When the Roos men’s basketball team started its conference season with a record of 4-4, questions arose about what would become of the team.
Head Coach Marvin Menzies constantly spoke of the “Rise of the Roos” and how he wanted to turn this team into a championship contender. However, beginning the conference season with a .500 record did not look to be a good omen for the team.
Kansas City would proceed to lose its next two games, hitting a slight slump.
This would change when the Roos went to Grand Forks, North Dakota to take on the first-ranked North Dakota Fighting Hawks and defeated them by 18 points.
Next, the Roos faced the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at home and won by 5.
Two straight wins over top-ranked teams in the conference and the Roos stood at 6-6 in conference play.
The team would go on the road to take on the South Dakota Coyotes, where the Roos won by 4.
After playing and beating the South Dakota Coyotes by four during an away game, Kansas City played its final home game of the season on Saturday, Feb. 24.
It was senior night for the Roos, where they thanked graduating players for their contribution to the program and highlighted their accomplishments, and the team did not disappoint.
The Omaha Mavericks and Roos held double-digit leads at points in the game, but Kansas City persevered and won the game 63-58.
Kansas City is now on a four-game win streak.
The team will face off against the Denver Pioneers in Denver, Colorado and the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in Tulsa, Oklahoma to wrap up their regular season.
On March 8 the team will head to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. for the Summit League Basketball Championships, where the Roos are currently tied for third seed in the tournament.
However, Kansas City has the chance to tie for first seed in the conference. In the event that South Dakota State loses both of its last two games and North Dakota loses at least one of its final two, the Roos will be tied for first with the Jackrabbits and Fighting Hawks. Though, this would still see the Roos as the third seed in the tournament due to tiebreakers.
Stay updated with Roo News for tournament previews for men’s and women’s basketball.
Photos by Julia Kapros
