As the holidays come to an end and conference play begins, it is time to seriously discuss the need for a regular holiday basketball tournament in Denver featuring front range D1 basketball teams.
There should be an annual holiday round robin tournament featuring Colorado, CSU, Air Force, & Denver. Depending on the format, Wyoming and Northern Colorado could be included or rotated into the tournament as well. Continue reading No Good Excuses for Denver’s Holiday Tournament Void
DU men’s basketball traveled to Brookings, SD to play the 42nd ranked (NCAA RPI) South Dakota State Jackrabbits on a New Years day tilt. The Jackrabbits entered the contest 11-3 as the Summit League favorite with five players averaging double figures. They were led by three seniors – Diondre Parks (17.6 ppg.), George Marshall (12.9 ppg.), Jake Bittle (11.4) ppg. joined by underclassmen Mike Daum (11.7 ppg.), Reed Tellinghuisen (10.0 ppg.). DU held South Dakota State to their third worst scoring contest of the season, holding these Jackrabbit scorers in check, but a glut of Pioneer turnovers determined the final outcome. Continue reading Turnovers Sink New Year Effort, 68-59
DU finished the second quarter of their basketball season, 3-3. All six games were against non-conference opponents. During that stretch, DU averaged 63 points per game while their opponents scored 65.4, a -2.4 margin. Continue reading 2Q Hoops Report Card Shows Hope & Concern
While the Summit League my be a free-for-all this year, no team has a tougher opening stretch than the Pioneers. DU will get the Summit League preseason poll 1-2-3-4 punch in the first nine days of January. The first two games are on the road, Brookings & Fargo, and the next two games are in Denver. A 2-2 split would be an excellent start to league play. Anything better than that and the Pioneers would have to be considered the biggest league surprise. All in nine days. It won’t take long to get a sense of how well DU matches up against the league’s best.
Summit League Men’s Basketball
2015-16 PRESEASON POLL
1. South Dakota State (January 1, 2016 – Brookings, S.D.)
2. North Dakota State (January 3, 2016 – Fargo, N.D.)
3. Oral Roberts (January 6, 2016 – Denver, Colorado)
4. Fort Wayne (January 9, 2016 – Denver, Colorado)
LetsGoDU wishes hoops a great start to the new year.
