Grand Junction, Colo. – Colorado Mesa men's basketball completed their preseason portion of the schedule, making their way to the front range to open the conference schedule against Colorado Christian, Saturday then heading down the road to MSU Denver, Sunday. Games are slated to tip-off at 3:30 and 3 p.m., respectively.  

Maverick fans can stream the game and follow live stats at the links above.

Last Time Out
In their home debut the Mavericks did not disappoint, holding each of their opponents to just 56 points. They finished the weekend shooting at a 62.7 clip from the floor, with the opposition held to a 33.9 percent.
They opened the Holiday Inn – Airport Thanksgiving Classic with a 94-56 triumph over Our Lady of the Lake, downing their third straight NAIA team. Trevor Baskin posted his second consecutive double-double with a 20-point, 10-rebound performance, adding a career high 5-blocks. Five Mavs finished in double-figures, the team also edging out the Saints 41-25 in boards.
The following night, they completed their weekend sweep with an 80-56 defeat of Simon Fraser behind another efficient shooting outing.
Owen Koonce put together a game leading 20-points, Blaise Threatt and Reece Johnson also contributing double-figures.

From the Start
All five of the Colorado Mesa's opening games have come against opponents who are received national recognition. The Mavericks finished 2-3 in those outings, holding their own in the midst of figuring out a new lineup.
The Mavericks are averaging 81-points per game, and are shooting at a 51-percent clip from the floor. Defensively, they are outrebounding the competition by a 6.1 margin, and are averaging just under five blocks per game.

Double-Figures
Four Maverick players are averaging 10 or more points, led by Threatt with 15.3. Mac Riniker and Baskin are not far behind with 12.3 and 12.0 each, Koonce rounding out the contingent with 10 on the season.
Riniker and Baskin also have 12 blocks to each of their credit, adding 11 and 13 steals each.
All four of those players are hitting over 50-percent of their shots from the floor.

Scouting the Opponents
Colorado Christian Cougars
The Cougars finished their non-conference portion with a 3-3 record and are riding a two-game win streak. A large contributor to their success is Ross Williams. The senior guard is averaging 23 points on the season, also leading the team with 7.3 rebounds, 16 assists and 12 steals.
In week two he claimed RMAC Offensive Player of the Week after averaging 35-points throughout the weekend in two games against Yellowstone Christian.

MSU Denver
Off to a 6-0 start to the season the Roadrunners of MSU Denver, are led by three-time RMAC Defensive Player of the Week Laolu Oke. Just a sophomore, he has posted seven straight double-doubles leading the conference averaging 14.3 rebounds. He also averages 17.8 points, eclipsing 100-points on the season.
Ra'Shawn Langston contributes 17.0 points in five games, with a season high 33 against Concordia St. Paul. Miles Gibson gets in on the offensive efforts, averaging 15.5 points and 8.2 rebounds to go along with seven blocks.

NABC Preseason Poll
Reaching the pinnacle of the program, claiming a No. 1 ranking in the final National Association of Basketball Coaches poll last season, the Mavericks continue to garner national recognition heading into this season, coming in at No. 4 in the preseason poll, and picking up a first-place vote.
Reigning national champions Northwest Missouri State garnered 15 out of the possible 16 first-place votes to take the top-spot. Flagler came in at No. 2, followed by West Texas A&M, Colorado Mesa, and fellow RMAC member Colorado School of Mines at No.5.

RMAC Favorites
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference released their preseason poll, Wednesday as the Mavericks were favored to repeat.
CMU snagged 12 of the 15 first-place votes for 192-points. Colorado School of Mines, Black Hills and Fort Lewis each picked up one of the other three votes, projected to finish 2^nd, 3^rd and 5^th respectively. UCCS garnered 134-points to take the No. 4 spot, completing the top-5.
The Mavericks finished the condensed 2020-21 season with a 21-2 mark, 18-1 in conference play. The team went on an 11-game win streak from the get-go, going on another 10-game streak following their only loss in the loop, which included claiming back-to-back RMAC Tournament titles in a 75-74 overtime thriller over Colorado School of Mines, completing the season with a perfect 6-0 record when pushed into extra time.
With the automatic bid, the team returned to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, this time as the No. 1 seed in the West Regional.