DENVER – Danger isn't their middle name.
It's the persona that the MSU Denver men's basketball team has adopted as it attempts to make a late-season push to reach the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.
"Even though we're only 5-5 since the start of January, we've been playing really well for the most part," said MSU Denver coach Dan Ficke, who has said from the start of the season that the Roadrunners want to be the most dangerous team in the RMAC at season's end. "Now we have a stretch of six games where four of the teams are even or below us, or just a little above us, and we've got two games against the big dogs – one of whom we beat and the other one we could have.
"We're trying to get the guys to understand that we're out of the dark days of January and there's a light at the end of the tunnel. That light could be a postseason berth if they are ready to put in the work and if we can handle our business the next six games."
The Roadrunners (9-13 overall, 6-10 RMAC) play host to Westminster (10-13, 9-8) at 7 p.m. Friday and to nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa (18-4, 13-3), one of the aforementioned big dogs on Saturday at 6 p.m.
The Friday game is Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night, while Saturday's focus is on the Play 4 Kay and Coaches vs. Cancer causes.
Saturday's game will be televised by KWGN-TV Channel 2. The last time the Roadrunners played on Channel 2, against big dog Fort Lewis, the game went down to the wire before the Skyhawks escaped 77-76.
"Coaches vs. Cancer is very near and dear to me because we lost my mother to cancer and because of the foundation we have to raise awareness and funding to fight that terrible disease," Ficke said. "Any chance I have, I'm always ready to be part of it.
"Faculty & Staff Night is a chance to recognize that this is a special place, and while our alums, our faculty and our staff have shown even more support as they see how hard our guys are working and how they're doing the right things, this is a chance to recognize the people who are the backbone of our university who are helping to prepare our student-athletes for the real word and giving them the skills they can use after graduation."
On the court back in December, MSU Denver had a wild first weekend of the RMAC season, when it had a rough night in a 28-point loss at Westminster, made the four-hour drive to Grand Junction, then sprung an 84-78 upset the following night against a Colorado Mesa team that is now ranked Nos. 19 and 22 in the national Division II polls.
"Westminster gave us the business the first time, and it showed us how tough this conference is," Ficke said. "They're playing well right now.
"It's a big weekend for Mesa, playing (nationally-ranked Colorado School of) Mines on Friday and then I'm sure they'll want revenge against us – they've played great since we beat them."
