Denver men’s basketball has a ‘tiger by the tail’ as they open their 2025-26 season against Seattle University. As if a new coaching staff, a new roster, a non-conference gauntlet, and an early litmus test against future conference member Seattle University are not enough, the West Coast Conference (WCC) move next season will cast a long shadow over the entire season, no matter how it all unfolds.

With all the events swirling around the program, it’s up to new head basketball coach Tim Bergstraser to recenter his program, “I’m just going to take it one year at a time, one day at a time,” Bergstraser said last week after the WCC announcement.

In an earlier LetsGoDU interview, Bergstraser emphasized “stacking (good) days” as his priority. This past Friday, he added to that priority, “We really need to focus on this year as much as we can. But let’s be real. We still need to look ahead and get prepared as much as possible (for the WCC) without losing complete focus on what we’re trying to do this year.”

Seattle University, like Denver, has its share of basketball critics with a checkered hoops history. In the Redhawks’ inaugural season in the WCC, they are pegged to finish in 8th place out of 12 teams by the conference coaches.

Similarly, Denver is picked for a seventh-place finish by coaches in the Summit League poll. DU will shoulder brighter lights, more scrutiny, and certainly some cynicism from some WCC insiders about the conference jump. A one day at a time focus may be the best way to weather this season’s ups and downs.

DU is suddenly facing the lofty expectations of a future ‘high-major’ program, saddled with a track record that is anything but, based on past performance. Bergstraser goes from a relatively low-visibility, low-expectation program to a must-follow and must-show progress program. The pressure now extends well beyond Bergstraser to all parts of the Athletic Department and across the entire administration to show progress. Can DU deliver something new – something that has never been done before in their new conference?

Monday night is a measuring stick to see where DU basketball stands this season and areas for improvement. Normally, an early non-conference western swing would be of little or no interest to casual fans. Not so after Friday’s pressers.

As Vice Chancellor of Athletics, Josh Berlo stated, “The West Coast Conference is just a natural fit for our institution, athletically, academically, geographics.” No doubt, DU is a solid fit – with one glaring exception – men’s basketball.

Fair or not, the pressure ramped up across the University with Friday’s announcement. Capital commitments, profit sharing/NIL, recruiting, coaching, Hamilton Arena promotion, attendance, and yes, winning, will fall under the microscope this season and beyond. Visible, tangible progress will be expected – even if it is not fully reflected in a won-loss on-court record.

We are projecting 7-10 wins this season (including three D2 games) for DU men’s basketball. Based on a tight recruiting window for Bergstraser, a new roster, and the implementation of a new system, it will take time and patience. At a minimum, fans want to see high effort and progress. If those two criteria are met, the season will be deemed a success on the court for the 2025-26 campaign. However, the heaviest lifting must likely take place outside the white lines in preparation for WCC competition. 

It will be a fascinating season. It begins tonight with one eye on Seattle and another on the future.