Men's Basketball Travels to No. 19 Butler in Regular-Season Finale

The Colby Trojans men's basketball team closes out the regular season Wednesday (March 4) night with momentum on its side as they travel to No. 19 Butler in a pivotal KJCCC matchup before turning its focus to postseason play starting Saturday (March 7).

The Trojans enter the regular season finale at 7-22 (5-18 KJCCC), coming off two of their biggest wins of the season at home last week. Colby stunned Fort Hays Tech NW 71–70 in dramatic fashion when Aliou Diallo drilled a go-ahead three-pointer with one second remaining to cap an 18-point performance. The energy carried into Saturday's (Feb. 28) regular-season home finale, where the Trojans delivered their most complete effort of the year in an 80–60 rout of Garden City to officially clinch a Region 6 playoff berth. Diallo led the way with 24 points, D.J. Cason added 22, Gabe Njenga scored 18 on 9-of-11 shooting, and Nana Keutcha posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds as Colby outscored the Broncbusters 42–23 in the second half and dominated the paint 46–14.

Offensively, the Trojans are led by sophomore D.J. Cason, who averages 15.9 points per game and ranks among the conference leaders in both three-point percentage and free-throw percentage. Recent KJCCC Player of the Week Aliou Diallo follows at 11.9 points per game while pacing the team in assists at 2.6 per contest. Keutcha anchors the glass as Colby's leading rebounder, while Giannis Asimakopoulos sets the tone defensively, averaging a team-best 1.0 steal and 0.6 blocks per game.

Butler enters Wednesday's matchup at 20-9 (16-9 KJCCC), tied atop the conference standings. The Grizzlies boast one of the most explosive offenses in the country, averaging 104.7 points per game, second nationally, while shooting 44.5 percent from the field. Tristan Hankins leads the attack at 17.6 points per game, and three additional players average over 12 points per contest, showcasing Butler's depth. Devin Kerr controls the boards with 7.3 rebounds per game, while Josiah Kirkwood leads the team with 3.9 assists per outing. As a unit, the Grizzlies lead the conference in three-pointers made and shoot the highest percentage from beyond the arc in the league.

For Colby, they look to build off last week's confidence. The Trojans will then shift their focus to Saturday's NJCAA Region 6 Tournament opener, where they will travel after missing a top-eight seed. With postseason play set to begin, Colby will look to carry its late-season surge into March and continue its strong stretch at the right time of year.