Denver men’s basketball (2-3) ventured 68 miles north on I-25 to face the CSU Rams at Moby Arena. The Rams were 4-0, and DU was looking to get on the winning track following a disappointing loss in their home opener. Denver took an eight-point lead at halftime. However, it was a tough, savvy final ten minutes of play when the Pioneers displayed their mettle and put down the Rams 83-81. Continue reading Denver Shocks CSU in Fort Collins, 83-81
Category Archives: Men’s Basketball
Defense Betrays Denver in 84-79 loss to the University of Texas San Antonio
Denver men’s basketball (1-3) opened at Hamilton Gym Saturday afternoon after a three-game road trip. Head Coach Tim Bergstraser was looking to secure his first home court victory against the visiting Roadrunners. It didn’t happen in a game of ‘what could have been’, DU gave up 50% shooting and only had two players in double digits, Carson Johnson (29) and Jeremiah Burke (23). DU had trouble making stops and became too one-dimensional in the 84-79 loss. Continue reading Defense Betrays Denver in 84-79 loss to the University of Texas San Antonio
Weekend Watch: Two Programs Look to Further Cement Their Legacies while One Looks to Begin its Journey
Hockey, men’s basketball, and men’s soccer are all featured at the University of Denver this weekend:
DU Hockey vs CC – 7:00 pm Friday, Magness Arena
This is CC’s Stanley Cup, Super Bowl, and national championship, all wrapped up into one. Never an easy game for Denver, the Pioneers want to draw first blood in this year’s edition of the Battle for the Gold Pan. Denver can retain it with two non-shootout wins this weekend. Continue reading Weekend Watch: Two Programs Look to Further Cement Their Legacies while One Looks to Begin its Journey
Summit Recap: DU Men’s Soccer Finds Scoring Touch, Women’s Teams Struggle
DU Men’s Soccer entered the Summit League Tournament defending well but struggling to score goals. Denver failed to score more than two goals in a match the entire season. It looked like a repeat on Sunday when DU trailed #4 seed Oral Roberts 1-0 on a late first-half goal by the Golden Eagles’ Jeff Mesidor (penalty kick). The scoreless drought carried over 16 minutes into the second half as the playoff crowd implored the Pioneers to push forward more aggressively. Denver started to play on the Golden Eagles’ side of the field. Bryce Willoughby delivered a goal on a corner kick from Trevor Wright, 1-1. A minute and a half later, a running Keegan Kelly directed a header into the cage, 2-1, DU. Denver started to play out of the back and isolate the ORU defenders. Keegan Kelly struck again, twenty minutes after his first goal, on a target from distance, 3-1. Two minutes later, Kelly made it a three-goal barrage with a close-in tally, 4-1. Continue reading Summit Recap: DU Men’s Soccer Finds Scoring Touch, Women’s Teams Struggle
Bergstraser Secures First Div. I win as DU Defeats Montana State 75-73
It was only fitting that DU star guard Carson Johnson, a Minnesota State Moorehead transfer, nailed the winning shot with 1.8 seconds remaining to give new DU head coach Tim Bergstraser his first win, a 75-73 thriller over the Montana State Bobcats in Bozeman, Mont. It was a battle that went down to the wire — in fact, the final minute-and-a-half — for DU to take a two-point lead on a Carson Johnson make from downtown. Montana came back to knot the score. The game-winner by Johnson was a turn-around floater in the paint and the Bobcats were unable to score in the limited remaining time. Continue reading Bergstraser Secures First Div. I win as DU Defeats Montana State 75-73
Denver Battles University of Washington in 84-70 Loss
The Pioneers (0-2) remained in Seattle for a West Coast swing to face the University of Washington Thursday evening. The Huskies were coming off a 44-point victory over the University Arkansas Pine Bluff (UABP). Denver was a big underdog and oddsmakers projected nearly a thirty-point difference between the two teams. With only six minutes to go in the game, DU trailed by only seven points, 70-63. The Huskies’ superior talent and size eventually wore down the pesky Pioneers, 84-70. Continue reading Denver Battles University of Washington in 84-70 Loss
Denver Falls in Season Opener to Seattle U, 84-73
Denver men’s basketball (0-1) opened nonconference play at Seattle University to begin the 2025-26 season. DU was scrappy and resilient in the game. However, eighteen turnovers and twenty-six personal fouls doomed the Pioneers. Jeremiah Burke led DU with 21 points and two former transfers from Minnesota State University – Moorehead, Carson Johnson and Logan Kinsey, scored 18 and 15 points respectively to pace Denver scoring. Continue reading Denver Falls in Season Opener to Seattle U, 84-73
New Basketball Era Begins Tonight as Denver Opens Season at Future WCC Foe Seattle
Denver men’s basketball has a ‘tiger by the tail’ as they open their 2025-26 season against Seattle University. As if a new coaching staff, a new roster, a non-conference gauntlet, and an early litmus test against future conference member Seattle University are not enough, the West Coast Conference (WCC) move next season will cast a long shadow over the entire season, no matter how it all unfolds. Continue reading New Basketball Era Begins Tonight as Denver Opens Season at Future WCC Foe Seattle
Tim Bergstraser: Blue Collar Basketball Head Coach Looks to Forge Pioneers in his Image
DU Basketball fans who wanted a head coach who wears designer suits, posts locker room slogans, and chases highly rated three-star recruits will be sorely disappointed. New head coach Tim Bergstraser is a meat-and-potatoes coach who sees unheralded tough, scrappy, high basketball IQ-type players as the face of his Denver Pioneers. In Bergstraser, DU has a plain-spoken frontman who is a basketball lifer. He states his case simply: “I love basketball.” Continue reading Tim Bergstraser: Blue Collar Basketball Head Coach Looks to Forge Pioneers in his Image
Fall Sports Begin Prior to the September 9th Academic Start
DU’s Autumn academic quarter has not begun, and students aren’t even on campus yet. However, fall sports are well underway at University and Buchtel. Basketball just finished summer practices, and men’s (1-1) and women’s (1-0-3) soccer are in full swing. Volleyball begins play later this week. All this as questions swirl around the changes, challenges, and opportunities confronting Denver and collegiate athletics at large. Continue reading Fall Sports Begin Prior to the September 9th Academic Start