GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Just how they started the season, the Colorado Mesa men's basketball season will have a home court advantage to close out the regular season, hosting rivals Western State and Fort Lewis on Friday and Saturday, respectively, in Brownson Arena.
Prior to Saturday's tip-off with Fort Lewis,
David Rico and
Jeret Schmelling will be honored as the outgoing seniors for this season.
RUN IT BACK
Last weekend, facing a couple of front range foes, the Mavericks were a force to be reckoned with.
With the anticipation of finally meeting up with Colorado School of Mines, the Mavs first had to faceoff with the Regis Rangers. Strong shooting in the opening half, gave way to comfortable 42-28 lead going into the break.
Although the Rangers outscored the Mavs in the second half, the deficit was too much to overcome. By a score of 73-63, CMU grabbed their 15
th win of the season. The team continued to be dominant off the glass, holding a 39-25 edge, while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor.
Four Maverick players finished in double-figures, led by
Reece Johnson with 15.
Christopher Speller added 14, with
Ethan Menzies and Mac RIniker each contributing 13 points to the team's total.
After two postponed games, it was finally time for two top-ranked teams to collide.
Colorado Mesa struggled getting the ball to fall, while the Orediggers went on a 10-0 run to go up 19-6 halfway through the first. The Mavs were sparked a late run of their own, but trailed 31-24 going into the break.
As the teams returned to the court, Colorado Mesa grabbed 49-48 lead on a layup from
Ethan Menzies. Shortly after, Mines regained the lead at 52-51 with 3:40 left in the game. The final two and a half minute were in favor of the Mavs outscoring the Orediggers 10-4, ultimately leading to the final 64-58 score.
Georgie Dancer and Menzies each tallied a game-high 17 points. Freshman
Christopher Speller chipped 13 points on the night.
The win marked the first over a No. 1 ranked opponent in NCAA Division II history for the Mavs, handing Mines their first loss of the season.
SETTING THE STANDARD
Not only did the Mavs hand Colorado Mines their first loss of the season, they did it on the road in Golden. With a 16-1 record, and a big win under their belt the Colorado Mesa men's basketball team reached a new program high, coming in at No. 5 in the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches poll release.
After sitting in the top-spot for six consecutive weeks, the Orediggers dropped to No. 7. Northern State also suffered their first setback of the season, knocking them to No. 8 from No. 2.
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.
REMATCH AGAINST THE MOUNTAINEERS
The Western State Mountaineers are 6-10 on the season, but one of those wins also handed Colorado Mesa their first and only loss of the season thus far. In the month since the two teams last met, the Mountaineers took back-to-back wins over CSU Pueblo but fell on four other occasions, including their two home games last weekend against Adams State and Black Hills.
Sophomore duo Matthew Ragsdale and Avery Rembao lead the Mountaineers offensive attack. Ragsdale has started all 16 games so far this season, averaging just over 20 points per game. Rembao sits at just under 14 points per game, and each of them averaging around four boards a night.
FACEOFF WITH FORT LEWIS
With a 6-7 record, the Skyhawks are looking to hit .500 on the season. Their most recent triumph came over CSU Pueblo, 89-77 in Durango. A matchup with MSU Denver was scheduled for this past Tuesday, Feb. 23 but was canceled.
Earlier this season in Durango, the Skyhawks forced extra minutes but it was the Mavericks who escaped with a 74-72 victory. The Skyhawks were without their leading scorer, Riley Farris that night but he has since returned to the starting lineup for them. Out of Hutto, Texas Farris leads the team in scoring average with 21.9 points, and matches that with a team high 7.4 rebounds, and 18 blocks.
Brendan Boatwright and Will Wittman are the other players averaging double-figures for the Skyhawks, with 10.5 and 10.3 points respectively.
NEXT MATCHUP:
Pending this weekend's game results across the league, the Colorado Mesa Mavericks will wait to see their fate for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.
