Albury-Wodonga Bandits play host to the Ballarat Miners tomorrow night.

Both teams have a glut of offensively minded players, with the Bandits happy to pit stars Cory Dixon, Deba George and Daniel Sepokas against league-leading scorer Roy Booker, Kodi Augustus and Anthony Fisher.

Bandits coach Brad Chalmers admitted there was a good chance the contest could quickly become a high octane affair.

“Ballarat are very perimeter-oriented,” Chalmers said.

“They shoot the ball well from the three-point line and with a high assist count too, meaning they’re all working hard for each other.

“We’re going to have to guard the perimeter and make life uncomfortable for them with a total defensive effort.

“But it could well be a bit run-and-gun too and that won’t hurt us in the least.

“Offence hasn’t been an issue for either team so the better defensive team will probably take home the chocolates.”

In a tighter-than-tight SEABL East conference, the Bandits sit third with a 4-3 record after last Sunday’s win over Dandenong.

It was indicative of just how close the standings are that the result saw the Rangers tumble to the bottom of the ladder — holding a hardly-mediocre 3-4 win-loss ratio.

With such a tight race for the playoffs already looming, Chalmers said it was crucial the Border outfit held serve at home over the next few weeks, with games against Ballarat, Hobart and Geelong.

“It’s so up and down right now, get a win and move up, lose and you’re bottom,” Chalmers said.

“And that will be the same for the next few weeks, so we need to stay in touch with the top-two.

“That works vice-versa too, the leading teams won’t want to slip back to the pack.

“It’s just critical to keep winning but that’s not exactly rocket science.

“It’s very reminiscent of 2012, any team can beat any other team on any given night.”

In welcome news for the Bandits, star import Donte Nicholas is expected to play after missing two games with a nagging Achilles injury.

The 197-centimetre guard-forward is averaging 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.2 steals per game.

“He practiced this week and got through fine,” Chalmers said.

“He’s didn’t pull up sore at all.

“He probably won’t play all 40 minutes but if we can get him in the high 20s, we’ll manage him the best we can.”

Tip-off at the Lauren Jackson Centre is 8pm, with the Lady Bandits playing at 6pm.