THIS WEEK'S MATCH-UP

• The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team returns to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament for the first time since 2022 when they were eliminated in the semifinals.
• Regis University qualifies for their fourth consecutive conference tournament having made a first-round exit for two straight seasons, with last year's elimination being at the hands of Colorado School of Mines, who handed the Rangers a 90-71 loss in Golden, Colo.

GAME COVERAGE

• Information for the RMAC Quarterfinal Round vs the Rangers can be found at the following links:
  • Live Stats
  • Live Stream ($)
  • RMAC Tournament Bracket

TICKETS

• Ticket prices are set at $15 for adults, $10 for Kids ages 6-17, seniors over the age of 65 and military members. Tickets can be purchased online here, it is strongly encouraged that tickets are purchased online before arriving at Regis Fieldhouse.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE NETWORK

• Fans unable to attend in-person will be able to watch the match on the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Network. There is a direct link to the broadcast here, and can also be accessed by clicking the watch button on the men's basketball schedule page. The broadcast will be available by pay per view.

2024-25 REGULAR SEASON IN REVIEW

• The Mountain Lions had a strong start to the season, as they began with a 4-2 record in non-conference action in November and December. Their only two losses during the non-conference schedule came against the then 14^th nationally ranked Colorado School of Mines Orediggers, with the other being the Midwestern State Mustangs who currently sits just outside the national top 25 as the top unranked vote getters.
• The momentum shifted for UCCS as they entered conference play as the Mountain Lions were victorious in just one of their first four RMAC contests.
• After a 89-95 overtime loss to Black Hills State at home, UCCS got back to their winning ways, as they embarked on a season-long five game winning streak, that slingshot their record to 10-4 with a 4-2 mark in conference.
• The streak came to an end with back-to-back losses on the road at Regis and #19 MSU Denver in mid-January, but the Mountain Lions knew what it took to be successful as they turned their attention to the final 12 games of the regular season.
• The end of the season was a mixed bag for the Mountain Lions as the squad battled the exit of several depth players, but with the starting five remaining intact, UCCS was able to battle to seven wins in their final twelve contests, highlighted by their 58-57 upset of the 5^th ranked Colorado School of Mines Orediggers the final weekend of the regular season on home court.

RMAC BRACKET

• The RMAC Tournament Field consists of eight total teams with the number one seed playing the eighth and final seeded team, seed two facing off with seed seven, seed three tilting with seed six, and seed four hosting seed five.
• The Mountain Lions check into the field as the seventh seeded squad, as they are set to take on the second seeded Regis Rangers. With the higher seeds earning hosting privileges for the quarterfinal rounds, UCCS will travel north to Regis Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. tip off on Tuesday, March 4^th.
• The number one seed was secured by the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers behind an impressive 24-4 season, with an 18-2 resume in RMAC conference play.
• Colorado Mesa University occupies the third seed for the quarterfinal round after enjoying a resurgence down the stretch of the season. After opening the conference schedule in last place, the Mavericks embarked on a seven-game winning streak, before falling back to their shooting struggles in late January. On February 8^th, the Mavericks dropped a 73-74 decision to Regis on their home court, but since they are winners of their final six, as they enter the postseason field as the hottest team in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
• MSU Denver checks in as the #4 seed after they got off to an red hot start, but a 1-3 record over their final four games saw them fall out of the runner-up position for the regular season final standings and into the final hosting spot ahead of the quarterfinals.
• Black Hills drew the fifth seed after losing out on the three-way tie for second place due to their regular season head-to-head losses to both MSU Denver and Colorado Mesa. The Yellow Jackets edged out the Fort Lewis Skyhawks with their 13-7 RMAC record, as Fort Lewis checks in as the sixth seed in the postseason landscape.
• UCCS and Chadron State College finished the season in a dead heat at 11-9 in conference action, but UCCS defeated the Eagles in their lone conference meeting back on December 14^th. UCCS captured the 84-79 victory in Colorado Springs, a game that began UCCS' season-long five-game victory spree to close 2024 and begin 2025.
• Match-ups for the first round are as follows with all games being played on Tuesday, March 4^th:
  • (8) Chadron State College vs (1) #5 Colorado School of Mines (7 p.m., Golden, Colo.)
  • (7) UCCS vs (2) Regis (7 p.m., Denver, Colo.)
  • (6) Fort Lewis vs (3) Colorado Mesa (7:30 p.m., Grand Junction, Colo.)
  • (5) Black Hills State vs (4) MSU Denver (6 p.m., Denver Colo.)

