#RMACmbb Weekly Release: Week 14
Full Release
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Just one game remains in the RMAC Men’s Basketball regular season, but there is still plenty to be decided.
One thing that won’t be decided on the last night of the regular season is which team earned the No. 1 seed in the RMAC Shootout. That honor would go to Fort Lewis, who locked up the outright RMAC Championship this weekend with wins over New Mexico Highlands and Western New Mexico.
The Skyhawks have won 11 straight and have vaulted all the way to No. 9 in the national rankings. They will host a First Round game in the RMAC Shootout on Tuesday, March 1. If they win that game, they’ve earned the right to host the semifinals and finals March 4-5.
The three other host sits for the RMAC Shootout First Round have also been determined. Colorado Mines, MSU Denver and Colorado Mesa have all clinched top-four seeds, though the final seeding is yet to be determined. All three schools will host first-round contests.
Colorado Mines will clinch the second seed with a win on Friday against Colorado Christian. MSU Denver will clinch the three seed with a win over UCCS.
There is also plenty left to be determined among the lower seeds of the RMAC Shootout. UCCS and New Mexico Highlands remain tied at 13-8 in conference play. UCCS will clinch the five seed with a win over MSU Denver.
Adams State sits at 12-9 in RMAC play, one game behind UCCS and New Mexico Highlands. The Grizzlies play Fort Lewis on Friday, while New Mexico Highlands takes on Western New Mexico.
CSU-Pueblo controls the eighth and final spot in the Shootout and needs a win to clinch that eight seed. The ThunderWolves are chased by both Colorado Christian and Black Hills State.
Tiebreaker information for RMAC Shootout seeding is explained below.
RMAC Basketball Tiebreaker Information
- Head-to-head record in regular-season conference play is the first tiebreaker - even if only one game is played between the tied games.
- In a scenario where more than two teams are tied - if one of the tied teams swept all the other teams, they would rise to the top in the head-to-head comparison.
- Conversely, if one of the teams was swept by all teams they are tied with, they drop to the bottom in the head-to-head comparison.
- If two teams remain tied after the multiple-team tie has been broken - compare head-to-head again.
- If the two teams split or a multiple-team (3+) tie remains - go to the next step
- Point rating system - conference games only
- Points shall be awarded for each contest played. The points shall be awarded as follows:
- 7 points - win over a .750 or better team on the road
- 6.5 points - win over a .750 or better team at home
- 6 points - win over a .500 or better team on the road
- 5 points - win over a .500 or better team at home
- 4.5 points - win over a .250 or better team on the road
- 4 points - win over a .250 team or better at home
- 3.5 points - win over an under .250 team on the road
- 3 points - win over an under .250 team at home
- 2.5 points - loss at home or on the road to a .750 or better team
- 2 points - loss to a .500 or better team at home or on the road
- 1 points - loss to a .250 or better team at home or on the road
- .5 points - loss to an .250 team on the road
- 0 points - loss to an under .250 team at home
- Compare win-loss percentage vs. teams who finished highest in standings in descending order until an advantage is gained.
- Coin flip
RMAC Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week
Ryan Stephan - Colorado Mesa, Sr.
Lakewood, Colo.
Stephan notched a huge milestone over the weekend, becoming just the third 2,000-point scorer in Colorado Mesa history. He achieved that distinction in impressive fashion, dropping a career-high 45 points to pass the 2,000-point barrier on Saturday vs. Regis. The senior averaged 33.5 points per game for the weekend. His 26.1 points per game on the year leads the conference and is second most in the nation. He also pulled down 12.5 rebounds per contest in the two games this week.
RMAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week
Gokul Natesan - Colorado Mines, Jr.
Santa Clara, Calif.
For the second straight week Natesan picked up Defensive Player of the Week honors. He averaged three steals and a block per game over two games, while helping extend Colorado Mines’ winning streak to nine games. He racked up three steals in both games while averaging 3.5 rebounds. On the offensive end he averaged 15 points and three assists per game.