RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines men's basketball team will travel to Denver, Colo. this weekend to face Colorado School of Mines and MSU Denver on Friday and Saturday. Tip off for Friday's game will be 7:00 PM in Golden, Colo. against Colorado School of Mines. Saturday's game time is scheduled for 6:00 PM in Denver, Colo. against MSU Denver.
 
Series History
vs. Colorado School of Mines

• The Hardrockers and Orediggers have met a total of 27 times, dating back to 1958.
• Overall, Colorado School of Mines leads the series, 18-9.
• Colorado School of Mines has won 4-in-a-row.
• In Golden, the Orediggers have a 13-1 advantage.

vs. MSU Denver

• The Hardrockers and Roadrunners have met 21 times, with the Hardrockers winning seven of the previous matchups.
• MSU Denver has a four-game winning streak in the series.
• In Denver, MSU Denver has an 8-1 lead in the matchup.

Gold Nuggets

• The Hardrockers have been playing well of late, defeating RV MSU Billings, outscoring #6/5 Black Hills State in the second half, leading for most of the game against UCCS and defeating Regis in overtime.
• South Dakota Mines has a 2-6 record.
• Offensively, the Hardrockers make 7.6 three pointers per game, sitting in 7^th in the RMAC.
• At the charity stripe, the 'Rockers make 75.5% of their attempts, the third best mark in the conference.
• Brevin Walter is fourth in the RMAC in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game.

Scouting Report
CSM

• After an 8-0 start, the Orediggers are ranked #8/10 in the NABC Coaches Poll and the D2SIDA Media Poll.
• They average 80 points per game, and allow just 66.4 per game to their opponents, sitting in the top-5 in the RMAC.
• They shoot 49.7% from the field, the second-best mark in the RMAC.
• The Orediggers take care of the ball, sitting in second in the RMAC in turnover margin (2.63) and assist/turnover ratio (1.38).
• Adam Thistlewood leads them in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game.
• Thistlewood is their leading rebounder as well, averaging 7.8 per game. Both numbers are in the top-10 in the conference.

MSU Denver

• MSU Denver has started the season with a .500 record overall and in-conference.
• The Roadrunner offense shoots the ball well, hitting 47.6% of their attempts from the field.
• Defensively, they are last in the RMAC, allowing opponents to hit 46.2% of their shots.
• Tyrei Randall and Caleb McGill lead the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game (7th RMAC), and 14.8 points per game (14th RMAC).
• McGill hits 59.4% of his shots from the field.
• Brayden Maldonado is a great playmaker, averaging 3.8 assists per game (6th RMAC), and has a 2.3 assist/turnover ratio (2nd RMAC).

About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 10 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.