When pressure is high, critiques are intensified, and obstacles appear overwhelming, it’s easy to get derailed from the end goal in sight. To avoid detrimental setbacks, periodically resetting is advantageous; to reset, reflect and refocus. With national attention fixated on the reigning national champions, the top-ranked University of Denver Pioneers, for the duration of their subsequent season the program has faced such a drawback.Continue reading Reigning Champions re-identifying process to success→
The Denver Pioneers finally got their first statement win of the 2017-2018 season. A talented Wyoming team traveled to Denver on Wednesday night as 6.5 point favorites, but a balanced shooting effort from the Pioneers and dominant rebounding led to a 88-78 victory in which Denver was in control for the entire 40 minutes. After a frustrating start to the season, it was nice seeing the Pios click on all cylinders against a Mountain West team that has already beaten South Dakota State this season.
DU volleyball (23-5) got the word slightly after 7:00 pm MT Sunday night that they will be facing Cal Poly (26-2) in NCAA first round women’s volleyball. Should they win that contest, they are likely to play #15 UCLA. The winner is likely to face #2 Florida in the third round of this bracket and #7 Minnesota in the Regional Finals with the winner advancing to the Final Four. No easy path for sure. The good news is that the Pioneer’s seeding allows them to play another squad that is not seeded in the Top 16. That makes this a realistic opportunity to win a game or two – or even the match before facing a top seeded side.
The final score was a familiar one as Denver lost 79-71 for the second time in three games. However, the path to that final score was far different than the one the Pios took when they played a tough Florida Gulf Coast team to the final minutes in a true road game on Friday night. In this contest the Pioneers came out shockingly cold and were out of it before the dust even had a chance to settle. The obvious bright spot came from Joe Rosga, who had a career high 33 points, including a barrage of 20 in the last 8:18 to lead the rally that would end up falling short.
Daniel Amigo notched his third double double of the season (and second in a row) to help Denver get past St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon. Amigo would end the game with an impressive 24 points and 16 rebounds, shooting 10-14 from the field and 4-6 from the line. Amigo also ended up with only three fouls, he did foul out yesterday against Florida Gulf Coast, but the foul troubles that plagued him at times last year seem to be much improved. It was another breakout performance in a season where the Pios will probably need games like that from Amigo to hang with the big boys in the Summit.
It was another frustrating night for the Denver Pioneers – with the score tied at 60 and 5:27 remaining, Denver was in position to steal a road win against a team that has been to the NCAA tournament in both of the previous two seasons. Instead, Florida Gulf Coast put on a stellar offensive performance in the remaining minutes and hit their free throws to come away with a 79-71 victory in the first game for both teams of the Homewood Suites FGCU Shootout.
It seems like this is annual column at LetsGoDU. How long, if ever, do fans have to wait to watch the DU men’s basketball make the NCAA Basketball Tournament?
A little longer.
But, with Rodney Billups in year two, a program changing its playing style to ‘up-tempo’, a reliance on 4-year players (when over 700 NCAA Division I players transfer schools each season), a 1-bid league with a tournament in a hostile location (Sioux Falls) and a modest amount of historical success – what is the roadmap to success for Denver? Continue reading How much longer must Denver Men’s Basketball fans wait?→
Earlier this evening, the NAHL’s Lone Star Brahmas announced on Twitter that defenseman Ryan Orgel is leaving the team and joining the top-ranked Denver Pioneers for the remainder of the 2017-18 season and beyond. There is no corresponding early departure or dismissal. Continue reading DEVELOPING: Denver Hockey to add NAHL defenseman for 2017-18→
The #1 seed University of Denver (22-5 overall), faced a pesky Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (15-13 overall, 11-3 Summit League) squad but used their power game to push past the #2 seed visitors, 3 – 1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-19, 25-16). Emma Willis had 15 kills, Ellie Anderson 25 assists, Tina Boe had 6 blocks, and Piyushu Boteju had 11 digs. To top off the team effort, Kayla Principato was named the MVP of the Summit League Tournament. Principato had 12 kills and 27 total attempts/attacks. ORU was paced by senior Laura Milos with 25 kills and a whopping 51 total attempts/attacks. Continue reading DU Volleyball Powers Past ORU for Title→
The top-ranked Denver Pioneers topped the North Dakota Fighting Hawks 4-1 last night to earn a weekend split with their archrival. It was an important bounce-back type game for the Pios after blowing a 3-0 lead the night before. While Denver would have much preferred a sweep, especially after Friday night’s first period, DU was still able to enter Thanksgiving break on a good note.