RMAC LEADERS

• The Mountain Lions boasted the ninth leading scorer in conference play as William Becker's 14.7 points per game average put him among the best in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Becker was the epitome of reliability for UCCS as he closed the season with the conference's best field goal percentage at 68.7% from the field. Sophomore point guard Xavier Martinez also slotted in the top scorers of the season as his 13.7-point average was 15^th.
• Becker continued to put his name at the top of opponents scouting reports as he finished as the #1 rebounder in the conference, averaging 9.1 rebounds per game. The 6-9 graduate from Aurora, Colo. finished with 254 rebounds, 18 more than the second-place board getter.
• Setting the program record for all-time blocked shots passing Boston Celtics guard Derrick White in the Mountain Lion history book, Becker finished the year second among RMAC defenders in blocked shots with a 1.6 average. Only Yaak Yaak of Colorado Mesa had more, finishing with just two more rejections than William Becker.
• Martinez is one of the conference's premier point men in just his second year of competition with UCCS, and he continues to produce at a high clip, not just individually, but as a facilitator for the Mountain Lions as well. The San Antonio, Texas product finished fourth in the conference in assists with his 3.8 average, also checking in third in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 1.9.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Mountain Lions and Rangers have met 60 times historically with Regis holding a dominant 44-16 record over UCCS in the history of the two programs.
• Jeff Culver coached teams have a 9-13 record vs Regis and are due for a win having lost six straight against the Rangers including their regular season finale.

SCOUTING THE RANGERS

• Junior guard Chase Mayo Harmon leads the offense for Regis men's basketball as he holds a season average of 15.5 points per game. A solid shooter from all areas, May Harmon holds a 43.5% pace from the field, a 34.6% line from three-point range, and is reliable at the free throw line, shooting 83.3%.
• Senior guard Trey Bryant locks down the glass in Denver, averaging nearly five rebounds a game for the Rangers despite his six-foot, one-inch stature in the blue and yellow.
• Much like UCCS, the coaching staff is led by a grizzled veteran of the RMAC in Head Coach Brady Bergeson who completes his tenth season with Regis this spring. Bergeson led the Rangers to the lone RMAC tournament championship in the programs history to cap off the 27-win 2017-18 campaign.

UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH JEFF CULVER

• Head coach Jeff Culver completes his 13^th season at the helm of the UCCS men's basketball program, holding an overall record of 203-160 in his time in Colorado Springs.
• Culver and the Mountain Lions put the finishing touches on their 17-11 regular season which marks the best regular season since the 2021-22 campaign that saw UCCS go 20-8 in the regular season, making it to the RMAC Tournament Semifinals. UCCS would fall the semifinals to Joel Scott and the Black Hills State Yellow Jackets who marched on to the Division II National Semifinals in the NCAA Tournament.
• Jeff Culver has led the Mountain Lions to two NCAA Tournament appearances in his thirteen seasons and is the only UCCS men's basketball coach to qualify for the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament. The Mountain Lions are 1-2 in their three national tournament games.

UP NEXT

• The winner of the RMAC Quarterfinal game will advance to take on the winner of the (3) Colorado Mesa Mavericks vs the (6) Fort Lewis Skyhawks in the RMAC Tournament Semifinals. The highest remaining seed from the quarter final round will host the final four teams on Friday, March 7^th and Saturday, March 8^th for the Semifinal and Championship rounds.

 
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.