Mines (4-6, 2-0 RMAC) at Westminster (5-3, 0-2 RMAC) – Thursday, 7:30 p.m. – Salt Lake City, Utah [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV]
Mines (4-6, 2-0 RMAC) at Colorado Mesa (4-4, 1-1 RMAC) – Saturday, 3 p.m. – Grand Junction, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV]

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BACK ON THE ROAD
Following a 2-0 start to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action at home last weekend, the Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team returns to the road for week two of league action as they'll head west for action against Westminster and Colorado Mesa on Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon.

LIVE COVERAGE
This weekend's games will be available for purchase on the RMAC Network. Free live stats will be available as well. Links for video and stats can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
RMAC NETWORK CHANGES
As was announced on June 30, this fall the RMAC Network is moving to a pay-per-view model for all events beginning with the 2025-26 season.
 
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours. For technical support questions, fans may submit a support ticket with Hudl Support or email the RMAC directly (rmac@rmacsports.org). For further support, fans can visit the RMAC Network Help page.
 
AT THE HELM
The 2025-26 season will be the 25th for the Orediggers under the guidance of head coach Pryor Orser. The winningest coach in the history of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Orser's record stands at 478-238 overall and a mark of 337-157 in league play. Under Orser, Mines has won six RMAC regular-season championships and three RMAC Tournament titles and qualified for 14 NCAA Tournaments including two Elite Eight trips. 
 
IN THE POLLS
Mines was picked to finish second in the RMAC this season in the preseason coaches poll announced in late October. Black Hills State was the favorite to win while the top five behind Mines included Colorado Mesa, UCCS and Fort Lewis.
 
The national top five this week saw Nova Southeastern remain a unanimous #1 followed Washburn, Daemen, Lubbock Christian and Missouri S&T. Black Hills State currently carries the banner for the RMAC as the only ranked team in the conference at #21 in the latest poll.

WEEK 5 RECAP
Mines opened conference play with a pair of wins and ran their winning streak to three games by way of 97-87 and 81-80 wins over Adams State and New Mexico Highlands. Thursday night against the Grizzlies, the Orediggers nearly saw a 23-point lead go by the wayside against one of the best second half teams in the nation, but a 10-15 start to the night from the three-point line and a .479 shooting performance for the night was enough to earn the win. Markus Pastorcic-Straun led all scorers with 29 points while Jonathan Moore and Alex Romack each ended with 14 while Shelton Henton dropped 12 in his first home start. Saturday against the Cowboys, it went down to the wire in a game that featured nine ties and 13 lead changes with the last one coming on a go-ahead layup by Pastorcic-Straun with three seconds left in regulation. Mines turned in their best shooting performance of the season, going .510 from the field as Pastorcic-Straun led five in double figures with 27 points. Shelton Henton tied his season high with 18 while Romack poured in 12. Moore added 11 with Cooper Mroczek going for 10 off the bench to round out the top performers.
 
HELLO THERE
A total of nine newcomers join the Orediggers this season as the defending champs look to reload for 2025-26. Get to know Jackson Brennan, Will Essman, Shelton Henton, Kellon Johnson, Kasen Lehman, Trent Minter, Cooper Mroczek, Ryan Pramenko and Gil Schayes here.
 
NEW-LOOK OREDIGGERS
With the departure of seven players from last year's championship-winning squad, the Orediggers will look significantly different heading into the 2025-26 season. Alex Romack and Jonathan Moore each started at different times throughout the season while Markus Pastorcic-Straun came off the bench to post a breakout season as a sophomore. That core trio is joined by returners Caleb Clark, Dom Girish, Silas McCurnin and Derek Lamb who will all look to take on larger roles this fall. A trio of young bucks who redshirted last fall are also eager to make an impact this season as Braydon Jacob, Matija Jordovic and Will Cordonnier will play a role in the rotation as well. Combined with the nine newcomers listed above, Mines isn't looking to rebuild this season, but rather reload for another run at the top of the RMAC.
 
PRESEASON HONORS
Along with the release of last month's preseason poll, the RMAC announced preseason All-Conference teams and saw the duo of Mines juniors Markus Pastorcic-Straun and Alex Romack earn honors heading into the season. Pastorcic-Straun was a Second Team honoree last fall following a breakout season in which he netted 11.0 PPG off the bench and was second on the team with 90 assists. Romack followed up his Freshman of the Year campaign with Honorable Mention honors as a sophomore as he averaged 3.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting .594 from the floor.
 
