#5/6 Mines (23-3, 17-1) at UCCS (16-10, 10-8) – Thursday, 7 p.m. – Colorado Springs, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#5/6 Mines (23-3, 17-1) at CSU Pueblo (11-15, 6-12) – Saturday, 6 p.m. – Pueblo, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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REGULAR SEASON WRAP-UP
With the 2024-25 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title already in hand, the #5/6 Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team hits the road to close out the regular season this week with trips to Colorado Springs and Pueblo to take on UCCS Thursday night and CSU Pueblo Saturday evening.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
This week's games will be streamed free of charge on the RMAC Network. Free live stats will also be available. Links for video and stats can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
AT THE HELM
The 2024-25 season will be the 24th 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 468-230 overall and a mark of 334-156 in league play. Under Orser, Mines has won five RMAC regular-season championships and two RMAC Tournament titles and qualified for 13 NCAA Tournaments including two Elite Eight trips. 
 
IN THE POLLS
The Orediggers were tabbed the preseason favorites to win the RMAC this season, earning 11 of 14 first place ballots and compiling 191 points. MSU Denver was picked to finish second followed by Regis, Black Hills State and Colorado Mesa.
 
In this week's Top 25 polls, Mines made their return to the top five in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll for the first time in four seasons while moving up to #6 in the D2CSC Media Poll. The first four teams in the coaches poll remained the same as Daemen took 11 first places votes this week followed by Nova Southeastern with five in second. Alabama Huntsville and Washburn remained three and four as the Orediggers moved up two spots and replaced Dallas Baptist as the final team in the top five.
 
Meanwhile the top three in the media poll remained the same with Nova Southeastern leading the way behind seven first place ballots followed by Daemen with five. Washburn earned one in third while Alabama Huntsville moved up to fourth and West Liberty to fifth after DBU dropped to #10.
 
The first ordered regional rankings came out Wednesday and saw mines atop the South Central Region followed by Dallas Baptist

WEEK 14 RECAP
It was a week to remember for the Orediggers as they went 2-0 on short rest, going to MSU Denver Tuesday night and collecting a gritty 66-61 win before blowing the doors off Regis at Rock The Lock 83-52 and securing the RMAC Championship in the process.
 
Tuesday night downtown, Markus Pastorcic-Straun shined with 17 points on 8-13 shooting with three dimes and two steals. Riley Schroeder scored 16 on 6-12 shooting with four rebounds while Cade Mankle added 11 on 5-8 from the floor. Adam Krasovec went for nine and had a big night on the glass with five rebounds as Mines shot 49.1% for the game while holding the Roadrunners to 36.2 %.
 
Thursday night at Lockridge Arena, it was all Orediggers from the opening tip. Majok Deng led four in double figures with 13 points on 5-10 shooting including a 3-6 night from deep. Reagan Koch and Pastorcic-Straun both ended with 11 with Koch hauling in four rebounds as Pastorcic-Straun went 5-5 from the floor with three dimes and three steals. Mankle added 10 with four rebounds and four assists while Krasovec dished out six assists and was one of three with eight points alongside Riley Schroeder and Juani Dassie. Mines shot 58.2% from the field in the game while Regis shot only 37.3%.
 
FOR ALL TIME
Currently in his 24th season leading the Orediggers, head coach Pryor Orser has seen a thing or two and is subsequently no stranger to milestone moments and record-setting success. On January 20 of last season, the legendary coach added another to his list of accomplishments, becoming the winningest coach in terms of conference wins in the history of the RMAC with 310 and counting. Just weeks later in February, Orser broke another conference record, this time for the most overall wins by a head coach in league history with a 74-56 win over Chadron State, giving him 442 for his career to again pass the great Bob Hofman who made a mark on RMAC history at Fort Lewis and Western Colorado over his 24 seasons between the two institutions. With seemingly no plans to hang it up anytime soon and enjoying another successful season this year, Orser has the potential to set a record that could stand for just as long, if not longer, than the previous mark as another point on an already remarkable resume in a coaching career matched by only a few.
 
