Box Score
Colorado School of Mines vs. South Dakota Mines, Friday, 8 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Colorado School of Mines vs. Black Hills State, Saturday, 7 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS
Friday's game against the Dark Si- we mean, South Dakota Mines - will be Star Wars Night at Lockridge Arena. Fans who are strong with the Force will have the chance to win a Samsung LED TV in the Best Costume contest, Nuggets tickets for showing off their Jedi skills, and more!
LAST WEEKEND
Mines split their games at home last weekend, falling 90-80 in a shootout with CSU-Pueblo before bouncing back to rout Western State 95-71. The Western win marked Mines' highest offensive output of the season as Adam Laine scored a career-high 22, Gokul Natesan added 20, and Caleb Waitsman had an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double.
THE PLAYOFF RACE
Although there's plenty of season left to play, this weekend could prove pivotal for the Orediggers when it comes to qualifying for the eight-team RMAC Shootout Tournament. Mines heads into the weekend 8-5 in league play, tied with CSU-Pueblo and UCCS for fifth place and two games behind co-leaders Fort Lewis and New Mexico Highlands. Black Hills State lurks a game behind Mines at 7-6, currently occupying the eighth and final postseasons lot, while South Dakota Mines is 5-8.
NATESAN NAMED RMAC ACADEMIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Mines junior Gokul Natesan has stood out on the court this season, and he's done equally well in the classroom. That earned him RMAC Academic Player of the Year honors on Monday, along with a RMAC First-Team All-Academic honor. Zach Rusk joined him on the first team, and Garrett Loew, Brandon Lueders, and Ben Sonnefeld were RMAC Academic Honor Roll Recipients.
SCOUTING THE OREDIGGERS
Mines is 13-6 overall and 8-5 in RMAC play coming off the win against Western State. Gokul Natesan leads the Orediggers with 21.5 points per game (third-best in the RMAC) and has six 20+ point games in the last seven outings; he also leads the RMAC in steals (1.7 per game) and is sixth in assists (3.6 per game) while leading the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.3. Adam Laine has been red hot in the month of January, averaging 9.1 points per game this season but contributing 13.1 points per game over the last month while shooting an almost impossible .730 from the floor (38-of-52). Caleb Waitsman, at 10 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, is coming off his fifth double-double of the season.
SCOUTING S.D. MINES
The Hardrockers enter the weekend on a five-game losing skid, but they've been close in their last two, losing 70-67 against UCCS and 71-70 to MSU Denver last week. Leading scorer Konor Kulas is averaging 17.9 points per game, one of four Hardrockers over 10 points per night along with Brian Orr (11.2), Jaisean Jackson (10.9), and Jamall Taylor (10.7). They are also +1.8 per game on rebounding margin led by Kulas' 8.4 rebounds per game. Free throw shooting has been an issue - SDSMT is only a 60.8 percent foul shooting team.
SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
The Yellow Jackets come in fighting for a postseason spot and need to bounce back after losses to UCCS and MSU Denver last weekend snapped a four-game winning streak. BHSU is led by Nick Ongarato, whose 19.3 points per game ranks sixth in the RMAC, and Wyatt Krogman, who is the league's leading distributor at 4.8 assists per game. Riley Ryan scored 14.9 points a night, as well, while 6-9 center Max Mueller leads BHSU with 6.0 rebounds per game.
