RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines men's basketball team is coming off a fantastic week where they went 3-0 with victories over Black Hills State in non-conference play and road victories over UCCS and Regis to begin conference play.
This weekend they begin home RMAC play with matchups on Friday and Saturday evening against tough opponents in Colorado School of Mines (#23/16) and MSU Denver who are both in the national polls with Colorado School of Mines receiving votes and MSU Denver ranked in both the NABC Coaches' Poll and the D2CSC Media Poll.
GAME INFORMATION
Colorado School of Mines
Date/Time: Dec. 8 / 7:30 p.m. MT
Site: Rapid City, S.D.
Arena: King Center
Series Overall: Colorado School of Mines leads 15-4.
Streak: Colorado School of Mines Won 6
Series at South Dakota Mines: Colorado School of Mines leads 4-3.
Streak at South Dakota Mines: Colorado School of Mines Won 2
Last Meeting: Colorado School of Mines won in Rapid City, 98-92 (2/4/2023).
Watch Live: RMAC Network | www.rmacnetwork.com/sdmines
MSU Denver
Date/Time: Dec. 9 / 6:00 p.m. MT
Site: Rapid City, S.D.
Arena: King Center
Series Overall: MSU Denver leads 14-4.
Streak: MSU Denver Won 1
Series at South Dakota Mines: MSU Denver leads 6-2.
Streak at South Dakota Mines: MSU Denver Won 3
Last Meeting: MSU Denver won in Rapid City, 75-63 (2/3/2023).
Watch Live: RMAC Network | www.rmacnetwork.com/sdmines
RAMA ROAMING THE LEADERBOARD
Alejandro Rama has been the leader of the team so far this season. He has been dangerous in several categories and is among the conference leaders in many stats. Rama averages 18.2 points per game (5th RMAC), 3.0 assists per game (8th RMAC), 5.8 rebounds per game (12th RMAC), 1.25 blocks per game (5th RMAC) and 2.25 steals per game (5th RMAC). He is also among the leaders in shooting, hitting 42% from the field (23rd RMAC) and 35.9% from three-point range (11th RMAC). Rama also hits the third most three-pointers per game with 2.9 made per contest.
Rama is coming off a week where he earned the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week for his play last week, scoring 58 points on 44.2% shooting. He also averaged six assists per game and five steals along with three blocks.
THREE-POINT THREATS
Rama isn't the only shooter having success for the Hardrockers, as Keagen Smith and Cameron Cohn are among the best in the RMAC as well. Smith has been money all season long, hitting 50% of his shots from distance thus far, the second-best mark in the conference. Cameron Cohn is also hitting at a successful rate of 34.7%, good for 12th in the RMAC. Cohn is ninth in the league in three-pointers made per game (2.1), while Smith is 11th. Kolton Frugoli is also hitting them at a high rate despite not qualifying for the conference leaderboard. He has made 7 of 18 of his attempts from distance for a percentage of 38.9.
FANTASTIC FROSH
The Hardrockers have gotten key contributions this season from a pair of freshmen in redshirt freshman Abel Hutchinson and true freshman Ethan Bruns. Bruns has played in each game thus far, making a start and averaging 12 minutes per game. His minutes have tailed off a bit in the most recent games but he continues to contribute as a rebounder and on the defensive end. Hutchinson has stepped up more recently, playing in each of the past four contests and getting double-digit minutes in each. Most recently, against Regis, he scored 10 points in 20 minutes, while also grabbing seven rebounds.
DEFENSE WINS GAMES
The Hardrockers have made a 180-degree turn in their defensive effort from the 2022-23 season. They have turned up the heat in terms of ball pressure and are contesting shots all across the floor. As a result, the Hardrockers are allowing 68 points per game, third-best in the RMAC. Opponents shoot 41.9% from the field and just 28.4% from three-point range. Those numbers are good for fifth and second-best in the league.
PLAY CLEAN BASKETBALL
The Hardrockers have also significantly improved their turnover rate from 2022-23. Currently, they lead the RMAC in turnovers, averaging just 11.1 per game. They don't force a ton (12.9), but the 1.75 margin is fourth best in the conference.
RECENT RESULTS
The Hardrockers are coming off a very impressive week, winning three games, including their first two RMAC contests. First, SDM went up the road to Spearfish, knocking off a Black Hills State team that was receiving votes by a score of 77-69. Rama posted a near double-double in this one, scoring 22 and adding nine rebounds. He also added six assists. Cohn scored 19 while Smith added 11. Jasper Reinalda also made big contributions down the stretch with a big dunk and an and-1 in the second. Against UCCS, it was a defensive game in which neither team was able to get much going on the offensive end. Advantage South Dakota Mines as they emerged with a 70-68, last-minute victory. Cohn led with 18 points, while Rama added 16. Smith and Frugoli scored 11 each. Rama added eight assists and led in rebounding with six. Finishing up the week was Regis and the Hardrockers controlled this one throughout, scoring 41 points in each half and having five players score in double digits. Frugoli scored 21, while Rama added 20. Smith and Cohn scored 14 and Hutchinson added 10 and led the team with seven boards.
SCOUTING COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
The Orediggers retooled this year, losing three all-conference athletes from the previous season. That did not deter expectations, however, as the Orediggers were selected to finish third in the RMAC preseason poll and came into the season ranked at #18 in the NABC Coaches' Poll.
Their schedule has been challenging to begin the season, taking on three top-25 teams and coming away victorious in two of them. Overall, they are 5-3 with losses to Bentley and Colorado Mesa who were #16 and 18 at the time of the matchups.
Majok Deng joined the team as a transfer from Division I Pepperdine and has emerged as their best player immediately, averaging 17.1 points per game on 45.7% shooting and 43.8% from three. Those numbers are ninth, 18th and seventh in the RMAC. Cade Mankle is their only other player in double figures, averaging 12 points per game on 54.5% shooting (7th RMAC) and 36.4% from three. Alex Romack is their leading rebounder averaging a staggering 8.8 per game in just 24.3 minutes per game.
As a team, they challenge you at the rim, leading the RMAC in blocks per game with 3.8. They are also efficient, sitting in fourth in Assist to turnover ratio, fifth in assists per game and top five in field goal percentage, field goal percentage allowed, rebounding and scoring defense.
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
The Roadrunners are an experienced squad this season, returning nine players from last year's team.
That experience has paid off early this season as they have challenged themselves and seen the rewards. They defeated a top-10 team in West Texas A&M and another team that was in the polls at the time in Fort Hays State in their first seven games which were unblemished. Their only loss thus far, came in their most recent outing against the Mavericks of Colorado Mesa who are currently ranked 15th in the NABC Coaches' Poll.
Their offense is the strong suit as they score over 82 points per contest on 51.4% shooting and 43.7% from three-point range. Those percentages lead the RMAC and are 14th and 3rd at the NCAA Division II level.
Brayden Maldonado and Caleb McGill are two of the top scorers in the league, averaging 18.8 and 17.6 points per game. Also in double figures are Marlo Lacy Jr. and KJ Garrett. Lacy nearly averages a double-double each night, grabbing 9.9 rebounds per contest and McGill averages 1.5 blocks per game.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following this weekend, the Hardrockers close the 2023 calendar year with a pair of road games next weekend at CSU Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands. Those matchups are set for 7:30 p.m. and 7:00 tip-offs.
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 13 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.
