Mines vs. Adams State, Friday, 7:30 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats] 
Mines vs. CSU Pueblo, Saturday, 7 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats] 

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OREDIGGERS WRAP UP REGULAR SEASON AT HOME
The regular season comes to a close this weekend as Mines hosts Adams State and CSU Pueblo as they continue to battle for postseason positioning. Friday's game will be the annual Rock The Lock night featuring tons of giveaways and prizes for fans; Friday is also Mascot Madness featuring sports mascots from around Colorado including the Nuggets' Rocky, the Rockies' Dinger, and the Avalanche's Bernie. 

SENIOR NIGHT SET FOR SATURDAY
Prior to Saturday's game against CSU Pueblo, Mines will honor its three seniors: Kobi Betts, Justin Engesser, and Titus Reed. All three found homes with Mines Basketball and have excelled over their Oredigger careers. Betts came in 2018-19 from Air Force and has 47 starts at point guard since, scoring 742 points and earning All-RMAC and all-region honors last year. Engesser, a graduate transfer from Colorado Christian, is in his first and only season in Golden and is producing 7.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season; he has 1,156 points combined in his CCU and Mines careers. Reed came to Mines in 2019-20 from UCCS and is also a five-year player in the RMAC, playing in 65 games for the Orediggers and scoring 611 points overall during his career. 

THE POSTSEASON HUNT
The RMAC race is in the hands of Black Hills State (15-4), which can win the title with two wins this weekend. But should they fail to accomplish that, they are in the mix along with Colorado Mesa (15-5) and Fort Lewis (14-5) for first. Six spots have already been claimed for the RMAC Tournament with those three plus UCCS, Regis, and Mines; MSU Denver, New Mexico Highlands, Westminster, Adams State, and CSU Pueblo are in the mix for the final two slots. 

SULLIVAN NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Senior Brendan Sullivan was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team last week for the third consecutive season, recognizing the civil engineering major's outstanding combination of athletic and academic achievement. Sullivan was also a repeat winner of the RMAC's Academic Player of the Year award earlier this season. This season, Sullivan leads Mines in scoring (15.7 ppg), rebounding (4.7 rpg), steals (1.3 spg), and blocks (1.0) while adding 1.8 assists per game and shooting .522/.388/.733 in a team-high 30.6 minutes per game. Sullivan ranks in the RMAC top-10 in scoring, field goal percentage, and blocks. At 1,481 career points, Sullivan also has the chance to reach the 1,500-point mark this weekend. 

ORSER SETS NEW STANDARD
Mines' win over Westminster on Jan. 22 marked the 387th of Pryor Orser's career at Mines, which set the program's all-time record for victories. In his 21st season, Orser is now 393-211 to surpass Jim Darden, who coached Mines from 1954 to 1992 with 386 wins. Orser is also 280-146 in RMAC play which marks the second-most wins in conference history. Under Orser, Mines has won five RMAC regular-season championships and two RMAC Tournament titles, and qualified for 11 NCAA Tournaments including two Elite Eight trips. 

MINES VS. ADAMS STATE
At 8-12 and in 10th place in the RMAC, the Grizzlies need two wins and a lot of help this weekend to sneak into the RMAC Tournament field. They are led in scoring by Rylan O'Brien's 15.7 points per game, and Kaelin Crane adds 13.8 with Jordan Notch scoring 13.4. The Grizzlies shoot a solid .476 as a team and a league-leading .779 at the line, but allow .489 shooting, which ranks last in the RMAC.

Mines and Adams State will meet for the 163rd time since 1946, with ASU holding a 90-72 all-time lead. The Orediggers, however, have won six straight and 11 of the last 12. When the two played on Jan. 29 in Alamosa, Mines won 77-71 after a big second-half comeback erased the Grizzlies' 14-point lead. Justin Engesser scored 24 off the bench, Kai Barr had 12, and Grant Pressly 10 as Mines shot .654 in the second half. Jordan Notch led the Grizzlies with 23 points and Kaelin Crane added 17. 

MINES VS. CSU PUEBLO
CSU Pueblo comes into the weekend with the same record as Adams State in the RMAC, at 8-12, needing two wins this weekend. Freshman Lian Ramiro leads the team averaging 18.2 points and 3.6 assists per game, while Elijah Moleon adds 11.8 points and 6.1 rebounds and Meekness Payne scores 11.7 per game. 

Mines and CSU Pueblo meet for the 65th time with CSUP leading the series 36-28; Mines has won six in a row including an 81-61 rout in Pueblo back on Jan. 28. Mines outscored the Thunderwolves 47-28 in the second half to pull away from a one-point halftime lead as Brendan Sullivan drained 21 points and Kobi Betts added 15 points and four assists in his hometown. Lian Ramiro scored 24 to pace the Thunderwolves.

LOOKING AHEAD
The RMAC Tournament quarterfinals will be played on Tuesday, March 1, with semifinals and final on March 4-5. The full bracket will be unveiled late Saturday night on rmacsports.org.