RMAC RESET
Seven of the eight spots in the 2025 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship have been secured over the past two weekends with one spot still up for grabs the final week of regular season actions. Mines locked up the number one seed and the league title Thursday night and stands at 17-1. MSU Denver and Regis are currently tied for second at 13-5 while the 11-7 trio of Colorado Mesa, fort Lewis and Black Hills State are tied for fourth. UCCS is alone in seventh at 10-8 while currently Chadron State holds the eighth and final spot with a mark of 9-9. Three 7-11 teams are currently on the outside looking in and will need some help to steal the final spot as Westminster, Adams State and Colorado Christian look to sneak into the postseason.
 
Westminster started the league week Tuesday at Western Colorado and finishes out their season at home against Colorado Mesa Thursday. Chadron Stats hosts Fort Lewis and Adams State as the Grizzlies begin their weekend against Black Hills State. Colorado Christian meanwhile plays host to Regis and MSU Denver while CSU Pueblo has the Roadrunners and Orediggers at home. Suffice to say, there could definitely be some scoreboard watching going on as teams await their postseason fate.
 
BENCH MOB    
Mines' depth has been a massive part of their success this season with their bench being just as good, if not better than, the starting five at times. The Orediggers' reserves have now combined to record five 50-point performances this season and tied their season-high with 55 points in the win against CSU Pueblo last month. When looking at the national rankings, Mines is third nationally in bench points at 39.35 per game and is one of four teams in NCAA Division II that has gotten over 1,000 points from their reserves along with Coker, Ferris State and Barton. Headlined by Markus Pastorcic-Straun, the nine players that come off the bench on a nightly basis will continue to play a pivotal role with the postseason moving ever closer.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS
Surveying the RMAC leaderboards, several Orediggers find themselves at or near the top of the league in several categories. Majok Deng enters the week fourth in scoring at 15.2 PPG, 13th in field goal percentage at .462 and is the best free throw shooter in the RMAC at .879 (94-107). Juani Dassie is second in three-point percentage at .447 (46-103) while Grant Pressly is fifth in assists at 94 and leads the RMAC in assist/turnover ratio at 3.0, the only player above 2.2 in the conference. Jonathan Moore is now alone in seventh with 21 blocks while Markus Pastorcic-Straun is 16th in steals with 32.
 
As a team, Mines is second in the RMAC in scoring at 83.4 PPG, trailing only Adams State and is one of just two teams scoring more than 80 per game while boasting the second-best scoring defense at 68.7 PPG. The Orediggers are tops in the league with a .507 field goal percentage as the only team shooting better than 50% from the floor this season, and are second in three-point percentage at .381. Their 241 three-pointers are second in the league while defensively Mines is fifth and third in opponent field goal and opponent three-point percentage. The Orediggers are fifth in the RMAC in rebounding average and sixth in total rebounds while showcasing their ability on the offensive glass, ranking fourth in offensive boards. They also lead the league in assist/turnover ratio at 1.46 thanks to a league-leading 489 assists against 335 turnovers. The only team with 450 or more assists in the RMAC so far this season, the Orediggers are also third in blocked shots with 87 and are fourth in steals with 213.
 
NATIONAL STATS
The Orediggers can find themselves in several places among the national statistical leaders as team this season. Currently, Mines is seventh in the country in assists per game at 18.8 and third nationally in bench points at 39.35 PPG while their 14.0 scoring margin is good for sixth. The Orediggers are also 21st in assist/turnover ratio at 1.46, eighth in field goal percentage at 50.7% and 25th in three-point percentage at 38.1%.
 
MILESTONE MEN
Caleb Clark needs just three more points to get to 100 in his career and went over 50 rebounds on last weekend's road trip. Juani Dassie is over 100 career field goals and needs 16 more three-pointers to get to the century mark as well.
 
Majok Deng is over 1,000 points in his collegiate career and with another 50 he'll be a 1,000-point scorer as an Oredigger. He's now over 300 field goals and now has 254 rebounds. Reagan Koch needs eight assists to get to 150 as he went over 450 points this weekend and is 19 treys back of 100 blowing past 200 rebounds in his career.
 