LOOKING AROUND THE LEAGUE
Following the first weekend of league play, the RMAC standings can be clearly divided into thirds with five teams going 2-0, five teams going 1-1 and five teams going 0-2. Black Hills State, UCCS, Western Colorado, Fort Lewis and Mines all earned in week one. CSU Pueblo, Adams State, Colorado Mesa, South Dakota Mines and New Mexico Highlands split week one while Westminster, Colorado Christian, Chadron State, Regis and MSU Denver are still seeking their first league wins. One item of note, the matchup between Regis and Fort Lewis scheduled for Saturday was declared a no contest as far as official results go, but in terms of the RMAC the Rangers were assessed the 2-0 forfeit loss as the Skyhawks were credited with the win.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS
Markus Pastorcic-Straun is making early waves as one of the top scorers in the RMAC this season as he leads the league in total points with 225 and is second in scoring average at 22.5 PPG. The junior from Ontario is also second in field goal percentage at .576 (76-132) and is tied for third with Gunner Walters of Regis with 41 assists. When it comes to blocked shots, few have been better in the first month-plus of the season than Alex Romack who is third in the RMAC with 12 rejections. Romack also leads the league with 85 total rebounds as well as offensive rebounds with 40 while his 8.5 RPG is third. He also finds himself in the top 10 in the league in scoring at 12.9 PPG which is good for seventh. As a team, Mines ranks sixth in the RMAC in scoring offense at 79.3 PPG as well as sixth in scoring defense at 76.8 PPG. Continuing on defense, the Orediggers have been of the best at contesting three-pointers this season with an opponent three-point percentage of .286 which is good for second in the conference. With 393 total rebounds so far, Mines leads the RMAC while their 39.3 RPG average is third. Their 143 offensive boards also lead the conference while the 14.3 average is second to only UCCS at 14.8. The Orediggers also lead the way in defensive rebounds with 250 in 10 games. Blocked shots continue to be a strong metric as well for an extremely athletic team as with 41 Mines is second the RMAC. A team historically known for always trying to make the extra pass as well, the Orediggers also find themselves atop the RMAC with 159 dimes heading into week two of league action.
 
BUTKOVICH INDUCTED TO MINES HOF
The first All-American in program history, Joe Butkovich was inducted earlier this fall to the Harry D. Campbell Mines Hall of Fame. A prolific scorer and rebounder in the post, Butkovich was named an all-American as a senior in 1971-72, the Orediggers' first national honoree. Upon the conclusion of his career, Butkovich was Mines' all-time rebounding leader with 891 and third on Mines' all-time scoring list with 1,641 points. More than 50 years after graduating, he still owns Mines' career and season per-game rebounding records of 11.7 and 12.3 (1970-71) rebounds per game, respectively, and he also set the record (since broken) for season scoring average with 24.9 points per game in 1971-72; today he ranks third in that category. That senior season saw him lead the RMAC in scoring and rank among the NCAA and NAIA national leaders in both scoring and rebounding, and his top individual games were a 37-point night against Western New Mexico (the Mines single-game record at the time) and 20 rebounds against UMKC. 

Butkovich earned his degree in engineering from Mines in 1972. His post-collegiate basketball career included tryouts with the Denver Nuggets and Chicago Bulls, and he played professionally in France and Belgium before returning stateside to work as an engineer, spending much of his career dismantling chemical weapons across the United States. 
 
CHECKING THE STATS
Markus Pastorcic-Straun continues to lead the team in scoring 22.5 PPG and assists with 41 while also averaging 4.6 rebounds per game with 11 steals and is shooting .576/.571/.663 this fall. Jonathan Moore is scoring 14.8 PPG with 5.8 RPG and has shot .567/.500/.944 in four games with nine assists, five blocks and two steals. Alex Romack enters the week scoring 12.9 PPG with a team-leading 8.5 PPG and 12 blocks to go with 23 assists and 12 steals while shooting .495.
 
Kellon Johnson is scoring 8.3 PPG and has shot .508 from the floor and .344 from three while also adding nine steals and five blocks on the defensive end. Shelton Henton is tied with Pastorcic-Straun in three-pointers with 16 and is averaging 7.5 PPG with 14 assists and eight steals while shooting .407/.421/.786. Cooper Mroczek is scoring 5.5 PPG thanks to a .366/.321/.800 line while Will Cordonnier is scoring and even 5.0 PPG with 10 of his 19 field goals coming from long range while dishing out 13 assists and recording seven blocks and five steals defensively. Braydon Jacob has also been a key piece off the bench, connecting on 10 three-pointers while dishing out 13 assists and adding six steals while Trent Miner has filled multiple roles this season while amassing 13 assists, six steals and three blocks.
 
For the season, Mines is averaging 79.3 PPG and is +2.5 in scoring margin while shooting .444/.337/.697 compared to .452/.284/.721 by opponents. They average 39.3 RPG and 15.9 APG and are continuing to improve in the turnover battle, lowering their averaging to 12.6 per game but are still -2.6 in TO margin while scoring 12.7 PPG off turnovers. Defensively, the Orediggers average 6.6 steals and 4.1 blocks per game.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
After a 5-1 start to the year, Westminster went 0-2 to open RMAC play with 65-56 and 80-79 losses to CSU Pueblo and UCCS on the road last weekend. Four of WU's five wins this season have come at home, with all four wins being weekend sweeps of UT Dallas (75-62, 90-81) and Navajo Technical University (142-48, 125-61).
 
