Denver (1-2) played two familiar foes Wednesday night in Laramie, Wyoming. First, DU faced the University of Wyoming (4-1) for the 158th meeting in the series. Second, Denver faced Wyoming head coach Jeff Linder who often got the best of DU while at the University of Northern Colorado before matriculating to the Cowboys this season. Now, Linder has even better players in Laramie and it showed as the Cowboys trounced the University of Denver, 83-61.
Wyoming never trailed.
Wyoming raced out to a 45-25 halftime advantage. The Cowboys sunk seven three-point tries and shot 53.1% from the field to build a huge lead. DU shot 33.3% from the field with a shocking 16 turnovers in the half. Marcus Williams went off for the Cowboys with a point a minute in the first half and finished with 40 points on the night.
In the second half, a relatively disinterested Wyoming squad traded baskets with DU leading to a final score, 83-61. The Pioneers were beaten from the outside-in by giving up 30 points from the arc, 46 points in the paint and 33 points off turnovers. By nearly any statistical measure, a sloppy game by DU.
Never in doubt. That 🤠🏀 W! #OneWyoming #GoWyo pic.twitter.com/ruEqHAr0CK
— Wyoming Cowboy Basketball (@wyo_mbb) December 10, 2020
Frank Ryder led Denver with 12 points and four rebounds. A heavily defended Jase Townsend finished with 10 points and 4 rebounds.
Make no mistake – this Wyoming team beat Oregon State in Corvallis before the DU game so they are good. However, there is no excuse for undisciplined, sloppy play by a Pioneer squad that can ill afford to play so poorly when on the road against a quality opponent.
Overmatched. Second D-I opponent, second 20+ point loss for DU. As a number of us feared, it’s obvious that DU does not have enough quality D-I level players to be competitive against decent D-I opponents from better conferences, like UCR or Wyoming. The difference in quality was apparent all night long, and 33 turnovers by DU is a pretty clear indicator of it. Wyoming’s plan to take Townsend and Jones out of their grooves proved to be a very solid game plan, and the Cowboys took the Pios to the wood shed by turning DU over and hammering them from beyond the arc and in the paint.
If Spiro Agnew were alive to see it, his famous plea would ring true today: “Nolo Contendere.”
My guess is that DU won’t get drilled like this by most Summit opponents, but I don’t think there is enough talent here to be a factor in conference play, either, at least right now. Perhaps some of these guys will develop over the course of the year to make DU into a D-I team, but right now, there are not a whole lot of reasons to be optimistic.
At what point does the theme change from “not enough D1 players” to no D1 level coaching? Say what u want about kids transferring to “lower” level /D2…but the fact of the matter is if a kid transfers from a bottom of the rung D1 than that says a lot about the terrible development and ability of the coaches to elevate their play or put them in a position to succeed. All one has to do is watch Billups stare off into the distance like he just smoked a fat one (btw get the man some eyedrops) and it is clear he is more lost than a deer in the headlights. One would think being the lil bro of an NBA player would at least help him a little bit, but it looks like the only help it provided was a little up-front credibility. Too bad that is long gone. Get a new staff. Players come and go…but this coach sucks (and picked the players) and has been here the whole embarrassment.
I paid an online fee last night and watched the DU v. WY hoops game. Bad Investment. Question: while I know I can’t get my wasted time back, how do I get a refund fro DU’s Athletic Department for that piss-poor product I watched get schooled in Laramie ? 5BWest’s headline was epic: “DU Gets Boat-Raced by Wyoming”. I’m still laughing! Sad but true … that is the state of DUs Men’s basketball program. (Before that good one, my headline would have said: “Play it Again: Pokes Clown PIos – DU Again in the Middle of a Turnover Pandemic”
30 + turnovers ! Are you kidding me ? DU should have got on the bus at halftime and driven back to Denver. Billups failure to coach and recruit a competitive team was again on display. Wyoming’s first year Coach Jeff Linder once again demonstrated what a qualified and competent D-1 Coach brings to a program . Wyoming’s 3 talented Colorado high school standouts all helped put the hurt on DU. (Kenny Foster – Aurora / Hunter Maldonado – Colorado Springs / Kramer Marble- Denver). These are all kids who Billups passed on ….Where are all the local players on DUs roster that Billups was supposed to bring to the roster these past 5 years ? Answer: no where and further news flash: there are none in the pipeline. Total failure on the local recruiting front.
Observer and Pioneer are spot on. If the players are poor then it’s the coach’s fault for recruiting them. All of the alumni comments since the coach got hired is complete bs. He’s not a D1 coach, not a D1 recruiter and not a motivator.
gunnerz – Speaking as one of the alums who have defended Billups in the past, I don’t think it’s “complete BS” to give a college coach five years (his contract length) to see if he can recruit, coach and win with the players he chooses, especially if he is an alumnus. All coaches deserve a fair shake, and I don’t blame my fellow alums at all for really wanting one of our own to succeed as a coach. Pride in the program is important for everyone. We like Rodney as a person, as a player and as a proud alumnus of DU.
That said, his coaching win/loss record is getting worse with each year, his players are obviously not all D-I ballplayers (hence the revolving door of transfers), and the product on the floor has been embarrassing as much as it has been praiseworthy. Even though we are alumni, we aren’t blind to the fact that the program is regressing, rather than improving. I am sure the DU administration can see what we see, as well.
All I can say is give him his five years and then evaluate if he merits a contract extension or not. If things continue to stay where they are or get worse, the evidence would suggest that it would be time to move on. But if he can get them to a competitive spot in the Summit League, it would merit a different conversation. At this point, it’s up to Rodney to show us that he is a competent D-I coach.