Adam Krasovec is seven points away from 700 in his career while three more assists will see Cade Mankle hit the 200 mark in his career to go with 56 steals on the defensive end. Grant Pressly got 12 rebounds of the weekend and now has 200 in his career while his next eight points will put him at 150. He also has a chance to hit 200 assists as well, currently residing at 183.
 
Alex Romack went over 500 points last time out against Westminster while Riley Schroeder's march to 1,000 continues at 946. Schroeder also has 397 rebounds and his last steal was his 60th.
 
GETTING THAT SILVER
Grant Pressly and Reagan Koch each completed their undergraduate degrees in May and collected their silver-plated diplomas as they walked across the stage and are back for more as both have begun graduate programs. Pressly, a fifth-year man out of Plano, Texas earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Engineering and Management Science while Koch needed just three years to graduate with a degree in in Mechanical Engineering. Both men are currently pursuing graduate degrees in Engineering and Technology Management.
 
CHECKING THE STATS
Three Orediggers average better than 10 points per game for the season headlined by Majok Deng at 15.2 PPG on .462/35/.879 shooting with 27 steals and 16 assists to go with 3.8 RPG. Riley Schroeder's career year sees him enter the week at 12.1 PPG on .534 shooting from the floor and .396 from deep with 3.4 RPG, 47 assists, 14 steals and 13 blocked shots.
 
Marlus Pastorcic-Straun is netting 10.8 PPG off the bench on .551 shooting and is .781 at the line this season with 73 assists and a team-best 32 steals. Alex Romack has taken over starting duties in recent weeks and is scoring 9.6 PPG with 4.6 RPG while shooting .616 with 30 assists, 23 steals and 13 blocks of his own.
 
Cade Mankle is scoring 7.2 per game and has been playing well the last month as for the season he is now shooting .451 with 71 assists and 29 steals. Juani Dassie nets 7.0 PPG off the bench and is shooting .447 from three-point land with 46 of his 58 field goals being of the three-point variety. Reagan Koch is now scoring 6.8 PPG on .487 shooting bolstered by a .479 season from three and an .811 performance at the stripe. He also has 47 assists and 19 steals to go with six blocks.
 
Big men Adam Krasovec (5.5 PPG, 490 FG%, 27 AST, 10 STL) and Jonathan Moore (5.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, .490 FG%, 21 BLK) are both scoring better than five per night while Moore leads the team and ranks among the RMAC leaders in blocks.
 
Grant Pressly remains among the league leaders in assists with 94 while pulling down 4.5 rebounds per game and collecting 29 steals while Caleb Clark is shooting .426 from the floor and .375 from three.
 
Collectively, Mines averages 83.4 PPG and is +14.8 in scoring margin. they are shooting .507/.381/.751 as a group compared to opponents who have gone .435/.310/.715. They average 35.2 rebounds per game and are +5.0 on the glass and dish out 18.8 assists per game. The Orediggers commit 12.9 turnovers per game and are +0.9 in TO margin, but score 17.5 PPG off 13.8 opponent turnovers. Defensively, they force 8.2 steals and record 3.3 blocks per game.
 
SCOUTING UCCS
The Mountain Lions are 3-3 over their last six and are coming off two losses last weekend to Adams State and New Mexico Highlands by scores of 93-69 and 96-92 as despite the results, they find themselves locked into the RMAC Tournament. A tough team to play at home, UCCS is 9-3 at the Gallogly Events Center this season.
 
Three players are on the north side of 11 PPG scoring for UCCS lead by William Becker who is averaging nearly a double-double for the season at 14.8 PPG and 9.2 RPG while shooting .688 from the floor and .830 at the stripe. He also has 61 assists, 22 steals and is second in the RMAC with 44 blocked shots. Xavier Martinez is scoring 13.2 PPG from his point guard position and is shooting .476/.365/.821 this season with 101, good for second in the league, and 41 steals.
 
