2022 RMAC Tournament
QF - [5] Mines at [4] UCCS, Tuesday, 7 p.m. [RMAC Network] [Live Stats] 

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POSTSEASON STARTS WITH TRIP TO COLORADO SPRINGS
The postseason begins Tuesday as fifth-seeded Colorado School of Mines faces a must-win game at fourth-seeded UCCS in the 2022 RMAC Men's Basketball Tournament. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. at the Gallogly Events Center and stream live on the RMAC Network. 

THE RMAC TOURNAMENT
The eight-team RMAC Tournament kicks off with the quarterfinal round on Tuesday. Other than Mines-UCCS, top-seeded Black Hills State hosts New Mexico Highlands (7 p.m.), second-seeded Colorado Mesa hosts MSU Denver (7:30 p.m.), and third-seeded Fort Lewis hosts Regis (6 p.m.). The winners will meet in Friday's semifinal round with the final on Saturday, and the tournament winner receives the RMAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament. 

MINES IN THE RMAC TOURNAMENT
Mines has won the RMAC Tournament twice in its history, in 2012 and 2017. The Orediggers have advanced out of the quarterfinals every year since 2015-16. Mines has qualified for the final in each of the past two seasons.

LAST TIME OUT
Mines ended the regular season strongly with a pair of home wins over the weekend. The Orediggers dispatched Adams State 71-62 on Friday behind Kobi Betts' 18-point night in a see-saw game that saw Mines pull away in the closing minutes. On Saturday, it was a team effort in a 72-65 win over CSU Pueblo as Mines again came back in the second half led by Kai Barr's 19 bench points and Brendan Sullivan's 13/8 night. 

WHEN WE FIRST MET
Mines and UCCS played only once this year, all the way back on Dec. 11 as Mines came away with a 75-70 win in Colorado Springs. Kobi Betts hit back-to-back shots in the final two minutes to give Mines the lead, scoring six of the team's last eight points on his way to 17. Adam Krasovec had 16 points, six boards, three assists, and two blocks, and Brendan Sullivan scored 14 on the night as Mines shot .509. Alijah Comithier scored a game-high 23 points for UCCS, which shot .422. 

MINES VS. UCCS SERIES
This will be the 49th meeting between Mines and UCCS with the Orediggers holding a 36-12 all-time lead in a series dating back to 1988. Mines has won three in a row and six of the last seven in the series. The last time they met in the postseason was in the 2018 RMAC Tournament quarterfinals when Mines won 95-83. 

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
UCCS ended the season 20-8 overall and 15-7 in the RMAC to earn the #4 seed, and own the RMAC's #2 scoring offense (83.1 ppg) going up against Mines' #1 scoring defense (65.4 ppg). Alijah Comithier has been one of the RMAC's top scorers this season at 20.7 points per game plus a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per night, while Jon'il Fugett scores 13.5 per game plus 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals a night. The Mountain Lions shoot .482 and also rank fourth in the RMAC in scoring defense at 70.9 ppg allowed. 

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 395-211 to surpass Jim Darden, who coached Mines from 1954 to 1992 with 386 wins. Orser is also 282-146 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 has also secured its 18th consecutive winning season under Orser. 

LOOKING AHEAD
Tuesday's winner will face the winner of Black Hills State/New Mexico Highlands in Friday's semifinals. The semifinals and final will take place at the bracket's highest remaining seed.