CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State men's basketball has three weeks left to mount a challenge for the RMAC Tournament, beginning with two home games against Denver-area teams this week.

The Eagles (5-17, 3-11 RMAC) start the week against MSU Denver (7-15, 5-9 RMAC) on Thursday at 7 p.m. before facing Colorado School of Mines (13-12, 9-5 RMAC) on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Both games will be streamed live on the RMAC Network, accessible through daily, monthly or annual subscription options. Fans can also follow live stats or listen live on Double Q Country 97.5 and 105.9 FM and doubleqcountry.com with Dave Collins on the call. 

Promo Notes
Thursday will be a busy day in the Chicoine Center. 
 
For starters, the Eagles will be promoting cancer awareness as part of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association "Suits and Sneakers Week." Chadron State players and coaches will share who they are "suiting up for" and fans are encouraged to wear sneakers to participate.
 
Chadron State's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) chapter will also be raising money, with 50 percent of donations going to the Make-a-Wish foundation and 50 percent going to CSC's SAAC chapter. SAAC will be accepting cash donations in four buckets designated for Chadron State administrators and coaches – athletic director Mannie Reinsch, head football coach Jay Long, head volleyball coach Jennifer Stadler and head women's wrestling coach Sammy de Seriere. 
 
Towards the end of the game, the staff member with the bucket that has the most donation money inside it will receive a pie in the face.
 
Finally, Thursday night will feature a halftime basketball showdown between the Chadron State Fire Department and Chadron State Police. 
 
The Saturday game against Colorado School of Mines two days later will be a white-out, with fans encouraged to wear all-white as the Eagles take on the Orediggers.
 
Looking Back
The Eagles had two single-digit road losses last week, falling to Colorado Christian 86-80 and CSU Pueblo 74-65.
 
RECAPS: Colorado Christian | CSU Pueblo

Five players (Isaiah Randolph, Zach Smith, Mack Keighran, Blessing Adesipe and Jackson Schauer) scored in double figures against CCU, but the Eagles were outpaced by the Cougars in large part due to a 36-point night from eventual RMAC Player of the Week Pierce Bazil. 

Adesipe added a double-double against CSU Pueblo, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

From A
After averaging 7.5 rebounds per game over the last week, Blessing Adesipe has broken into the top 15 in the RMAC with his 5.8 rebounds per game average this season.

Adesipe has especially excelled at getting Chadron State the ball back. Of his 81 total rebounds entering Thursday, 66 have been defensive boards. Adesipe is also tied for third on the team with 12 steals.

On the offensive end, Adesipe has grown in confidence as a three-point shooter. After not attempting any in CSC's season opener and not attempting more than three across CSC's first 12 games, the Houston native has shot four or more threes in four of the Eagles' last six contests. He's converting his looks, too – Adesipe's 39.4 percent clip from three-point range is the highest on the team. 

Adesipe tied a season-high with four threes made during his 12-point, 10-rebound double-double against CSU Pueblo, which also marked the first time all of his points have come from beyond the arc in a game.

To Z
Zach Smith, CSC's only returning rotation player from 2024-25, had probably his best week in a Chadron State uniform this past week, setting career and/or season highs in most major statistical categories.
 
Smith set NCAA career-highs with 19 points, five steals and 37 minutes played against Colorado Christian, then added 13 points (tied for his second-best scoring performance of the season) and a season-high six assists against the Cougars. He was CSC's second-leading scorer in both contests. 
 
Smith was efficient throughout the week, shooting 55 percent from the field. He shot 6-for-9 overall and 3-for-5 from three-point range against the Cougars. After his five assists per game average across last week, Smith is third on the team in total assists (42), trailing only Mack Keighran (46) and Isaiah Randolph (43).
 
