Lubbock, Texas. – The Colorado Mesa men's basketball team is dancing for the third straight season, heading to Lubbock, Texas for the NCAA Division II South Central Regional as the No. 4 seed. They match up against fifth-seeded Texas A&M Kingsville out of the Lone Star Conference.
They draw the 6:30 p.m.(MST) time slot on Saturday, March 12 in the Rip Griffin Center.
RMAC Run
The No. 2 seed in last weeks Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament, the quest for their third title came up short in the semifinals, as Regis would not be denied a third time.
Host of a first round, the Mavs drew seventh seed MSU Denver. After their last meeting ending on a buzzer beater, they would come back with vengeance when it mattered most stalling the Roadrunners, 77-65.
In the semifinals, they forced the Rangers into overtime but fell a possession short, 79-76.
Top-seeded Black Hills defended home court and their regular season title, defeating Regis in the championship to earn the automatic bid to this week's regional. They enter the 64-team field as the No. 3 seed in the South-Central Region.
Making History
Just the seventh appearance in program history, the Mavericks have extended their streak to three with this season's bid to the NCAA tournament. At 24-9 overall, they have also etched their place in the record books, tying a program best wins in a single season.
Mike DeGeorge who is in his fourth season at the helm has led the team in each of the three-post season runs thus far. After having the 2020 championships were called off, the Mavs traveled to Golden in 2021 as the No. 1 seed, falling to Northwest Nazarene in the first round.
6th Man
Redshirt freshman,
Blaise Threatt has been a threat on both ends of the court for opponents. The Scottsdale native contributed 22-points off the bench in the Mavericks upset at Black Hills, settling into a 6
th man role that leads the team in scoring with 14 points.
He also leads the team's rebounding efforts averaging 6.2 per game. His 79 assists and 38 steals are second most on the team,
In the RMAC semi, he tallied 17-points and 8 rebounds, going 3-4 from beyond the arc. Adding his 20-points and 9 rebounds against MSU Denver, his efforts earned him All-Tournament Team honors.
Mac Attack
Riniker's defense has posed problems all year for opponents. His ability to cause turnovers often leads to fast breaks and slam dunks that get the crowd roaring.
The Steamboat Springs product has collected 59 steals throughout the season, and now holds the single season record, bypassing Shandy Hauer who had previously held the record with 58 in 1993.
Scouting the Javelinas
The first meeting between the two teams will take place Saturday in Rip Griffin Center. The Javelinas out of Texas A&M Kingsville (18-10) who make their seventh appearance overall, third in the past six seasons.
Their path to the regional is highlighted by three wins in the Lone Star Conference tournament, which included stunning the top-seed Lubbock Christian 72-69 to make an appearance in the championship. They would fall to No. 2 seed West Texas A&M, 70-77 in the title match.
Creighton Avery, Jordan Wilson and Marcus Jones all contributed double-figures throughout the tournament run. In the upset of LCU, Dayante McClellan's double-double, 11-points, 13-rebounds landed him on the All-Tournament Team.
