Denver men’s basketball (11-14, 4-6) opened its two-game road swing Thursday night against the North Dakota State Bison, 9-0 in conference play. Denver battled for both halves as Carson Johnson paced the Pioneer scoring and Gabe Oldham hauled down 12 big rebounds. Denver rebuffed the Bison down the stretch in the confidence-building win.

The teams exchanged points early when DU’s Gabe Oldham scored a pair of consecutive buckets to put DU up 9-5 at the five-minute mark. At the first media timeout (10:14), DU led 19-14 as Jeremiah Burke and Carson Johnson combined for 13 points and Gabe Oldham pulled down four rebounds. The first ten minutes had only two fouls called. Zane Nelson buried a shot from distance, 26-18, and a Josh Lee bucket-and-one gave the Pioneers their biggest lead on the back of a 10-0 run. In the final five minutes, a Carson Johnson tray, his third in the first half, held off a Bison run, 34-27. After trading baskets, Julius Rollins finished the DU scoring, 40-34, halftime.

The second half opened with each side scoring, followed by a Logan Kinsey bucket-and-one that put DU up by nine. Denver held an 11-point edge at the ‘officials timeout’. Following three straight stops, NDSU’s Wheeler Thomas’ three-point play closed the gap to 8. Pioneer fouls put the Bison in the penalty with 13 minutes remaining. Denver went cold from the field while NDSU came surging back on a Tay Smith tray-and-one, 55-51, with eleven minutes left. NDSU knotted the game, 55-55, on a 9-0 Bison run. At 7:19, NDSU got its first lead on a pair of free throws, 58-57. However, Denver responded down the stretch.  Zane Nelson secured a rebound and bucket put-in to extend the Denver lead with five minutes left. Denver led by 4 on a Carson Johnson floater with a minute remaining. Logan Kinsey ran the baseline and took a Johnson feed and bucket with 27 seconds left, 72-68. NDSU was called for basket interference and the ball went back to Denver with 19 seconds remaining. Foul shots ensued. Denver’s Zane Nelson and Carson Johnson sank the charities and DU came away with the 78-71 win.

Denver was the best team all night, holding NDSU to less than three minutes in the lead. Denver shot 50.9% and out-rebounded NDSU 35-33. On a personal note, Jeremiah Burke had a solid night against his old team with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Next up is North Dakota on Saturday at 12:00 MT in Grand Forks. The Fighting Hawks, one of the league’s hottest teams, have won five conference games in a row.

DU men’s basketball (10-14-3-6) played the Omaha Mavs on Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Gym. The Pioneers were trying to string together consecutive wins and build on their previous road win in Kansas City. Omaha finished strong in the closing minutes for the 84-82 win. The Mavs owned the paint, scoring 44 points inside and out-rebounding DU by 10 in a physical battle. Continue reading Omaha Muscles Their Way Past Denver, 84-82 →

Denver men’s basketball (10-13, 3-5) traveled to Kansas City for a mid-week tilt. The Pioneers were reeling, losing 5 out of their previous 6 games. The UMKC Roos wracked up the same record over the prior 6 games. Something had to give and it was UMKC giving up 20 offensive rebounds (51 in total) to DU in a 69-61 Pioneer win. Denver also excised their end-of-game demons, trailing with little more than six minutes remaining in the game. Continue reading DU Rebounds in UMKC Win, 69-61 →

Now is a perfect time to evaluate and project how Denver Men’s Basketball will perform in their inaugural season in the West Coast Conference (WCC) next season. Seattle University provides an ideal model of what lies ahead for Denver hoops. Continue reading What Can DU Learn from Seattle U’s First Season in the WCC? →

The discouraging theme repeated itself once again on Saturday afternoon. DU men’s basketball (9-13, 2-5) plays an opponent close all game long, takes the lead late in the game – only to let it slip away in the final minutes.

Here’s how it happened at Hamilton. Continue reading DU Fails to Closeout North Dakota, Drops Game 93-86 →

DU men’s basketball (9-12, 2-4) faced conference-undefeated North Dakota State University Bison (17-5, 7-0) Thursday night at Hamilton Gym. Denver hung close to the Bison but the visitors went to the paint down the stretch to thwart any chance of a Denver upset. In the 82-77 loss, Denver gave up 36 points in the paint and were out-rebounded by 7 on the night. Continue reading NDSU Powers Past DU, 82-77 →

Saturday morning, former DU men’s basketball bench boss Joe Scott was suspended indefinitely by the Air Force Academy pending an investigation into his treatment of cadet-athletes. The Falcons were 3-14 this season, losing by an average of 28.3 points. In his two stints at the helm, Scott had a 97-183 overall record. The team had also been reeling from defections from the team, most recently outstanding sophomore guard Kyle Marshall. Continue reading Former DU Hoops Boss Joe Scott Suspended by Air Force →

Denver men’s basketball (9-11, 2-3) returned home to the hardwood, trying to snap a three-game conference losing streak. ORU came to Denver riding a 29-game regular-season road losing streak – ouch! (The NCAA record goes to the Towson Tigers at 41.) After the smoke cleared, make that 30 for ORU and a 98-87 Denver win. Continue reading Carson Johnson Triggers Hoops Win Against ORU, 98-87 →

DU men’s basketball (8-11, 1-3) travelled to Vermillion, S.D. and faced a depleted South Dakota Coyotes squad Saturday afternoon. The Coyotes had seven players out with injuries. The big question: Could the Pioneers build and hold the lead in the final 5 to 7 minutes of a game against a reeling team? Well, rinse-and-repeat as Denver fizzled in the final 8 minutes, 82-72, missing a chance to defeat the vulnerable Coyotes. Denver also wasted a career game from Gabe Oldham, who delivered 24 points and 13 rebounds. Continue reading Depleted South Dakota Coyotes Deliver Double-Digit Loss to DU, 82-72 →