Hannes Saar is scoring 11.5 per game on .470 shooting with 4.1 RPG and has 79 assists to his now along with 13 steals. Jezza McKenzie isn't far behind at 9.4 PPG on .451/.367/.746 shooting this season with 5.5 RPG along with 25 steals. Derik Pranger rounds out the starting five with 9.2 PPG and leads UCCS with 37 three-pointers this season, shooting .301 from deep this season as part of a .361 season with 27 assists.
 
Moving down the lineup, Gavin Carter averages 7.7 PPG off the bench on .478 shooting with 21 assists and 10 steals while Santiago Ochoa and Jayden Washington are scoring 3.4 and 3.2 PPG respectively with the former dishing out 25 assists and collecting 20 steals and the latter shooting .375 from the floor with three blocks.
 
As a team, UCCS averages 76.8 PPG and is +3.7 in scoring margin. They shoot .468/.300/.769 as a group while opponents have posted a .457/.354/.686 line. They pull down 35.1 rebounds per game and are +2.2 in rebounding margin. They commit just 11.8 turnovers per game and are just +0.5 in TO margin while netting 13.7 PPG off 12.3 opponent turnovers. Defensively they collected 5.8 steals and register 3.2 blocks per contest.
 
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
The ThunderWolves snapped a six-game winning streak last Thursday with a 102-98 win at Fort Lewis before dropping a 115-110 overtime shootout at Adams State Saturday. They'll host MSU Denver to begin this week before taking on the Orediggers.
 
Entering the final weekend of the season, three ThunderWolves are averaging double figures in scoring led by Brevin Walter at 12.2 PPG as he leads the team with 32 three-point baskets despite shooting just .278 from behind the arc. He is also shooting .376 from the floor and has 57 assists and 17 steals while averaging 3.1 rebounds per game. Armon Muldrew is close behind at 11.9 PPG and is shooting .421 from the floor with 31 three-pointers while leading the team with 72 assists and has 17 steals of his own.
 
De'Shaun Cooper nets 11.4 per night on .627 shooting from inside and is the leading rebounder on the team at 5.6 per game to go with 37 assists, 16 blocks and 12 steals. Victor Lado scores 7.6 off the bench and leads the team with 20 blocked shots while shooting .584 from the floor and .784 from the free throw line. Denim Johnson averages 7.0 PPG on .524 shooting with 18 blocks and is tied for the team lead with 19 steals alongside Jaden Kennis, who averages 6.8 PPG on .365 shooting with 40 assists and 24 three-pointers, and Kesean Bazile who scores 4.9 PPG with 30 assists on .366 shooting with 20 three-pointers.
 
Jake Lafferty (.538 FG%, 6.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 10 STL) and Blair Jordan (.409 FG%, 5.5 PPG, 18 STL) are also ones to watch as part of CSUP's rotation.
 
For the season, CSU Pueblo averages 73.7 PPG and is -0.3 in scoring margin. They are shooting .456/.311/.726 as a team while opponents have shot .436/.310/.732. They average an even 35 rebounds per game and are nearly even in rebounding margin while dishing out 14.6 assists per game. They turn the ball over 13.0 times per game and are -1.2 in TO margin and only score 11.7 PPG off 11.8 opponent turnovers. Defensively they average 5.8 steals and 2.8 blocks per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Following a 107-67 non-conference win in November, Mines is 40-13 all-time against UCCS with a four-game winning streak in the series. When playing away from Golden, the Orediggers are 21-6 with wins in five of their last six trips to Colorado Springs including two in a row by scores of 66-64 and 85-66 in the 2023-24 and 2022-23 seasons.
 
Mines registered a 21-point win against CSU Pueblo at home in January to win their 10th consecutive game in the series, but the ThunderWolves still lead all-time 36-32. The Orediggers are 14-22 all-time as the away team in the series, but have won their last 10 trips to Pueblo dating back to 2010 with their last loss coming in a 67-63 contest in 2009. Last time the teams played at Massari Arena, Mines posted an 85-79 win in overtime in January of last year.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The RMAC Tournament awaits the Orediggers. By winning the league championship last week, Mines will be the #1 seed and host an opponent to be determined in the quarterfinals at Lockridge Arena on Tuesday March 4. Stay tuned to minesathletics.com for the latest information.

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.