GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa University men's basketball team looks to resume their 2025-26 campaign this weekend as they host Regis University in their first game of the new year.
The Mavericks will take on the Regis Rangers at Brownson Arena at 3 P.M on Saturday as they now will play out the rest of their conference scheduled games this spring.
The Mavs went 2-1 in their limited start to conference play last semester with them defeating both Colorado Christian and Colorado School of Mines while losing to UCCS.
They will play 17 RMAC conference games this half of their season now before the RMAC Tournament playoffs begin in March. No more nonconference games will take place.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mavericks finished the 2025 portion of their season with a 6-5 record after going 4-4 in nonconference games and 2-1 against RMAC opponents. In addition, Colorado Mesa also faced off with five different Lone Star Conference opponents with those counting for in-region opponents.
In their latest two games they 1-1 at the Great Western Shootout in North Las Vegas, Nevada on Dec. 19 and 20 with them falling to Western Washington and defeating Simon Fraser.
Allred had 23 points and six rebounds in the loss to Western Washington while Jewell finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
All five Maverick starters then finished in double figures in the win over Simon Fraser to close out the year on a high note.
Allred led the group with 16 points and added 13 rebounds to record his fifth double-double of the season.
Ben Henderson (15), Mason Honeyman (14), Jewell (12) and Harvey White (11) also scored well.
Jewell added seven rebounds and finished the weekend a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line.
Both Allred and Jewell were selected to the all-tournament team for their play. Allred was then picked as both the RMAC's offensive and defensive player of the week on Dec. 22, the first time in his career he has earned either of the awards.
The Mavs went a combined 19-9 during the 2025 calendar year which dates back to the spring season.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
Colorado Mesa sits in sixth place in the early conference standings while being one of seven schools to own six or more wins.
As an offense, the Mavs are averaging 73.9 points per game this season while holding opponents to 73.6. Their defense ranks in the top five of the conference with that mark while just five teams in the RMAC are holding opponents to under 75 points.
In addition, they have held opponents to the third fewest points this season among RMAC schools.
From the field the Mavs are shooting 45.1 percent with a 31.9 percent mark from three-point range and 80.7 percent from the free throw line. They currently lead the conference in free throw percentage and rank fifth nationally, while being under three percent away from the national lead.
In the rebounding category, CMU is grabbing 37.4 boards per game and holding opponents to 32.2. They rank in the top five of the conference for combined opponent rebounds.
Ty Allred serves as the team's top scoring leader averaging 17.5 points per game while nearly averaging a double-double this season as he is grabbing 9.4 rebounds per game as well. So far this season Allred has collected all five of the team's double doubles.
Cohenj Gonzales and Mason Honeyman both serve as other top scoring options for the Mavs with Gonzales sitting at 11.5 points per game and Honeyman averaging 10.7.
In total eight different Mavs have recorded double figure scoring performances.
Joining Allred as the other rebounding leaders are Clayton Jewell and Wes Ball with Jewell grabbing 5.6 boards per game and Ball adding 4.4.
Jewell and Allred also tie to add one block per game to rank in the top-10 of the RMAC leaders.
COACH'S CORNER
Head Coach Mike Dunlap enters his second season leading the Mavs this year after going 19-10 in his debut season in 2024-25.
In his first year with the program, Dunlap had three players named to All-RMAC including returner Ty Allred, who was named to the First Team.
Despite being new to CMU, Dunlap is no stranger to the RMAC as he is currently a member of the conference's hall of fame with him having coached at MSU Denver for nine years and collecting two national championships.
He is a two-time NABC Division II National Coach of the Year.
2025-26 marks Dunlap's 45th season in the coaching ranks with him coaching all the way from Division III to serving as an NBA Head Coach of the Charlotte Bobcats (now known as the Hornets).
Dunlap is joined by assistants, Skyler Burgess and Eli Scott, with this being Burgess's second season as a part of the staff and as the head assistant. Scott enters his first season with the team and was hired prior to the start of the year. He reunites with Dunlap after having previously played for him at Loyola Marymount University.
IN THE POLLS
The Mavs were picked to finish third in this year's RMAC Preseason Poll with them being voted as a top-3 conference team after finishing third in 2024-25.
They earned one first place vote in the voting with them garnishing a total of 158 points. Black Hills State University was picked to win the conference with 183 points while Colorado School of Mines was tabbed second with just nine more points than the Mavs at 167.
The Mavs move up two spots from the previous year's Preseason Poll where they were picked to finish fifth.
In addition to being selected third in the conference, the Mavs also began the year receiving votes in the National American Basketball Coaches Association Preseason Poll.
CMU has faced off with two team's ranked in the NABC poll as well, taking down #3 Dallas Baptist University and falling to #25 Lubbock Christian.
They have also defeated Colorado School of Mines who began the season as the #10 ranked team nationally.
ABOUT REGIS
The Rangers enter the new year boasting a 1-8 record while starting 0-3 in RMAC play.
They are under the direction of first year head coach Rex Walters who took over the program in August and is joined by a multitude of new faces.
Last season the Rangers reached as far as the NCAA Regionals with them finishing as high as second place in the RMAC standings. Conversely, they were voted 14th in this year's RMAC preseason poll.
In the team's last two games they faced off with both University of Nebraska Kearney and Fort Hays State from the Central Region with them dropping both decisions and now owning a five-game losing streak.
Their lone win this season comes against UT Dallas on Nov. 22.
Offensively the Rangers are only averaging 65.8 points per game while giving up 90.1 in return. They are being outshot in every major shooting category as well.
Cooper Frith is the team's leading scorer averaging 17 points per game with three others also averaging scoring in double figures. Those three include Luke Soden (14.8), Gunner Walters (10.8) and Aaron Ofstun (10.0).
RMAC NETWORK NEWS
The RMAC Network has moved to a pay-per-view model for the 2025-26 season. This season, all RMAC athletic events broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their programs.
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them with access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours.
Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.
COLORADO MESA TURNS 100
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.
Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.
To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com
UP NEXT
The Mavs will take to the road following this weekend as they travel to Las Vegas, N.M. and Alamosa, Colo. with them faring matchups against RMAC opponents New Mexico Highlands University and Adams State University. Games are set for 7 P.M. on Jan. 8 and 3 P.M. Jan. 10. Streaming can be found online through the RMAC Network.