Three players enter the week scoring better 11.0 PPG for Westminster led by Michael Frazier, who is scoring 12.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG and shooting .569/.318/.786 with nine assists and five steals. Transfer Colin Hayes is second in scoring at 11.5 PPG with 10 steals and eight assists and is shooting .582/.778/.750 while Cole Kadoguchi rounds out the trio with 11.3 PPG and 2.6 RPG with 19 assists and a team-best 24 three-pointers as part of .446/.471/.800 shooting.
 
Boston Painter is scoring 8.4 PPG off the bench with 4.9 RPG and leads the team with six blocks in addition to six steals while shooting a team-leading .769 with just nine missed field goals in 39 attempts. Mitch Jeppesen has scored 7.1 PPG off the bench with 10 assists, six steals and five blocks and is shooting .511 while Tommy Ball is scoring 7.0 PPG with 18 dimes and eight steals with 15 of his 18 field goals being of the three-point variety to back his .419 shooting. Three other players for WU also have 19 assists, as Jonah El-Farra (6.9 PPG, 4 STL, .595 FG%), Jake Nadauld (5.4 PPG, 8 STL, .485 FG%) and Nick Holland (4.4 PPG, 9 STL, .438 3FG%) have all been key facilitators for a teams that is second in the RMAC with 150 assists.
 
Taking into account the two lopsided wins following Thanksgiving, Westminster is averaging an RMAC-best 89.1 PPG and is +21.1 in scoring margin. The Griffins have shot .508/392/.664 this season compared to .380/.350/.727 by opponents and average 42.0 RPG for a +10.6 rebounding margin. WU averages 18.8 APG and 10.9 turnovers per game and are +3.3 in turnover margins while scoring almost 20 PPG off turnovers. Defensively, they average 7.6 steals and 2.4 blocks per game.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO MESA
After a 1-3 start to the season, Colorado Mesa has won three of their last four. They are coming off a weekend split to start RMAC play, opening things Thursday with a 92-80 loss to UCCS before bouncing back with a 57-43 win over Colorado Christian. The Mavericks have just one game this weekend set for Saturday at home against Mines as they look to remain unbeaten at Brownson Arena.
 
Under the guidance of second year head coach Mike Dunlap, Ty Allred and Cohenj Gonzales lead the team in scoring this season and are both averaging double figures. Allred, the only player to start all eight games this season, is averaging close to a double-double at 17.8 PPG and 9.5 RPG with 15 assists, six steals and six blocks while shooting .476/.306/.846. Gonzales, a JUCO transfer, is second in scoring at 15.0 PPG and leads CMU with 19 assists and 19 three-pointers while shooting .438/.442/.895. Mason Honeyman is close to joining them in double figures at 9.5 PPG with 11 assists and five steals and is shooting .439/.389/.731.
 
Harvey White is next at 8.0 PPG with 16 assists and leads the team with eight steals and has shot .433 from the floor this season. Another JUCO product Wes Ball is averaging 6.8 PPG with 5.4 RPG and six blocks along with .447 shooting, while NAIA transfer Clayton Jewell is averaging 6.5 PPG and 5.4 RPG off the bench while leading the team with eight blocks and field goal percentage at .543. Ben Henderson meanwhile is scoring 5.5 per night with seven assists and four steals with six of his 14 field goals from beyond the arc.
 
On the season, CMU is averaging 72.6 PPG and is just -0.5 in scoring margin. They have shot .442/.340/.788 this season while opponents have shot .412/.338/.730 and are averaging 38.0 RPG for a +7.4 rebounding margin. The Mavericks also average 11.1 APG and 15.1 turnovers per game for a -4.4 turnover margin while scoring 12.6 PPG off turnovers. Defensively, CMU averages 4.9 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Following their 60-57 win in Salt Lake City last year, Mines improved to 30-29 all-time against Westminster and extended their winning streak in the series to four games. When playing on the road, the Orediggers are 11-19 against the Griffins, with their last loss in the series coming in an 80-78 decision in February of 2022.
 
Against Colorado Mesa, the Orediggers are 34-56 in 90 all-time meetings and are 14-29 all-time on the road. Mines won last season's matchup in Golden 65-58 to snap a two-game losing streak which included a 98-81 loss in Grand Junction in February of 2024. Over the last 10 meetings going back to the 2020-21 season, the Mavericks hold a 6-4 edge.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The final games of the 2025 calendar year await the Orediggers December 20 and 21 as they'll return to the DII Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada against #RV MSU Billings and Rollins.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines men's basketball on X and Instagram at @minesmbb. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, X and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.