GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa men's basketball team will be competing in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament tomorrow evening in Spearfish, S.D. against Black Hills State at 6pm.
 
TOURNEY TIME
The Mavericks are competing in the RMAC Tournament for the first time since the 2015-16 season. That season they defeated New Mexico Highlands 95-77 in overtime before bowing out to Colorado School of Mines 84-73 in the tournament semifinals in Durango.
 
Colorado Mesa has never won the RMAC Tournament that dates back to 1993. They were runner-up seven times with the most recent time coming in 2012, an 87-62 defeat to Colorado School of Mines at the Colorado State Fairgrounds Event Center in Pueblo.
 
NICHOLS
Senior Connor Nichols continues to have a stellar final season in a Maverick uniform. Nichols, a RMAC Player of the Year candidate, moved up to fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,661 points and trails third place Paul Cain by nearly 400 points.
 
Nichols is averaging 21.1 points this season and is pulling down 7.2 rebounds per game. His 591 points this season ranks 10^th best all-time for single season scoring.
 
SCOUTING THE YELLOWJACKETS
The Mavericks and Yellowjackets will meet up for the second time this season and for the first time in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament. Colorado Mesa won the first meeting this year 78-74 back on January 5 in Brownson Arena. Connor Nichols had 37 points on 15-of-25 shooting from the field and pulled down seven rebounds to lead Colorado Mesa.
 
This is the first time Black Hills State is hosting a RMAC Quarterfinal game since they entered the conference in the 2012-13 season. Last season, the Yellowjackets made their first-ever appearance in the RMAC Tournament where they fell to eventual RMAC Tournament Champion Regis 78-66 in Denver.
 
Fraser Malcolm continues to lead Black Hills State in scoring at 16.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He had 20 points and three rebounds in the previous meeting with Colorado Mesa.
 
Last Five Meetings
January 5, 2019 – @ Colorado Mesa 78, Black Hills State 74
February 17, 2018 – @ Black Hills State 84, Colorado Mesa 74
January 16, 2018 – @ Colorado Mesa 68, Black Hills State 67 (OT)
February 18, 2017 – Black Hills State 68, @ Colorado Mesa 66
January 27, 2017 – @ Black Hills State 73, Colorado Mesa 61

WHAT'S NEXT
With a Maverick win, they would move onto the RMAC Tournament semifinals that would take place at the highest remaining seed in the tournament. They would at minimum match that of the 2015-16 team that was the last Colorado Mesa team to reach the semifinals.
 
Colorado Mesa's dream of a NCAA Tournament berth would remain alive as either an at-large or an automatic qualifier as the RMAC Tournament Champion. The Mavericks were once again No. 9 in the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings with the top eight teams receiving a spot in the tournament.
 
SENIOR BANQUET
The Colorado Mesa men's basketball team will host their first-ever Senior Banquet on March 30 at 6pm in the University Center. The banquet is open to the public with tickets available for $25 at the link above. The agenda includes the seniors being able to reflect on their basketball careers at Colorado Mesa and an inside look at the culture being created within the men's program.