#1 Colorado School of Mines vs. Adams State, Saturday, 6 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]
#1 Colorado School of Mines vs. Regis, Monday, 6 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats]

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THEY'RE BACK…
After 26-day layoff, the nation's #1 team finally returns to the court as Colorado School of Mines hosts Adams State on Saturday and Regis on Monday. The Orediggers (8-0, 7-0 RMAC) last played Jan. 4 in an overtime win at Black Hills State, but have endured six COVID-19-related cancellations and postponements since then.

NO-SPECTATORS POLICY CONTINUES
As has been the case all season, spectators will be not allowed to attend this weekend's games, and due to local and state guidelines, spectators will not be allowed at home games until further notice. Mines Athletics will continue to re-evaluate this policy for home games in the future as conditions allow. In the meantime, all games home and away are streamed live and for free on the RMAC Network, which is also available on the AppleTV, Roku, and AmazonFire app stores.

SCHEDULE SWITCHES
The past month has seen a bevy of schedule changes for Mines basketball. The Jan. 12 home game against Regis will now be played on Monday, while the road series at Colorado Mesa and Westminster will now be played on Feb. 8 and 9, respectively. At this time, Friday's originally scheduled game against CSU-Pueblo does not yet have a makeup date, nor does the South Dakota Mines game from Jan. 16.

OREDIGGERS TOP THE RANKINGS
Mines hit #1 in the NABC Top 25 poll on Jan. 12, and has stayed there since despite not playing since earning the billing as Division II's top team. It's the second time under Pryor Orser that the Orediggers have hit #1; they also did it at the end of the 2011-12 regular season. In this week's poll, Mines is followed by #2 Northern State, #3 Northwest Missouri State, #4 Lincoln Memorial, and #5 West Texas A&M, with fellow unbeaten RMAC foe Colorado Mesa at #6.

SULLIVAN LEADS THE WAY
Junior Brendan Sullivan had a breakout 2019-20 to earn First-Team All-RMAC honors, but he's elevated his game even further this season, leading the Orediggers in scoring (19.1 ppg), assists (2.3 apg), and steals (1.8 spg) while adding 4.1 rebounds a night and shooting .574/.368/.738. His four games before the layoff were something special though, as he dropped 24, 31, 25, and 21 in consecutive contests to be the first Orediggers since Gokul Natesan in the 2015-16 season to score 20+ in four straight games. Sullivan averaged 25.3 points over that four-game span.

BREAKING OUT
Another Oredigger enjoying a breakout season is junior Ben Boone. The guard is averaging a career-best 11.6 points per game and scored one under his career high with 22 points in that win at Black Hills State. That game saw him sink four three-pointers to go with five rebounds and three assists.

MINES VS. ADAMS STATE
Mines will meet Adams State for the 160th time, with the Grizzlies leading the series 90-69 dating back to their first game in 1946, and the two have played every year since that season. Mines has dominated in recent years winning three straight and eight of the last nine. They played just once last year, a 90-64 Oredigger blowout in Golden as Brendan Sullivan scored 21 points and Mason Baker had 15 points and seven rebounds as Mines shot .509 overall and outrebounded ASU by 19.

This season, Adams State is 4-3 overall, all in RMAC play, and like Mines has not played since early January when they beat MSU Denver 87-81 on Jan. 7. They are led by Destan Williams' 20.3 points per game, and Kaelin Crane and Frederick Jackson each pour in 15 a night. ASU heads to Regis Friday night before playing Mines.

MINES VS. REGIS
Only two games out of 134 separate Mines and Regis in the all-time series, with the Rangers leading 68-66 since they first met in the 1924-25 season. Mines has won three straight, including a 73-50 win earlier this season on Dec. 10 in Denver, when Brendan Sullivan scored a game-high 20 and the Mines defense shut down Regis to the tune of .291 overall shooting. Titus Reed came off the bench for 14 points and Kobi Betts chipped in 10 as Mines sank nine of 15 three-point tries.

The Rangers are now 3-5 but have won two of their last three in the last two weeks with victories over Westminster (80-74) and UCCS (74-69), and a one-point overtime loss at #8 Colorado Mesa on Jan. 23. Brian Dawson leads the team and is second in the RMAC in scoring at 22.5 points per game, while Troy Brady adds 10.9 ppg.

BITS AND PIECES
Despite the layoff, Mines still owns NCAA D-II's #2 scoring defense (59.6 ppg) and #4 field-goal percentage defense (.381) … The Orediggers are 8-0 for the fifth time in program history, all coming under Pryor Orser … Mines is outscoring opponents by a +15.3 margin, ninth-best in the nation … Brendan Sullivan (Dec. 21, Offensive), Kobi Betts (Dec. 2, Offensive) and Austin Means (Dec. 2, Defensive) have been RMAC players of the week this season … Means leads the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and blocks (1.3 bpg) … Michael Glen is right behind him with 5.6 boards per game … Sullivan, Boone, and Betts (11.3 ppg) are the only Orediggers averaging double figures in scoring in what has been a balanced offense this season … Titus Reed leads all bench scorers at 8.4 points per game.

TWO DECADES AT THE HELM
The 2020-21 season marks the 20th on the bench for Mines head coach Pryor Orser. Under Orser, Mines has gone 369-198, won five RMAC regular-season championships and two RMAC Tournament titles, qualified for 10 NCAA Tournaments, and currently is on a seven-season 20+ win streak. He is second all-time in RMAC history in conference wins with 261, trailing only Fort Lewis and Western Colorado legend Bob Hofman's 296 victories.

GROUND RULES
In late November, the RMAC released information about the season structure and return-to-play guidelines for basketball. All teams will have a 22-game conference schedule (non-conference play being optional), and any game that is not played due to COVID-19 issues will be declared a "no contest." All student-athletes and team support staff must test negative within 72 hours of the game, and in the state of Colorado, everyone in the arena will wear a mask except for the 10 active players on the court. An RMAC champion will be declared if at least five teams complete 50 percent of their originally approved schedule (11 games). The champion and RMAC Tournament qualifiers will be determined by use of the NCAA Division II RPI system.

LOOKING AHEAD
Mines will stay at home to host two local rivals with MSU Denver visiting on Feb. 5 and Colorado Christian on Feb. 6.