It’s that time of year again – our annual ‘Never Made The Tournament’ article. Denver started playing hoops in 1904, and surviving a 20-year exile to NAIA and NCAA D-II between 1980 and 1999 (after which DU returned to D-I), the Pios have never made the NCAA D-I Tournament. Every year, we make the case for a DU bid to the “Big Dance,” and every season to this point, they have been denied. Is this year going to be any different, before they join the West Coast Conference gauntlet next season? Everything for Denver hinges on this weekend’s Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls, SD (the WCC Tournament is in Las Vegas, for those who were curious or worried about long-range travel planning).
As of the 2025-26 season, 40 current Division I programs have never appeared in the NCAA tournament, including the longest-standing, uninterrupted members – Army, The Citadel, and William & Mary. Other long-standing teams on this list include Maine, New Hampshire, Chicago State, and, of course, Denver. Newer D1 programs litter the list (below), but few have waited as long as the University of Denver.
The good news this season? Anybody can beat anybody in the Summit League. The bad news? Anybody can beat anybody in the Summit League. Denver is on a roll and scoring in bunches (#39/83.4 ppg). Defense is improving (#345/82.2 ppg) but still leaves DU vulnerable. Denver hoops fans will be left with guarded hope as the team travels to Sioux Falls to face its fate later this week.
Denver started playing organized basketball in 1904. The Pioneers were in D1 in their initial incarnation in 1948. The Pioneers left the classification in 1980 for the NAIA, followed by NCAA D-II and then returned to NCAA Division I in 1999. The NCAA D-I Tournament started with a 1939 tournament featuring eight teams. In 1951, the field doubled to 16 teams. The field expanded over the next few decades until 1985, when the modern format of a 64-team tournament began. In 2001, the Mountain West Conference joined Division I and received an automatic bid, which increased the total teams to 65. A single play-in game was added before the first round. In 2011. Then, three more teams were added, and with them, three more games to round out the First Four play-in games.
There are role models for Denver basketball. Several teams beat the ‘Never Been Dancing’. streak last season. The four teams that left the list for the 2024-25 season included SIUE (Ohio Valley), Omaha (Summit League), High Point (Big South), and UC San Diego (Big West).
It is not easy being a Denver basketball fan when losses are too frequent, and fragile hope is often challenged by doubt and doubters. This season began with a new coach, a short recruiting window, and a handful of D2 gym rats. It has turned out unexpectedly well and, to even the biggest of skeptics, entertaining. Ultimately, this unusual mix of coaching staff and players that comprises this current version of DU men’s basketball holds DU’s fate in its hands. Fortunately, they have little knowledge or regard for the program’s rocky past. For the DU players who have given their all this season for the Crimson and Gold, we will watch, hope, and cheer for the end of the ignominious streak to end before the program enters its most challenging season yet, as a new member in the West Coast Conference.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the successes of the team. I think Bergy is an excellent fit for DU and what we expect from our coaches.
DU will make the tournament this year. I figure 5 more games, 4 wins. Win 3 in conference tournament. Win playin game, and then lose to some 10 or 11 seed in round 1. Dunker will take that. THINK BIG. We’ve already defeated the 1-3 seeds so confidence should be high. In Friday’s game v UND, DU has to limit turnovers because that’s what UND thrives on.
Dunker correction. DU will play a #1 seed if it makes the tournament in the round of 64. That’s fine. Let St. Thomas wait a while before they go dancing. My top pick of a newbie to make the tournament is Utah Valley. After that I like Cal Baptist, Tarleton State, and U.T. Martin. (U.T. Martin was my safety school)
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Plenty of good news coming out of Hamilton today and was hoping to read about some of that here from our own fanbase. Oh well. Congratulations to #20 for being named Summit League Player of the Year!!! Incredible accomplishment for one of those D2 gym rats. Excited to watch this postseason play out. Let’s Go Pios!!!!!!!!!!!
Check twitter for our reaction to Johnson being named Summit League Player of the Year and his intention to stay at DU. We have a full interview with Coach Bergstraser coming soon – and his thoughts on Johnson. And, as most LetsGoDU readers know, we reference ‘gym rats’ as a positive – kids who are scrappy and fight for everything they get on the court.
Denver has appeared in the NIT three times (1959, 2003 and 2013) and I believe they went to the second round in 2013!! Stranger things have happened than DU going to NCAA basketball big dance!
I really like what Bergy has done this year – the DU team has excellent offensive capabilities (top 40 in the NCAA), plays really hard and has shown it can upset any team in the league on a given night. Considering the late start Bergy got when he took the coaching job and the near-complete roster turnover he had to engineer for this season, it’s a remarkable feat. Bravo and here’s hoping he can retain key players to build on it for next season..
That said, this DU team has not shown it can play effective defense in any consistent fashion from game to game, as evidenced by the bottom-tier NCAA defensive ranking (#345), giving up over 82 points per game on average.
Needing to win three in a row in league tourney play to get an NCAA bid with that poor a defense is a very tall order. At this team of year, defense matters. I hope they prove me wrong, but I can’t see them winning all three SLT games this year…