For the first time in UCCS history, both Mountain Lion basketball teams will play for national championship.
On March 8, the national tournament field was selected. Teams and coaches watched the selection from Clyde’s in the University Center. The women (24-6) will be the No. 2 seed in the South Central Region while the men (26-5) will be the No. 4 seed.
The UCCS women will face No. 7 Colorado State-Pueblo in the first round March 13 in Canyon, Texas. The two teams split their regular season meetings with both teams winning at home. CSU-Pueblo was the runner-up in the RMAC Tournament March 7. The winner will face the victor of No. 3 Midwestern State and No. 6 Colorado Christian. CCU qualified as the RMAC tournament champion.
The games will be played at the First United Bank Center on the campus of West Texas A&M University. The defending national runner-up Buffs will host the tournament as the region’s top seed and face No. 8 seed Cameron. Colorado Mesa, the RMAC regular season champion, is the No. 4 seed and earned No. 5 seed Arkansas-Fort Smith.
The second round of the women’s tournament will take place March 14. Teams will play in the Sweet 16 Round on March 16 for the opportunity to travel to the national quarterfinals, semifinals and championship games March 24-27 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The UCCS men will take on No. 5 seed Colorado School of Mines in the men’s first round March 14, in Stephenville, Texas. The Orediggers won the only meeting between the two teams this season 82-73 on Jan. 16, in Golden. Colorado Mines fell in the RMAC Quarterfinals while the Mountain Lions won their first RMAC Tournament Championship March 7.
The UCCS and Colorado Mines winner will face the winner of No. 1 Tarleton State and No. 8 St. Mary’s of Texas. St. Mary’s qualified as the Heartland Conference tournament champion and Tarleton State will host after a semifinal appearance in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. MSU Denver, a team UCCS is 2-1 against this season, is the No. 2 seed and will play No. 7 Midwestern State. No. 3 Texas A&M-Commerce and No. 6 Angelo State will meet in an all-LSC matchup.
The second round will take place on March 15 and the Sweet 16 games will be played March 17. The top teams from each of the eight regions will advance to the Elite Eight to be played March 25-28 in Evansville, Ind.
Updates will be posted to www.gomountainlions.com
Game Schedule
March 13 (Friday)
1:30 p.m. UCCS Women v. CSU-Pueblo
March 14 (Saturday)
4 p.m. Women’s Second Round game
7:30 p.m. UCCS Men v. Colorado School of Mines
March 15 (Sunday)
6:30 p.m. Men’s Second Round game
March 16 (Monday)
6 p.m. Women’s Sweet 16 games
March 17 (Tuesday)
6 p.m. Men’s Sweet 16 games
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