Box Score
Colorado School of Mines at Regis, Friday, 7 p.m. [Live Video] [Live Stats]
Colorado School of Mines at Chadron State, Saturday, 7 p.m. [Live Video] [Live Stats]
IN THE HUNT
Mines is in a good spot as they enter the final month of conference play, sitting in a tie for second in the RMAC Mountain Division at 10-5 with New Mexico Highlands, two games back of Fort Lewis. They tied for fourth overall in the RMAC (UCCS is also 10-5) with the top eight making the postseason tournament.
DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING...
Mines has built its season on solid defense, ranking second in the RMAC at 69.8 points per game allowed. They allowed only 53.0 ppg in a pair of blowout wins last weekend against South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State. RMAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Gokul Natesan leads the league with 1.9 steals/game, and Mines has the RMAC's top rebounding defense at 31.9 per game.
LAST YEAR
Mines swept the season series from both Regis and Chadron in 2014-15. The Orediggers beat the Eagles 86-60 at home early in the season and squeaked out a 73-72 win on the road thanks to Joe Dellenbach's last-second three-pointer; against Regis, the Orediggers earned a pair of blowout victories, 82-52 at home and 86-47 in Denver. Mines holds a six-game win streak over Regis dating back to 2013-14, and has taken 17 straight from Chadron dating back to 2007-08.
SCOUTING THE OREDIGGERS
Mines comes into the weekend at 15-6 overall and 10-5 in RMAC play, having won three in a row. The Oredigger offense has been on fire over the past four games, averaging an even 90 points per game in that span. On the scoring end, Natesan is fifth in the RMAC averaging 21.0 points per game, while Adam Laine's .643 shooting percentage ranks atop the league. Natesan also ranks first in steals (1.9/gm), sixth in assists (3.5/gm), and seventh in three-pointers (60), while Caleb Waitsman is eighth in the RMAC in rebounding (6.6/gm). Laine emerged as an offensive force in January, and has averaged 21.5 points per game over the last four, including a career-high 31 against Black Hills State.
SCOUTING REGIS
The Rangers are 8-13 overall and 6-9 in conference play, coming off a win against Adams State that snapped a four-game losing streak. Regis has been led by a pair of scorers in Dexter Sienko (16.1 ppg) and Jarrett Brodbeck (15.4 ppg). Sienko also leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game. The Rangers love to shoot the long ball, with five players having 20 or more three-pointers this season led by Brodbeck's 63. Defensively, they are allowing opponents to shoot .469 and are -1.3 on rebounding margin.
SCOUTING CHADRON STATE
The Eagles are 6-13 overall and 4-11 in conference play, but hold winning records in both (6-3, 4-3 RMAC) while at home. CSC has three players averaging in double figures, with guards Warren Gordon and Sharif Black at 12.7 and 11.2 per game, respectively, and forward Billy Johnson is at 10.8. Davante McCallam's 5.9 rebounds per game leads the team. Chadron has struggled shooting the ball, making 40.1 percent of its shots to opponents' 49.0, and they are 31.9 percent from beyond the arc to opponents' 39.7 percent; the former is next-to-last in the RMAC and the latter ranks last.
