Denver (2-1) faced the Sacramento State Hornets (2-1) in the first game of a home-and-home non-conference basketball series. The Hornets were led by first-year head coach David Patrick who had a team that matched up with DU’s size and athleticism. It was an evenly played game as Denver led by three points at the half. Denver had an 8-point lead on a Tevin Smith jumper in the paint at 11:46 of the second half but the Hornets reeled in the Pioneers. For the game, the Hornets matched Denver’s points in the paint, 42, but outscored Denver 15-4 from three-point range. Ultimately, that eleven-point gap was tough to overcome. DU’s Tommy Bruner had a chance to tie the game from beyond the arc with 2.7 seconds remaining but his shot missed the mark. Continue reading Sacramento State Wins Late, 73-69
Category Archives: Men’s Basketball
DU Athletes Deliver Outstanding Week of Performances
We told you about the Pioneer’s HUGE hockey road sweep of North Dakota – the program’s first sweep of UND in Grand Forks since 2010; Denver men’s soccer winning the Summit League Tournament; and, DU men’s basketball’s 2-0 start this past week. DU hockey earns a bye this week. DU soccer was awarded a Thursday home NCAA Tournament home match against San Diego while DU men’s basketball plays at Hamilton Gym tonight before traveling to the MTE New Orleans Tournament Mid-Week. Continue reading DU Athletes Deliver Outstanding Week of Performances
Denver Breezes Past Colorado College, 90-68
It had been 9,949 days since the University of Denver (2-0) played the Colorado College Tigers (1-1) on the hardwood. Denver took that game 90-61. Thursday’s rematch had much the same flavor as the CC Tigers stumbled out of the gate with a technical when they failed to submit their starting lineup card on time. It would only get worse from there for the Tigers. Continue reading Denver Breezes Past Colorado College, 90-68
DU Knocks Off Rust, Downs Idaho 68-63 in Season Opener
One of DU’s most anticipated basketball seasons kicked off Monday evening at Hamilton Gym. Denver men’s basketball faced the Idaho Vandals in the opener for both squads. Denver was the better team, winning 68-63, despite going 17-33 from the free throw line. It was 50% shooting from the field for the Pioneers and solid perimeter defense, limiting the Vandals to 6 of 30 from downtown. Rising star Tevin Smith led DU with 23 points and point guard Tommy Bruner (12 points) nailed timely shots to spur the season-opening win. On the night, Denver corralled 36 rebounds, 6 more than the Vandals. Continue reading DU Knocks Off Rust, Downs Idaho 68-63 in Season Opener
Denver Men’s Basketball Season Preview: Breaking Convention
This is not your typical DU men’s basketball team. Historically, Denver has fielded under-sized teams that had to play smart and earn breaks to compete against bigger, more athletic teams. This year’s team, led by second-year head coach Jeff Wulbrun, is an intriguing mix of talented underclassmen, experienced transfers, and five international players who have come together to give Denver fans their biggest and most athletic team in history. All that, despite losing one of their most talented players, Coban Porter, to a season-ending ACL injury. Continue reading Denver Men’s Basketball Season Preview: Breaking Convention
Man on a Mission – Head Coach Jeff Wulbrun
The DU men’s basketball team returned to Denver late last night from France. While the players had the time of their lives on the DU France Foreign Tour 2022, it never would have happened without Head Coach Jeff Wulbrun taking charge and creating the event out of whole cloth. Surely, no single person felt more joy than Wulbrun as he watched his players enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime international trip to France. Continue reading Man on a Mission – Head Coach Jeff Wulbrun
Team builds Confidence Both On & Off the Court
Student – Athlete Author – Justin Mullins – Freshman shooting guard Justin played high school ball at Oak Park River Forest, Illinois. A streaky scoring threat (112 points in one 4-game tournament), Justin averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists while shooting 56.0 percent from the field during his senior season. Mullins also earned Illinois Hoops Prospects All-State First Team honors.
After Lyon, we drove to the city of Nice. As soon as we arrived in Nice, we immediately checked in and then went to check out the beautiful beach here. The whole team went tubing which was both a very fun and somewhat painful experience, then went back to the hotel. We enjoyed the rest of the evening getting food with our teammates and exploring the city before a big next day!
Continue reading Team builds Confidence Both On & Off the Court
Sightseeing & Team Bonding Highlights Trip for Players
Student – Athlete Author – JaVonnie Bickham – JaVonni is heading into his fourth season at DU. Bickham has overcome several major injuries and his on-court effort and resilience make him a team favorite. On his way back to health, he averaged 1.0 points per game, 1.2 rebounds and shot 63.6 percent from the field last season.
Day one in Lyon consisted of a game played against the West Lyon Basketball club. The opposing team honored us with towels from their club and in exchange, we gave them a Denver Basketball shirt. In the end, we took the win on our first night in Lyon, making it 2-0 on our trip. After the game, we all decided to try a pizza spot not too far from our hotel called Pinto’s Pizza. Walking over we notice the bridge lighting up making for a beautiful stroll in the area.
Continue reading Sightseeing & Team Bonding Highlights Trip for Players
Student-Athlete Update: DU Hoops in Paris
Student – Athlete Author – Ben Bowen Ben is a redshirt freshman. Bowen is a local product and played at Mountain Vista High School. He averaged 20.2 points per game with 5.9 rebounds per game to go along with 4.3 assists per night as a senior. The 6’5″ shooting guard started his collegiate career at Wyoming and matriculated to DU. His father Ryan played over a decade in the NBA and is currently an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets.
We arrived in Paris after a long flight in the middle of the night. Immediately after we arrived, we grabbed a team lunch and headed out for some sightseeing. A guided bus tour took us through Paris, as we learned about its history and saw places like the Opéra de Paris, the Panthéon, Luxembourg, and various other sites. We then stopped at the Arc de Triomphe, everyone had a little bit of jet lag, so it felt hard to believe we were actually in Paris at the Arc de Triomphe. After everyone piled back onto the bus, we drove by one last stop. The Eiffel Tower. Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time is probably something I will never forget in my life. When we drove by the Eiffel Tower everyone sort of had a moment of clarity, we all realized that we were in Paris, France, and just how spectacular this trip was going to be. Continue reading Student-Athlete Update: DU Hoops in Paris
Denver Men’s Hoops Headed to France
Denver men’s basketball left Sunday for France for a four-game set. LetsGoDU will have exclusive player coverage of the trip. Head Coach Jeff Wulbrun sees the trip as a reward for his team and an opportunity for players to gain valuable practice and playing time in France against four experienced teams. More importantly, Wulbrun sees this as an opportunity to build team chemistry which is sure to benefit the team during the 2022-23 season. Denver is also integrating eight new players onto the squad. Continue reading Denver Men’s Hoops Headed to France