DENVER – In the on-again, off-again nature of college basketball during the COVID-19 era, the MSU Denver men's basketball season is back on again.
The Roadrunners were off last weekend as the lone game on the schedule – a home date with Fort Lewis – was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. It delayed a four-game MSU Denver winning streak that included three straight road victories.
MSU Denver looks to continue that success this weekend as it heads back out on the road for games Friday at Colorado Mesa at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at Westminster at 7 p.m.
"It's probably one of the hardest road trips in the RMAC, not just because of the travel, but also who you're playing," MSU Denver coach
Michael Bahl said. "We'll see two really good teams. Mesa is on a (six-game) winning streak, and Westminster is healthy now and playing really well.
"It's a tough road trip, but we're in a pretty good spot, too, and we're prepared and excited about this trip."
The MSU Denver-Fort Lewis game has been rescheduled for Feb. 21.
Going two weeks between games while on a winning streak had both positive and negative outcomes for MSU Denver (11-2 overall, 5-2 RMAC).
"You always want to play when you're supposed to play," Bahl said. "And at this time of year, when you're practicing a ton, missing a game isn't a good thing. But is also allowed us to get healthy. We had a couple of people banged up and they were able to get extra recovery time, which is always good."
MSU Denver has four veterans averaging in double figures (
Ra'Shawn Langston, 17.3 points per game;
Laolu Oke, 14.5;
Miles Gibson, 14.2; and
Tyrei Randall, 12.5) and has steady veteran point guard
Keyshaad Dixon running the show as well as senior leader
Maris Colton contributing across the board. Meanwhile, as the season enters its second half, newcomers such as true freshman point guard
Keiren Brown are starting to take the next step.
"He wasn't at full strength after an injury in the summer, and he was thrown into the deep end with practice and conditioning – which is hard enough for any freshman, but it's even harder when you aren't fully healthy," Bahl said. "But he's done a great job with his body, and the Christmas break was really good for him. He's becoming the kind of player we knew he could be. He has such a high basketball IQ and sees the game at such a high level, I think he's primed to make a big run the last two months of the season."
MSU Denver is also hoping to make a big run in the final two months of the season.
MSU Denver played perhaps its best game of the season in the first meeting with Colorado Mesa (13-5, 7-2), rolling to a 73-50 win on Dec. 5. The win over Mesa came one day after an 81-66 home loss to Westminster in the league opener.
"We definitely played really well, and I don't think Mesa played its best game – they had a couple of different players out," Bahl said. "They're playing much better now, and they're really good at home. It will be a different game from the first time. They're improved and we've cleaned up some things from that first game – we weren't perfect that day either."
