It is clear by now that the DU coaching staff and players know what the problems is – it is defense. And the stats are there for all to see. Over the past 10 games, Denver (5-13, 0-4 Summit League) has allowed 50.2% shooting from the field, 47.2% from 3-point range and 91 points per game. Denver is 294th/350 in the nation in points allowed and to make matters worse, they are 344th in turnovers.
The coaching staff has tried every floor combination possible with the same result. And, before we point fingers at the coaching staff, we all saw this roster before the season started and believed that they had the potential to be outstanding.
The issue:These Denver players are not comfortable playing fast – they are rushing on offense but, more importantly, this harried approach is bleeding over to their defense.
Head Coach Rodney Billups said, “It was a piss poor effort.” He was right.
The day started with a Tory Stewart Miller migraine that kept him on the bench. But, the real mental anguish was experienced by the witnesses to this afternoon contest. A couple of stats say it all. Steals 11-0. Turnovers 18-8. Three-point field goals 15 to 7. 41% shooting to 48% for the visitors. Denver, now 5-13, was beaten in every way possible Saturday afternoon from start to finish.
Denver (5-12, 0-3) fell to a depleted South Dakota squad at Magness Arena Wednesday night. DU led nearly every statistical category such as shooting percentage, free throws and rebounding. Unfortunately, it was hot 3-point shooting that propelled the visitors past Denver as the Coyotes sunk 12 for 23 attempts from downtown (52%). The Pioneers canned 3 of 10 shots from the arc but could not keep pace with the torrid outside shooting by the visitors. However, unlike many games this season, Denver’s defense kept the Pios in the game by pressuring the Coyotes and running a more deliberate offense that shot a solid 50% for the game. Continue reading Denver Falls to Coyotes in Final Minute, 71-70→
No way to sugar coat this game – it was an embarrassment. Again, it was porous defense on full display that led to the pre-New Years eve collapse. The Pioneers (5-11, 0-2) had high hopes heading into conference play but their play has sunk to a low level that has rarely been seen in DU’s relatively brief D1 basketball history. Western Illinois, ranked #275 in KenPom rankings, thoroughly outplayed the Pioneers Sunday afternoon.
Omaha (7-7, 1-0) shot 54.0% from the field and 47.8% from three- point-land (on 11 of 23 shooting) to handily defeat Denver (5-10, 0-1), 91 to 84, to open Summit League play.
The first five minutes were even at Omaha’s Baxter Arena. Then, a hot shooting Joe Rosga reeled off seven points in the middle of the frame to build a 19-11 Pioneer advantage at 11:24. From there on, poor interior defense and five 3-point buckets allowed the Mavs back into the contest. A Zach Jackson layup knotted the game 28-28 at 4:53. The teams traded points until Omaha’s Mitch Hahn hit a 3-point shot and a layup to give Omaha a 3-point lead with two minutes to go. A KJ Robinson bucket-and-one gave the Mavs a 4-point lead heading into the break, 41-37. Denver’s defense was poor, especially in the second half of the period, allowing clean 3-point looks and easy inside buckets. Omaha’s 6 first half turnovers kept Denver in the contest. Continue reading Hot Shooting Omaha Sinks DU, 91-84→
Denver (5-9) met a powerhouse Gonzaga team (11-2) which might well be a Final Four team – and the Pioneers learned how far they have to go to compete at an elite level. The Pioneers fell by 61 points, the largest losing margin in Denver’s D1 basketball history. Few expected Denver to win the game but it was the poor start and ragged play throughout the contest that left even DU’s most faithful fans shaking their heads.
Gonzaga shot 68.4% for the game with many shots coming at close range and supplemented by 10 3-point bombs that punished the Pioneers from the inside out. On the other hand, DU shot 24.6% for the contest and many of their misses were poor shots which fell far from the mark. The contest was played at a Bulldogs pace and it was clear that Denver was outclassed from the start. Continue reading Denver Gets Blasted by Gonzaga, 101-40→
DU faces #8 Gonzaga (10-2) Friday night at 7 pm MT. We will have tables reserved at The Pioneer, 2401 South University Boulevard for an official LetsGoDU watch party. Denver has won 3 of their last 4 games and Friday is the Pioneers’ last non-conference game before Summit League play begins.
Happy hour runs from 4-7 pm, so be sure to get off work early and get there for:
$3.5 Wells
$4 Micro Drafts
$4 House Margaritas
$5 CK Mondavi Wine
This is a rare opportunity to watch DU play a Top 10 hoops program. Be there to cheer on DU.
This game was a carbon copy of the recent Denver-UC Irvine contest but in reverse. DU (5-8) raced out to a 10-0 lead to start the contest. Then, DU players rained 3-point shots, 15 in all, to coast to an easy victory over Montana State (3-7) Tuesday night at Magness Arena. Continue reading Denver defeats Montana State, gets back to winning ways→
The University of Denver Pioneers (4-8) faced the UC Irvine Anteaters (10-2) on the road Saturday night and were thoroughly dismantled in the first half 47-16. The Anteaters Max Hazzard single-handedly outscored the Pioneers in the first half with 7 3-point buckets and a total of 23 points to DU’s 16. DU shot 17% during the embarrassing first 20 minutes. UC Irvine shot 47.1% from the field and nailed 11 for 19 from the arc. This was the worst half of basketball by DU in years and continued a worrisome trend of slow starts this season.
The fun continued in the second half for the Anteaters as Max Hazzard canned three more 3’s to secure an individual school record. At 13:27 of the second half of the game, Denver hit their nadir, 24-65. DU emptied the bench and so did UC Irvine as both teams went thru the required motions until the final whistle. Irvine capped the beating with their 17th three of the night, a school record, with less than a minute to go. Continue reading DU Pummeled by UC Irvine, 86-52→
