This Week's Matchup
UCCS Men's Basketball will be back on their home court on Saturday, Dec. 11 as the Mountain Lions host Colorado School of Mines at 7:30 p.m. inside Gallogly Events Center.
 
Game Coverage
Live Stream: https://www.rmacnetwork.com/gomountainlions/
Live Stats: https://gomountainlions.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
 
Last Time Out

• UCCS rolled into conference play last weekend with a 5-1 record and walked out with a 7-1 overall record and 2-0 RMAC record after defeating Colorado State University Pueblo and Adams State University on the road.
• The Mountain Lions bagged a 17-point win over the ThunderWolves last Friday after recording a 52.5 field-goal percentage (31-of-59) while out-rebounding CSU Pueblo 47-29. A total of 11 different Mountain Lions scored in the game as sophomore Alijah Comithier led the way with a game-high 30 points.
• On Saturday, UCCS went up to Alamosa, Colo. to take on the then 5-2 ASU Grizzlies as a second conference win came the Mountain Lions' way after an 85-78 win. Comithier showed out once again with his first career double-double off 23 points and 10 rebounds with the Mountain Lions holding the RMAC's top shooting team to their second lowest shooting percentage of the season at 49.2 percent (30-of-61).

RMAC Records/Standings

• The RMAC's first weekend of conference play leaves just four teams at 2-0 with Regis University, UCCS, Black Hills State University, and Westminster College all recording two wins last weekend.
• At an overall record of 7-1 and 2-0 RMAC record, both Regis and UCCS sit atop the RMAC Standings with the Rangers currently on a seven-game win streak.

National/Regional Rankings

• UCCS receives national votes in National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) National Poll for the second time this season.
• For regional voting, the Mountain Lions are voted fifth in the South Central Region for D2SIDA's (Division II Sports Information Director Association) Regional Poll.

The Series

• UCCS and Mines are slated to play in their 48^th all-time game against one another with the Orediggers holding a 36-11 record over the Mountain Lions. CSM carries a two-game win streak into Saturday's matchup with UCCS' last victory dating back to Nov. 30, 2019 where the Mountain Lions won at a final score of 82-77.

Scouting Colorado School of Mines

• Mines (3-3, 1-1 RMAC) split their RMAC contests last weekend by dropping the conference opener to Regis, 62-66, and topping South Dakota School of Mines, 64-62.
• Through six games, the Orediggers have matched their loss count to last season (18-3, 14-1 RMAC) with the conference's second worst offense (66.2 points per game) and the RMAC's best defense (59.5 points per game).
• The Oredigger defense is holding offenses to an average field-goal percentage of 39.9 percent as they claim a 44.5 field-goal percentage that's made up of a three-point percentage of 32.1 percent (45-of-140) and free-throw percentage of 71.2 percent (52-of-73).
• Senior guard Ben Boone has started every game for Mines and leads the Orediggers in scoring (16.3 PPG), rebounds (30), and assists (15). With 18 made three-pointers, Boone is second in the conference for three-point field-goals per game at 3.3 as he's shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 45 percent from long range.
• Fellow senior Brendan Sullivan has been a key contributor for Mines with a 15.3 scoring average and the team's highest field-goal percentage at 53.6 percent (37-of-69). Sullivan has gathered 29 rebounds including 23 on the defensive side of the ball as he paces the team in blocks (seven) and steals (8).

Hot Takes

• The Mountain Lions (7-1, 2-0 RMAC) have been a force on both sides of the ball this season as one of the best rebounding teams in the nation (10^th, 370) who posts a rebound margin of 17.8 that ranks number one in all of Division II. At 46.25 rebounds per game, UCCS ranks second in the country and has garnered the nation's third most defensive rebounds per game (32.00).
• On the offensive end, UCCS is second in the RMAC and 10^th in DII with a field-goal percentage of 52.7 percent as they are dishing out the fifth most assists per game in the country with 20.1.
• Currently outscoring the opposition 89.9-65.4 per game, the Mountain Lions have notched a scoring margin of 24.5 that ranks atop the RMAC and fifth in DII.
• At 22.7 points per game, Alijah Comithier is third in the conference and leads the Mountain Lions in scoring as he shoots his way to a 58.8 percent field-goal percentage.  
• Nine different Mountain Lions are shooting better than 50 percent from the field with William Becker pacing UCCS with a 77.8 percent field-goal percentage as he averages 8.8 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. Becker has also managed to swat 14 shots for the conference lead with Johnnie Jones III joining in on the fun by registering 12 blocks to help give UCCS an average of 4.8 blocks per game.
• Both Jezza McKenzie and Jon'il Fugett have found their shot from beyond the arc with 17 and 14 made three-pointers, respectively. Fugett is currently averaging 10.8 points per game and leads the team with 10 steals on the season as McKenzie has brought in a team high 52 boards and owns the RMAC's best assist turnover ratio at 4.8.
• Parker Gaddis continues to give out assists with a conference's second most assists (42) at an RMAC best 5.3 assists per game.

UCCS Under Head Coach Jeff Culver

• Jeff Culver, who led UCCS to its first RMAC championship in program history, is in his 10th season as the Head Coach of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball program in 2021-22. He's coached the only NBA Draft pick and the only All-Americans in program history in the past eight years.
• In 10 seasons as head coach, Culver holds a .559 winning percentage with a 145-112 overall record that includes, seven RMAC Tournament appearances, one RMAC Tournament Championship, a 5-6 RMAC Tournament record, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and a 1-2 NCAA Tournament record.

Upcoming Games

• UCCS Men's Basketball will head back on the road next week as the Mountain Lions face Chadron State College at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18 and Black Hills State on Saturday, Dec. 19. Both games will tip-off at 4 p.m.

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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.