BILLINGS, Mont.- Winners of the Frontier Conference regular season and of their last 15 straight contests, No. 7-ranked Rocky Men's Basketball seeks its first conference tournament championship since 2013-14, beginning Friday evening against Mayville State.   

Quarterfinals Matchup

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(1) #7 Rocky Mountain College (25-3, 20-2 conf.) vs (8) Mayville State (10-19, 6-16 conf.)
Friday, February 26th / 5:00 pm (MT)
Butte, Montana - Butte Civic Center

Tournament Preview

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The Battlin' Bears had already clinched a share of the Frontier Conference Regular Season title, as well as the one-seed in the conference tournament, entering the final weekend of the regular season. Still, no one would have guessed it by Rocky's intensity, as the Battlin' Bears traveled to Mayville State and Valley City State and took care of business, winning by an average margin of 29 points while holding both opponents under 60 points. 

Their victory over Mayville State on Friday secured an outright Regular Season Championship for the Rocky Men, the first since 2013-14, and an automatic bid into the NAIA National Tournament. Earlier this week, the Battlin' Bears earned their highest ranking in program history at No. 7 in the final NAIA Coaches Top 25 Poll. 

Defensive prowess and control of possessions have been staples in Rocky's success to this point, as the Battlin' Bear men rank as the third-best scoring defense in the NAIA, allowing just 64.8 points per game. They also rank fourth in opponent rebounds per game (28.3) and fourth in opponents' assists per game (9.6). Royce Robinson ranked third in the Frontier Conference this regular season with 26 blocks, already tying for the ninth-most blocks by a Battlin' Bear in a single season. He also leads the Battlin' Bears in steals, grabbing 1.5 per game. 

Offensively, Rocky ranks 21st in the NAIA in three-point percentage, at 37.9%. Drew Bowman and Mekhi Jourdan both lead the Battlin' Bears, shooting over 43% from deep while averaging over one made three per game. Jourdan ranks fifth in the Frontier Conference this season in three-point percentage. After making just five three-pointers a season ago, he has improved his output and efficiency, draining 32 at 43.8% in 2025-26.   Omari Nesbit's team-leading 64 made three-pointers this season already rank inside the top 15 in a single season in program history. 

Nesbit has been Rocky's leading scorer this season, averaging 16.7 points per game. He's totaled nine games of 20+ points this season, while draining three or more three-pointers in 11 games this year. Carter McCoy ranks third in the Frontier Conference this season in field goal percentage, shooting 65.4% from the field, while ranking second in the Frontier Conference in offensive rebounds per game (2.6) and leading Rocky in total rebounds per game (5.6). 

Rocky's men have yet to lose a contest in the calendar year, rattling off 15 consecutive victories. Their three total losses were by a combined 15 points, with their last defeat an overtime loss to then No. 13-ranked Hope International on December 20th. They will look to win their first Frontier Conference Tournament Championship since the 2013-14 season. 

Their path begins against No. 8-seeded Mayville State University on Friday, February 27th at 5:00 pm (MT). Rocky won both matchups this season against the Comets, at home on January 10th, 82-6,2 and on the road last weekend, 87-59. Mayville State came on strong to close the season, winning three of its final four games to snag an eight seed in the Frontier Conference Tournament. Guard Christian Bowen-Webb leads Mayville State in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per game. The Comets lead the conference in steals per game (9.4) and in made field goals per game (31.1). 

All tournament games will be streamed on the Frontier Conference YouTube Channel.