Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Mesa is the favorite heading into the 2021-22 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Men’s Basketball season, the league announced Wednesday. The announcement comes along with the full 2021-22 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. The RMAC preseason men’s basketball coaches poll is voted on by the league’s 15 head coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their program.
 
The Mavericks earned 192 points and 12 of 15 first-place votes to top preseason voting. In addition to its preseason conference ranking, Colorado Mesa was tabbed No. 4 in the 2021-22 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Preseason Division II Poll, racking up 299 points and one first-place vote. CMU aims to defend its regular-season and RMAC tournament titles after cruising to an 18-1 mark in conference play before earning three wins to seal the RMAC Tournament championship last season. Georgie Dancer and Ethan Menzies return for the Mavericks after being named NABC First Team All-West Region selections last season. Reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year Christopher Speller will also hit the court this season for the Mavericks. Mike DeGeorge looks to have his Colorado Mesa squad in shape after being named the 2020-21 NABC  All-West Region Coach of the Year.
 
Colorado School of Mines checks in at No. 2 in the RMAC preseason poll after securing 183 points and one first-place vote. Led by head coach Pryor Orser, the Orediggers were tabbed No. 5 in the NABC preseason poll after completing last season with an 18-3 overall record and 14-1 mark in conference play. Kobi Betts, Ben Boone and reigning RMAC Player of the Year Brendan Sullivan return for Mines after leading their squad to an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in the 2020-21 season. Colorado School of Mines closed out the 2020-21 campaign ranked third in the nation for scoring defense, limiting opponents to 61.9 points per game.
 
Black Hills State ranks third in the RMAC preseason poll with 163 points and one first-place vote. The Yellow Jackets closed out last season ranked seventh nationally in field-goal percentage, shooting 51-percent on the year. Black Hills State closed out the 2020-21 campaign with an 11-7 overall mark and a 10-6 record in RMAC play, earning a berth in the RMAC Tournament semifinal contest. Joel Scott and Sindou Cisse return for the Yellow Jackets after earning all-conference distinctions last season.
 
University of Colorado Colorado Springs checks in at No. 4 with 134 points in preseason voting. Fort Lewis rounds out the top five with 132 points and the league’s final first-place vote. New Mexico Highlands sits in sixth place with 116 points, followed by Metropolitan State University of Denver in seventh place with 115 points. Regis occupies the eighth-place position with 106 points, just ahead of South Dakota Mines in ninth place and Westminster in 10th place with 88 points and 83 points, respectively.
 
Adams State garners 78 points for 11th place, while Chadron State earns 62 points for the No. 12 position. Western Colorado sits in 13th place (58 points), followed by Colorado Christian in 14th (36 points) and 15th-place Colorado State University Pueblo (29 points).

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