GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa men's basketball team embarks on their final road trip of 2018 when they travel to Denver and Chadron, Neb. this weekend. They will play at MSU Denver on Saturday before a Sunday afternoon tilt at Chadron State to close out the early portion of the schedule.
 
RECORD WATCH
Seniors Connor Nichols and Brandon Hoffer are in their fourth season with the Mavericks and are inching up the career records chart in a number of categories. See the tables below to find out where they rank.
 

Career Points
1	Jon Baskin	1988-91	2,227
2	Ryan Stephan	2012-16	2,073
3	Paul Cain	1986-90	2,035
4	Kevin Flohr	1980-83	1,568
5	Eric Hawkins	1982-86	1,509
6	Daven Bond	1982-86	1,502
7	Shawn Smith	1983-85	1,348
8	Connor Nichols	2015-19	1,239
9	Ed Carter	1975-78	1,229

 

Career Rebounds
1	Eric Hawkins	1982-86	966
2	Paul Cain	1986-90	964
3	Jon Baskin	1988-91	936
4	Ed Carter	1975-77	817
5	Ryan Stephan	2012-16	800
6	Mike Melillo	2011-15	604
7	Connor Nichols	2015-19	524
8	Guy Swope	1984-88	516

 

Career Assists
1	Bob Barrows	1981-84	640
2	Brandon Hoffer	2015-19	413
3	Shandy Hauer	1991-95	345

NEAR RARE FEAT
One Colorado Mesa player nearly accomplished something very rare in college basketball during the Mavericks 89-79 win over UCCS. Junior Tommy Nuno finished just two assists shy of a triple-double in the win, which is something the record books have yet to produce. Nuno finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in over 35 minutes of action on the floor.
 
For the season, Nuno is averaging 11.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.
 
STILL SHOOTING GOOD SHOTS
Colorado Mesa is still among the nation's best when it comes to shooting good shots. The Mavericks rank second nationally in field goal percentage at 54.9 percent and are 2.4 percent behind national leader Bellarmine.
 
Senior big man Damon Dubots is the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference leader in field goal percentage at 69 percent. Dubots is averaging 14.1 points per game.
 
WEAKNESS
It's not often weaknesses are pointed out in previews but the Mavericks have experienced good success early in the season and it's worth noting that they can be even better.
 
Colorado Mesa has proven they can score with the best teams in the RMAC and even the region, but their defensive ranks are near the bottom of the conference. The Mavericks are allowing 80.2 points to opposing teams which rank 11^th in the RMAC and 246^th nationally. Opponents are also hitting on 38.7 percent of their three-point attempts which ranks 13^th in the RMAC and 264^th nationally.
 
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
MSU Denver enters the weekend with a 2-4 mark overall and 1-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Despite the sub-.500 record, the Roadrunners are still a dangerous team. They hold a win over 9-2 Texas A&M-Commerce (Colorado Mesa also defeated the Lions) and have a strong tradition with two NCAA National Championships on their resume.
 
Druce Asah is their leading scorer at 16 points per game and has been in double-digits in five of the six games this season. He had 28 points last Saturday in the Roadrunners win over Colorado Christian.
 
Roadrunner assistant coach Jeremy Johnston played for Colorado Mesa from 1998-2001 and was 58-27 during his time with the Mavericks.
 
Last Five Meetings
January 19, 2018: @ MSU Denver 80, Colorado Mesa 60
December 30, 2017: MSU Denver 81, @ Colorado Mesa 78
January 20, 2017: @ Colorado Mesa 69, MSU Denver 67
December 30, 2016: @ MSU Denver 98, Colorado Mesa 89
January 8, 2016: Colorado Mesa 72, @ MSU Denver 60
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
The upstart Chadron State Eagles enter the weekend with a 4-5 mark on the season. The four wins are more than they had a year ago and are the most wins since the 2015-16 season. They defeated MSU Denver for the first time since 2012 to open the RMAC schedule and split last weekend at Regis and Colorado Christian.
 
Michael Sparks and Colby Jackson lead the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 and 13.0 points per game respectively. Jackson has played in just three games but went for 18 in the win over MSU Denver while Sparks had a season-high 22 in the Eagles loss to Sioux Falls.
 
Last Five Meetings
January 5, 2018: Colorado Mesa 90, @ Chadron State 71
January 6, 2017: @ Colorado Mesa 90, Chadron State 49
February 19, 2016: @ Colorado Mesa 88, Chadron State 66
January 23, 2016: Colorado Mesa 85, @ Chadron State 72
February 7, 2015: @ Colorado Mesa 85, Chadron State 51
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Mavericks will be off until 2019 but will be at home just after the New Year. They will play host to South Dakota Mines on January 4 followed by a meeting with Black Hills State on January 5 in Brownson Arena.