Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

UCCS Athletics

MBB Preview Graphic vs BHSU

PREVIEW | Men's Basketball Prepares to Face Black Hills in RMAC Quarterfinal

3/2/2026 2:00:00 PM

By: Jake Ross, Assistant Sports Information Director
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 second straight season, with the team falling in overtime of the quarterfinal round last season.
  • Black Hills State prepares for the RMAC Championship Tournament for the ninth straight season, entering the field as the number one seed. Black Hills bested UCCS in both meetings during the regular season.
GAME COVERAGE 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 to the arena.
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 network 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.
2025-26 REGULAR SEASON IN REVIEW
  • The Mountain Lions began the season with a mixed bag of results, playing all six of their non-conference contests away from Colorado Springs. UCCS collected a 3-3 record over their first six games, with wins at Cameron, vs Cal Poly Pomona, and at Western Washington. Their losses came at Midwestern State, vs #12 Cal State, Dominguez Hills, and at Simon Fraser.
  • UCCS then turned things around and won four of their next five games to finish the 2025 calendar year, with home wins over Westminster, Bethany (non-conference), and Western Colorado (non-conference), winning on the road at Chadron State. The only loss in that stretch was a close road game against then #19 ranked Black Hills, who narrowly beat UCCS 97-92.
  • UCCS struggled in January, losing their first two games of the new year at Colorado Christian (88-87), and at home vs CSU Pueblo (82-73) before winning back-to-back games at home over Regis (93-74), and MSU Denver (98-85). They then won just one of their last four games of the month, beating Western Colorado on the road, but losing to New Mexico Highlands, Fort Lewis, and Colorado Mesa all on the road.
  • It was an even split for UCCS in February, as they beat South Dakota Mines at home before losing to Black Hills State on the 5th and 7th respectively, before dropping a midweek contest at CSU Pueblo on February 10th. A home win over Colorado Christian got UCCS back on track, setting the Mountain Lions up to sweep their final road trip of the year with wins at Colorado School of Mines and at Regis. UCCS came home to finish the regular season, but couldn't find their rhythm, falling at home to Adams State and New Mexico Highlands ahead of the start of postseason play.
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 eighth seeded squad, as they are set to take on the first seeded Black Hills State Yellow Jackets. With the higher seeds earning hosting privileges for the quarterfinal rounds, UCCS will travel north to Spearfish, S.D. for a 7 p.m. tip off on Tuesday, March 3rd.
  • The number two seed goes to Colorado Mesa University who finished the regular season with a 19-9 overall record. After enduring a rocky start to the season in November and December, Mesa roars into the postseason having won nine of their last eleven games of regular season action. They will take on the seventh seeded New Mexico Highlands Cowboys who defeated UCCS in the final day of regular season play to claim the seventh seed. Overall Highlands owns a 13-18 record, going 11-9 in RMAC games.
  • Colorado State Pueblo checks in as the third seed, enjoying a renaissance season under first year bench boss Zach Ruebesam who was previously the head assistant coach under Tad Boyle at Division I and UCCS sister campus Colorado-Boulder. Ruebesam took a below .500 team and turned them around to go an impressive 21-7 this year, with a 15-5 mark in conference action. The ThunderWolves are the hottest team entering the conference championship tournament, winners of their last eight games to claim the third seed. They will take on Colorado School of Mines who experienced a regression this season after winning the RMAC regular season and tournament last spring. Colorado School of Mines would reach the Sweet 16 before falling in the NCAA tournament a year ago. Mines finished this season with a 12-8 record in RMAC games, going 16-15 overall but boast plenty of postseason experience and are always a team to watch come March.
  • Fort Lewis, who at times looked like they may top the RMAC regular season, checks in fourth heading into the postseason, losing out to both Mesa and Pueblo in the three-way tie for second at 15-5 in conference. The Skyhawks will play host to Adams State in round one, with the Grizzlies finishing the regular season with a 12-8 mark in RMAC contests, going 18-10 overall. The Grizzlies will have to break ground in Durango, however, as the Skyhawks are 10-0 on home court this winter.
RMAC LEADERS
  • The Mountain Lions are led in scoring by redshirt sophomore big man Marzouq Abdur-Razaaq who was tied 17th in the RMAC in points per game with 14.0. He also leads the Mountain Lions effort off the boards, averaging six rebounds a game, which is 12th most in the conference as he is second in field goal percentage in the league with a mark of 57.5%. The forward missed the last four games of the regular season but UCCS is hopeful of having him back to start the playoffs.
  • Martinez is one of the conference's premier point men in his third 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 third in the conference in assists with his 5.1 average, also checking in fourth in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 2.5. That mark is complimented by Martinez's ability to take the ball away, as he ranked fourth in the conference in steals with a 1.7 per gam average.
  • As a unit, UCCS heads into the tournament with the best offense in the league during the regular season, scoring an average of 87.2 points per game. UCCS also tops the conference in turnover margin, creating 3.32 turnovers per game more than their opponents.
ALL-TIME SERIES
  • The Mountain Lions and Yellow Jackets have met 31 times historically with Black Hills holding a 20-11 record over UCCS in the history of the two programs.
  • Jeff Culver coached teams have a 11-17 record vs BHSU and are due for a win having lost nine straight against the Yellow Jackets.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
  • Redshirt sophomore Cam Lowe is the star of the show in Spearfish, averaging just under 18 points per game for the Yellow Jackets. The Colorado Springs native transferred to Black Hills after starting his career at Division I Colorado State in Fort Collins. Lowe leads his team averaging 31.8 minutes per game and shoots a sizzling 49.4% from the field while hitting 42.2% from long range. Lowe is not just an offensive threat, as he also leads his squad in rebounds, averaging 6.4 boards per game.
  • Redshirt junior Jaeton Hackley is the facilitator for the Yellow Jackets, leading the roster with 120 assists on the season, nearly 50 more than Lowe who sits second with 73.
  • Jack Haggett is the one to be weary of at the basket for UCCS shooters, as he leads the Yellow Jacket defense with 28 blocks on the season, while also swiping 19 steals for the regular season champs.
  • Ryan Thompson is the skipper for BHSU, coaching his eighth season in South Dakota this winter. Thompson owns a very impressive 128-44 record during his tenure and is 1-0 vs UCCS in the postseason.
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH JEFF CULVER
  • Head coach Jeff Culver completes his 14th season at the helm of the UCCS men's basketball program, holding an overall record of 218-174 in his time in Colorado Springs.
  • Culver and the Mountain Lions put the finishing touches on their 15-13 regular season which marks the second consecutive winning season for UCCS, after going 17-12 last winter.
  • 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 the RMAC Final four which will begin Friday hosted by the highest remaining seed.
 
SOCIAL
X – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions
 
For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to gomountainlions.com.
 
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.
 
Print Friendly Version