Playoff Atmosphere For CMU Season Finale

The playoffs don't begin until next week, but it will be a playoff atmosphere this weekend when the Colorado Mesa basketball Mavericks close out the regular season against Adams State and Fort Lewis.

The Mavericks men's team is battling for the #4 spot in the conference, which would give them a home game next Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the RMAC Shootout. Heading into the weekend, the Mavs are tied with Fort Lewis at 14-6, one game behind fourth-place CSU Pueblo. Regardless of what happens this weekend the Mavericks have earned a playoff berth.

This weekend's games will both be tough. The Mavericks beat Adams State and Fort Lewis earlier in the season on the road, but both teams are in the playoffs and battling for position. The Grizzlies have been playing extremely well - losing to highly touted Metro State by 5 last weekend, but beating UCCS a couple of weeks by 13.

Fort Lewis beat first place Colorado Mines earlier in the season and knocked off Metro State last weekend, so there is no question the matchup with the Skyhawks will be a stiff challenge for Colorado Mesa. CMU Head Coach Andy Shantz says the match up with Fort Lewis is always a good game.

Meanwhile, the Maverick women(17-3) head into the weekend in first place in the RMAC, with a one game lead on second place UCCS. Two wins by UCCS and one CMU loss would mean the teams would be  co-champions, but UCCS likely would get the #1 seed in the RMAC Tournament.

The Mavericks are riding a 49-game home winning streak - and if the streak is still in tact after the weekend they will have earned the conference title outright as well as the #1 seed in the RMAC Shootout. But it won't be easy. While Adams State sits near the bottom of the conference standings at 4-16, the Grizzlies are coming off a win over Metro State, and two weeks ago a 2-point loss to UCCS. The Mavs beat the Grizzlies 75-58 back in December.

Saturday night's matchup with Fort Lewis could be a thriller. The Skyhawks begin the weekend in 5th place, but with a chance to get to #4. The Skyhawks have won three straight with wins over UCCS, Metro State, and Regis. This game truly could go either way.

The Mavs begin the weekend seeded #2 in the South Central Region. Last year at this time, they were undefeated before losing to Fort Lewis in the last game of the season. The loss cost the Mavs a #1 seed in the Regional, forcing them to go on the road for that part of the NCAA tournament.

The games begin Friday and Saturday at 5:30 at Brownson Arena in Grand Junction, with the men's game at around 7:30. You can hear the games on ESPN Radio 1230 and on line at www.1230espn.com. Saturday is senior night and it's a white out night. All Maverick fans are encouraged to wear white.