DENVER – A shortened season isn't forgiving to slow starts, but as the final weekend of the regular season looms, the MSU Denver men's basketball team has an opportunity to battle its way into the postseason.
 
"All you can ask for is to put yourself in a situation where, at the end of the year, you have something to play for," MSU Denver coach Michael Bahl said. "I've told the guys that they want to be rewarded for all the hard work and sacrifice and the adversity they've gone through and to just stay present. Like (assistant) coach (Jeremy) Johnston said, to 'be where your feet are.' Don't get too far ahead of yourselves. Our biggest game is our next one, and Chadron State is the next one."
 
MSU Denver, after a 4-6 start, has now won four straight games to improve to 8-6 overall and is 8-5 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
A potential first-round home game in the RMAC Tournament as a top-four seed is definitely on the line at Auraria Event Center this weekend, as Chadron State (5-4, 5-4) comes to town for a 7:30 p.m. game Friday, followed by red-hot Black Hills State (9-5, 9-5) at 6 p.m. Saturday.
 
The Roadrunners themselves would fit the mold of a red-hot team, but after having their last two games canceled due to the COVID-19 concerns, they'll have an 11-day break before Friday's game.
 
"You never really want to have a break like this, but you do want to go into a break feeling pretty good," Bahl said. "At the same time, you always have a concern when there's a long layoff between games. But this group has handled adversity really well, shown the ability to overcome obstacles. So we expect to play our best."
 
Chadron State had a three-week break before returning to action last week, losing Feb. 16 at Black Hills State before earning a nice 63-60 home win over South Dakota Mines.
 
"They're a scrappy, blue-collar team," Bahl said. "They play incredibly hard. They're a little undersized across the board, but they will compete their tails off. It will be competitive and it will be a battle."
 
Black Hills State, meanwhile, hasn't lost since MSU Denver came out with an 84-83 overtime win in Spearfish, S.D., on Jan. 29. The Yellow Jackets will be playing their seventh game in 15 days on Saturday.
 
"They're really starting to figure things out and are playing really well right now," Bahl said. "Their young kids are stepping up, and when you have a player the caliber of Joel Scott, one of the best players in our league, that really helps. But we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. Chadron State is where our attention is right now."