CHADRON, Neb. -- With six games still on the schedule, the Chadron State College men's basketball team has its backs against the wall if it is to qualify for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's post-season tournament again this season.
             
The first four of the remaining games will be played in the Eagles' Chicoine Center, including dates with New Mexico Highlands this Friday night and Colorado State-Pueblo on Saturday night. Both double-headers will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the women's teams taking the court first.
             
The second set of games will also be at home.  Those opponents will be Metro State and Colorado School of Mines on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23 and 24, respectively.  The Eagles will end the regular season at South Dakota Tech in Rapid City and Black Hills State in Spearfish on March 1 and 2.
             
At 11-11 and 8-8, the Chadron State men are even-Steven both overall and in the RMAC standings. The conference record puts them in seventh place entering this weekend's competition. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs. 
             
The Eagles qualified a year ago with a 16-6 conference record. A couple of wins this weekend would help immensely. Both Highlands and Pueblo are 5-11 in RMAC action.  CSC played both on the road to open the RMAC slate in early December.  The Eagles visited Pueblo first and edged the ThunderWolves 84-82 on Bryce Latimer's layup with three seconds remaining, but fell to the Cowboys in Las Vegas 75-61.
             
Pueblo has dropped its last six conference games, but has some firepower. Its leading scorer is 6-foot-4 senior Brevin Walter, who is averaging 17 points a game. Three teammates also are averaging least 11 points.
             
Highlands has won just one of nine games since Jan. 5, but has scored at least 82 points in each of its last four contests. 
             
The Eagles dropped two nail-biters on the road last weekend, when they were forced to play without Latimer, because he was ill. He's the conference's second leading scorer at 18.8 points a game and leads the league in assists per game. Earlier in the week, Latimer said he has recovered and ready to play again.
             
Following an array of injuries, CSC Women's Coach Travis Brewster said for the first time in nearly a month, he expects to have all 12 of his players available.
             
At 6-14 for the season and 4-12 in the conference the Lady Eagles are not in the playoff hunt, but are determined to play their best basketball the next three weekends.  The Highlands Cowgirls also have struggled, but the Pueblo women are 8-8 in RMAC play and hopeful of qualifying for the post-season.
             
The ThunderWolves are built around junior forward Alisha Little, who at 6-foot-1 is not little.  She is the conference's second leading scorer at 19.8 points a game and is tied for the rebounding lead with a 11.5 average.