Stat Standouts

• The Eagles are scoring 72.2 points per game (13^th in RMAC) and allowing 83.2 points per contest (12^th).
• Chadron State is making 76.8 percent of its free throws as a team, which ranks third in the RMAC.
• Isaiah Randolph leads the charge from the line, ranking fourth in the RMAC and 23^rd in Division II with his .891 free-throw percentage. In sheer volume, Randolph's 90 makes are ninth-most in the RMAC while his 101 total attempts are only 15^th-most. 
• Randolph also ranks fourth in the RMAC with a .538 field-goal percentage.
• Luka Djurovic ranks eighth in the league in rebounding, corraling 6.7 rebounds per game. Blessing Adesipe (5.7) is 15^th.
• CSC has three players averaging in double figures: Isaiah Randolph (14.1 points per game, 14^th in RMAC), Jadon Cool (13.6 ppg, 20^th in RMAC) and Mack Keighran (11.7 ppg). Keighran also ranks 12^thin the RMAC in free-throw percentage (.831).
• The Eagles rank ninth in the league in steals (6.45 per game), 12^th in blocks (2.09 per game) and 14^th in rebounding (32.0 per game)
• Chadron State commits the third-fewest turnovers per game in the RMAC, giving it away just 12.5 times per game. The Eagles force 11.4 turnovers per contest, which ranks 10^th in the league, and their turnover margin of -1.09 is the eighth-best out of the RMAC's 15 teams.

Back Out There
Sophomore Jovan Jovanovic was a big part of the rotation early in the season, topping 20 minutes played in five of CSC's first nine games, but was unable to compete from December 16^th all the way until January 27^th, when he made a two-minute cameo against Black Hills State.

Jovanovic returned to the rotation last Thursday against CSU Pueblo, playing 12 minutes, his highest total in two months. He resumed his three-point marksmanship, making 3 of 4 shots from behind the arc to finish with nine points, his fourth-highest total of the 14 games he has played in.

The three made threes for Jovanovic ties a season high done three times previously against West Texas A&M (November 14), Northern State (November 29) and South Dakota Mines (December 6).

In the Polls
Chadron State was picked seventh out of 15 teams in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving one first-place vote. 

Black Hills State was picked to win the league, receiving 10 of 15 first place votes, while reigning champs Colorado School of Mines were second, receiving three first-place votes. Colorado Mesa received the final first-place vote and finished third while UCCS and Fort Lewis rounded out the top five. 

The remainder of the RMAC tournament positions were filled by MSU Denver, the Eagles and Colorado Christian. The poll was rounded out by Adams State, Westminster, New Mexico Highlands, CSU Pueblo, Western Colorado, Regis and South Dakota Mines. 

Black Hills State is the only ranked program in the RMAC at No. 20. 

Scouting the Opposition
MSU Denver
The Roadrunners are 7-15 overall with a 5-9 mark in RMAC play. They have lost three straight entering Thursday's matchup and went 0-2 at home last week against Colorado Mesa (74-70) and Western Colorado (75-69). 

Quave Propst-Allison is a dynamic player for the Roadrunners on both sides of the ball, averaging 14.4 points per game (12^th in RMAC) while leading the team in assists (3.2 per game) and steals (1.5 per game, ninth in RMAC). Propst-Allison shoots over 45 percent from the field (45.7) and from three-point range (45.2). 

Logan Threatt is MSU Denver's leading scorer, ranking eighth in the RMAC at 16.5 points per game. Brian Unachukwu leads the league with 46 total blocks, 12 more than any other player, and brings down 5.4 rebounds per game.

Colorado School of Mines
After winning the RMAC and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season, Colorado School of Mines has taken a step back from the lofty standards of their 2024-25 team. The Orediggers are 13-12 overall and 9-5 in the RMAC, sitting tied for fifth in the league standings. Last week, Mines beat Western Colorado (84-67) and Westminster (77-71 in OT) at home.

Reigning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week Alex Romack has been a double-double machine, averaging 13.7 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game, which leads the RMAC. Johnathan Moore averages 12.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and is nearly on 50/40/90 pace, shooting .500 from the field, .481 from three and .891 from the line. 

Shelton Henton has had a few huge games this season, including against the Eagles when he scored 27 points on nine threes. Henton also scored 36 points against Regis.

Coach's Corner
Chadron State Head Coach Chris Francis is in his second season leading the Eagle men's basketball program. In his first season, Francis put together a 15-14 overall record with an 11-9 record in RMAC play. The Eagles qualified for the RMAC tournament as the No. 8 seed.

Francis comes to Chadron after serving as the head coach at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (NAIA) where Francis compiled a record of 176-94 in nine seasons. Francis led the Drovers to five NAIA National Tourney appearances, a Sooner Athletic Conference Championship, and a Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, also taking USAO to an NAIA Elite Eight. Francis is a two-time Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2017 and 2022. 

A former student-athlete, Francis was a starting guard and captain of the men's basketball team at Rogers State University. In 2011, he helped lead Rogers State to the NAIA Elite Eight and a 30-2 record. Following that season, Francis was named the Sooner Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was recently inducted into the Rogers State Athletic Hall of Fame.