GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Having been on the road for nine games so far this season, the Colorado Mesa men's basketball team will look to defend their home court this week, playing host to the Adams State Grizzlies on Saturday (Feb. 13) in Brownson Arena. Attendance is open to parents and CMU community members with the purchase of a ticket online and a negative COVID test within 96 hours of the event. Reserved tickets will be on sale for those who wish to sit in the chair back sections of Brownson Arena.
LAST TIME OUT
After grabbing a 63-60 win over Westminster in Tuesday's midweek matchup, the Mavs headed up to Rapid City, South Dakota to take on South Dakota Mines.
For the second time this season, the team headed in double-overtime outlasting the Hardrockers, 82-77. The win brought the Mavs to 13-1 overall, and 4-0 when taken into extra minutes.
In the second overtime period the Mavs used a 11-6 scoring run to secure the final score.
Blaise Threatt put up 24-points on the night, shooting 10-of-17, along with five rebounds, six assists and a steal.
The CMU bench contributed 51 points in the triumph, holding their opponents bench to just 13-points.
YOUNG TALENT
Reece Johnson may be listed as a freshman but he plays like a veteran. Averaging the third most points on the team, just over a 11 per game, the Windsor, Colo. native is a consistent contributor to the Mavs offense. Coming off the bench, he leads the team in 3-pointers made with 23, all while setting up his teammates with the second most assists at 29 for the season.
Fellow freshman,
Blaise Threatt also poses a threat for opponents. Despite missing a portion of the season early on, at just eight games played he is one of four players averaging double-figures at just over 10-points per game. In the double-overtime victory over South Dakota Mines, he set a career-high 24-points, on 10-of-17 with a trio of 3-pointers. That same night he tallied five rebounds and six assists to aid in the win.
With the NCAA granting winter sport student-athletes an additional year of eligibility, these guys will repeat their freshman eligibility in 2022, and have five years to compete for the Mavs, should they chose to do so.
NATIONALLY RANKED
With two more wins added to their season total, sitting at 13-1, the Mavs moved up to No. 8 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll released Tuesday.
For the fifth consecutive week, Colorado School of Mines sits in the No. 1 spot, garnering 13 of the 16 first-place votes with a 10-0 record. Northern State (S.D.) is 12-0 on the season, and holds two first-place votes at the No. 2 spot. Northwest Missouri State holds the final first-place votes at No. 3, sporting a 14-1 record.
REGIONAL CHANGES
The Division II Management and Presidents Council met in early February to affirm plans for the upcoming 2021 winter championships. Among those plans, was adjusting the 2021 basketball regional alignment which the Presidents council had the final say on.
As per the NCAA: "The traditional regional alignments for the 2021 Division II Men's and Women's Basketball Championships have been adjusted to a blended alignment, allowing more equitable opportunity for teams to advance to their respective championship. The one-year regional alignment, keeps seven of the eight regionals between 27-33 active teams, as shown in the table below."
| Region |
2021 Conferences/Active Teams |
Total Active Teams After Adjustment (Before) |
| Atlantic |
MEC/12 |
G-MAC/12* |
PSAC/3 |
CIAA/0 |
27 (15) |
| Central |
MIAA/14 |
NSIC/16 |
|
|
30 (42) |
| East |
ECC/6 |
CACC/7 |
NE10/1 |
|
14 (14) |
| Midwest |
GLIAC/12 |
GLVC/15 |
|
|
27 (39) |
| South |
GSC/13 |
PBC/12* |
SSC/3 |
|
28 (25) |
| South Central |
LSC/16 |
GAC/12* |
|
|
28 (30) |
| Southeast |
SAC/13 |
CC/11 |
SIAC/9* |
|
33 (36) |
| West |
RMAC/14* |
PWC/11 |
GNAC/2 |
CCAA/0 |
27 (13) |
*Conference is now in a different region as part of the one-year adjustments approved by the Division II Management Council and Presidents Council Feb. 5.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams will now be aligned with the West Region. The region will be comprised of active teams from the RMAC, PacWest and Great Northwest Athletic Conferences.
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
Currently sporting a 5-6 record, the Grizzlies find themselves on a 3-game skid dating back to Jan 30. Their most recent loss came from an 80-92 decision to UCCS on Feb. 8.
When the teams met the first time this season back on Dec. 18, the Mavs escaped Alamosa with a 100-98 victory, thanks in large part to
Ethan Menzies's career high 32-points.
Mac Riniker, Reese Johnson and
Michael McCurry were the other players who finished in double-figures for CMU.
Rylan O'Brien and Destan Williams each contributed 26-points in the first meeting. On the season, Williams sits fourth in the conference standings, and leads the team, with 20.7 points per game. His 56 assists and 28 steals, doing a little bit of everything for the Grizzlies.
NEXT MATCHUP:
As the team head into the final stretch, they will have one more road trip before closing out the regular season at home. Making their way to the front range, the team will meet up for a rematch with the Regis Rangers before closing out the trip with the highly anticipated matchup with No. 1 Colorado School of Mines.
