It may seem like a long way away, but postseason college basketball will be in front of our eyes in no time.
In the last two years, Fort Lewis College men’s basketball fans have gotten used to the Skyhawks easily making the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament, hosting a game and getting in the NCAA tournament. But a lot has changed and the Skyhawks’ prospects are less certain in 2025.
The women’s basketball team hasn’t made the RMAC tournament since 2017-2018 and its 2025 prospects are clearer than the men’s.
Here’s a look at both teams’ postseason prospects with about five weeks left in the regular season:
Men’s basketball:
The Skyhawks men’s basketball team is 13-6 overall and 7-3 in the RMAC. FLC men’s basketball head coach Jordan Mast has done a great job with this roster considering he was a late hire and was left without any returning rotation players from the 29-4 2023-2024 squad.
FLC has won eight of its last nine games and the one loss was in triple overtime to Westminster on Jan. 11, a game the Skyhawks led by seven with six minutes left in the second half.
Recent wins have propelled FLC into fourth place in the RMAC standings at 7-3. If the season ended today, the Skyhawks would host an RMAC tournament playoff game against the No. 5 seed Black Hills State. Colorado School of Mines is currently the No. 1 seed at 9-1 in conference play; MSU Denver is second at 8-2 and Regis is third at 8-2.
FLC still has an outside shot at the RMAC regular season crown since the Skyhawks are only two games behind Colorado School of Mines. But a lot depends on what happens with this week’s road trip; the Skyhawks play Colorado School of Mines tonight and MSU Denver on Saturday.
The Colorado School of Mines matchup is especially important because it’s the only matchup between the two teams. Therefore, a potential head-to-head tiebreaker would go to the winner. MSU Denver is also a big game because the Roadrunners already beat FLC 65-48 on Dec. 5, so a FLC loss Saturday would lose any chance of a tiebreaker.
After this weekend, the schedule becomes easier, with the Skyhawks only facing opponents below them in the RMAC standings. Two of the bigger tests after this weekend will be at home against Colorado Mesa (5-5 in RMAC) on Feb. 13 and at home against CSU Pueblo (5-5 in RMAC) on Feb. 20.
The Skyhawks are in a great spot to host an RMAC tournament game as long as they don’t slip up against some of the worst teams in the conference.
This week’s road trip is also very important for the Skyhawks’ NCAA tournament prospects.
Eight teams from the RMAC and the Lone Star Conference make it into the South Central Region of the Division II NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. FLC is right on the bubble; the Skyhawks are eighth in the South Central Region in RPI, according to inkblotsports.com. The LSC and RMAC have auto bids that go to the winner of the conference tournament, making it possible for two teams outside the top eight to steal bids and leave six at-large spots.
A win against either Colorado School of Mines, which is second in RPI in the region, or MSU Denver, sixth in the region in RPI, would really strengthen FLC’s chances at an at-large bid.
Mast thinks a 14-6 conference record would be enough to get an at-large bid. But, like with the RMAC tournament, FLC can’t afford to lose to any of the worst RMAC teams; seven of the bottom 10 teams in RPI in the South Central Region are from the RMAC and FLC plays six of those teams.
Women’s basketball:
The women’s basketball team has struggled so far this season and FLC women’s basketball head coach Lauren Zuniga hasn’t had the same type of success with transfers as Mast has. The Skyhawks are 5-13 overall and 2-8 in the RMAC.
FLC has a steep uphill battle to get into the RMAC tournament at 2-8 in conference play. The Skyhawks are tied with Westminster for the second-worst conference record. FLC is three games behind Regis in eighth place and the last RMAC tournament spot.
It’s very unlikely FLC can make up that ground with the tough schedule it has to finish the season; the Skyhawks have to play the top three schools in the RMAC standings in Colorado Mesa (8-2 in RMAC), Western Colorado (8-2 in RMAC) and CSU Pueblo (7-3 in RMAC). There aren’t any easy wins left on the schedule since FLC has already lost to three of the other four worst teams in the RMAC.
An NCAA tournament bid is almost impossible at this point. FLC is 30th out of 31 teams in RPI in the South Central Region and only has four wins against Division II competition.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
