DENVER – Now that MSU Denver is officially close to returning to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 2015, the Roadrunners can't take any steps back in the final two weeks of the regular season.
"Every game our goal is to be the best version of ourselves," MSU Denver coach
Dan Ficke said.
The Roadrunners head out Friday night to play a very good, but recently struggling, Chadron State at 7:30 p.m., then return to the Denver area for a 7 p.m. game Saturday against a dangerous Colorado Christian.
MSU Denver (16-8 overall, 10-8 and fifth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) was named one of 10 current contenders for eight spots in the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament on Wednesday.
"Every game matters," Ficke said. "We're playing not only for RMAC (Tournament) seeding but also for a possible NCAA berth. Every game has to matter more to us than to our opponents."
Chadron State is 11-13 overall, but is 8-10 and tied for seventh in the RMAC and is trying to secure one of eight spots in the league tournament. The Eagles have lost four straight against teams in the RMAC's bottom seven. The Roadrunners beat Chadron State 84-63 in Denver on Jan. 6.
"We have to understand that they'll have a similar mindset to what we had against Black Hills State – they got us at their place, but we were ready to play when they came to ours," Ficke said.
Colorado Christian (9-15, 5-13) has just six Division II wins and has lost three straight and seven of eight – though the lone win in that stretch was against Chadron State.
In a scheduling oddity, MSU Denver makes a five-hour trek to Chadron, Neb., for a Friday game, then turns around for a game essentially down the street on Saturday. Another oddity is that, for the first time in three weeks, the Roadrunners will be playing a team they haven't already faced this season.
"That's life in the RMAC," Ficke said. "We need to do what we do at a high level. Colorado Christian is a dangerous team. They run a lot of great stuff on offense and there isn't a team in this league that doesn't have guys capable of being you if you don't to a great job on defense."
