GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa University men's basketball team takes to Denver for a two-game road stretch this week as they face off with the pair of MSU Denver and Regis University.
The Mavericks will begin the week by facing off on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against MSUD at Auraria Event Center before closing out their stay on Saturday against Regis at 3 p.m. at the Regis Fieldhouse.
This is the only time the Mavs will take on the Roadrunners with them already having hosted the Rangers earlier this season at home.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mavs recorded a pair of home wins this past weekend defeating CSU Pueblo and UCCS.
The Mavs trailed by as many as 11 in the second half but used a 17-4 run to rally and claim a 70-66 win on Thursday night over CSU Pueblo, which had come into the game tied for the Mavs for third place in the RMAC.
Ty Allred finished the game with 20 points and eight rebounds while Havey White had 17 points and seven assists.
Allred then scored a career-high 33 points in Saturday's 95-83 win over UCCS.
Clayton Jewell (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Ben Henderson (16 points, 11 rebounds) both had double-doubles as well, marking the first time this season that the Mavs have had two players record double-doubles in the same game.
The Mavs have now won three straight, five of their last six and went 7-2 in the month of January.
They are now 8-1 at home this season.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
The Mavs are averaging 78.1 points per game this season while owning a top five defense as they limit opponents to 74.1 points per game. Their four-point margin ranks in the top five of the conference as well with them holding opponents to less than 70 points in a game eight times this season.
Just five teams in the RMAC are holding opponents to under 75 points with Colorado Mesa being one of them.
From the field the Mavs are shooting 48.1 percent with a 36.6 percent mark from three-point range and 81.6 percent from the free throw line. All three percentages have improved this week after their previous two wins.
They continue lead the RMAC and rank second nationally with their season-long free throw percentage.
On the rebounding side, CMU is grabbing 37.3 boards per game and holding opponents to 30.5. They rank second in the combined opponent rebounds column which means they are allowing the fewest rebounds against them of any team in the conference.
Their 6.8 rebounding margin leads the RMAC while also being top-25 in the nation.
Leading the scoring efforts is Ty Allred who is averaging 18.8 points per game. He is also grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in every game but one this season while leading the team with his six double doubles.
Allred ranks second in the RMAC in both rebounding and scoring per game.
Clayton Jewell, Cohenj Gonzales and Harvey White serve as the team's other top offensive scorers with Jewell and Gonzales sitting at just over 11 points per game and White owning 10.4 points per game.
In total nine different Mavs have recorded double figure scoring performances this season with six of them having at least one 20-point performance as well. Allred has the two lone 30-point performances.
Beyond Allred's rebounding efforts both Jewell and Wes Ball have been other players to grab significant boards this season with Jewell averaging 7.3 and Ball having 4.1. Jewell ranks fifth in the RMAC with that mark as the Mavs have two of the conference's top rebounders.
Allred and Jewell also rank in the top 10 of the conference in blocks. Jewell leads the team with 23 total this season to average 1.2 per game.
Harvey White serves as the team's assists leader with 63 total to average 3.2 per game.
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.
Allred and Harvey White were also named to the 2025-26 Preseason All-RMAC team after both playing being key contributors in Dunlap's inaugural year with the Mavs.
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 three team's ranked in the NABC poll as well, taking down #3 Dallas Baptist University and falling to #25 Lubbock Christian and #21 Black Hills State.
They have also defeated Colorado School of Mines who began the season as the #10 ranked team nationally.
ABOUT MSU DENVER
Having a bit of an up and down year, the Roadrunners are 7-13 this season while going 5-7 in conference play so far.
This past week they went 1-1 in their games played on the road with them defeating New Mexico Highlands before falling to Fort Lewis College.
Their biggest win of the season comes against No. 11 Black Hills State when they upset them in Denver, 77-73.
The Roadrunners currently sit in 10th place of the RMAC standings but are just two games back of being tied for fourth place.
As an offense they average 77.9 points per game with their defense giving up 83.7 to opponents.
Three players average scoring in double figures for the team with Logan Threatt (16.4 ppg) leading the way. The other two include Quave Propst-Allison (15 ppg) and Garrett Falls (12.7 ppg).
The Roadrunners have fared a 4-5 record when playing at home with them going 2-3 overall over their last five games.
Following Thursday's game the Roadrunners will host Western Colorado on Saturday to close out their weekend.
ABOUT REGIS
Enduring a rough season, the Rangers come into this week owning a 1-17 record overall while still searching for their first win in the RMAC having gone 0-12 so far.
They have lost 14 games in a row with their only win being against the University of Texas at Dallas back on Nov. 22 by a score of 97-93.
Saturday's game will be the second time this season the Mavs and Rangers will meet on the hardwood with CMU winning the last matchup on Jan. 3, 90-62.
This past week the Rangers lost to both Adams State and New Mexico Highlands with them now returning to their home court for two games.
The Rangers are averaging 66.6 points per game this season while allowing 91.6 points per game to opponents for a negative 25-point margin.
Their only shooting category that they fare better than opponents is in free throw percentage.
Luke Soden leads the team averaging 16.4 points per game with Cooper Frith adding 14.6.
Prior to Saturday's game with Colorado Mesa the Rangers host Westminster University on Thursday.
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
Following their trip to Denver the Mavs will return home to Brownson Arena next week as they host Fort Lewis College and New Mexico Highlands. Thursday's game against Fort Lewis will be 'Shoe Night' with Saturday's game being Valentine's Day and feature the theme of 'For Love of the Game.' Tickets can be purchased online at cmumavericks.com/tickets or in person at the gate.
