Denver men’s basketball has secured a transfer portal commitment from Grand Canyon University (GCU) in rising sophomore big man 7′-0″ Isaiah Carr. Carr played limited minutes in his freshman season last year for the Antelopes on GCU’s NCAA tournament team. Continue reading Denver Adds 7’0″ Sophomore from Grand Canyon University
Championship Weekend Preview: Denver vs. Northwestern
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? In about 24 hours’ time, we’re going to find out when 5th-seeded Denver’s top-ranked defense (5.82 GAA) meets #1-seeded Northwestern’s top-ranked offense (17.00 GPG) at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina in the first national semifinal. Stopping Northwestern’s deadly attack duo of Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall – both of whom are Tewaaraton Award finalists – is Denver’s next big test in a season chock full of them. Continue reading Championship Weekend Preview: Denver vs. Northwestern
Portal Door Slams Shut, What’s Left When the Smoke Clears?
The transfer portal closed on May 11th with 1,746 DI basketball players seeking greener pastures. With 351 DI programs, teams lost an average of nearly five players to the portal. In DU’s case, they lost promising freshman Justin Mullins to Northwestern and second-team preseason All-Summit league player Tevin Smith to Cleveland State. Both players would have been projected starters for the 2023-24 season. Scores of players remain uncommitted until the start of a new school year. Continue reading Portal Door Slams Shut, What’s Left When the Smoke Clears?
Denver Completes Second-Half Comeback Against North Carolina to Advance to Championship Weekend
For the first time in program history, the Denver Pioneers are going to Championship Weekend.
Let that sink in for a moment and smile.
Yet again, it was the #5 Denver’s (22-0) defense that won the day. The country’s #1 ranked scoring defense showed up to Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and dominated the #4 North Carolina Tar Heels’ (16-5) offense. The Pioneers started slow, allowing four goals in the first half while only scoring twice, but they found the extra gear they needed in the second half, outscoring the defending national champions 3-0 over the final 30 minutes and held the uber-talented Tar Heels’ offense scoreless over the final 35-plus minutes of the game to clinch the 5-4 Elite Eight victory and advance to Championship Weekend for the first time ever. Continue reading Denver Completes Second-Half Comeback Against North Carolina to Advance to Championship Weekend
NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals Preview: Denver at North Carolina
“Oh, we’re excited. We’ve been looking forward to this one. We were watching [North Carolina’s] game this morning, hoping Richmond wouldn’t pull it off so that we could play UNC. We want to win a national championship and we want it to look as good as it possibly can. We want to go through UNC.”
That’s what star DU midfielder and all-around speedster Trinity McPherson had to say after her 5th-seeded Denver Pioneers beat the UAlbany Great Danes 8-6 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Mother’s Day at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. The low-scoring, defensive victory earned the Pios their second-ever trip to the NCAA Quarterfinal round (their other appearance came in 2019 when they lost to Maryland, the #1 overall seed and eventual national champion). Continue reading NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals Preview: Denver at North Carolina
Interview with Jack Reis, President of Crimson & Gold Collective
What is the NIL Crimson & Gold Collective?
The Crimson & Gold Collective provides name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities to student-athletes at the University of Denver. Our mission is to provide these athletes with opportunities to earn money for who they are and what they do. We also provide education, legal aid, and marketing and branding services. All of our work is funded through endorsements and individual donations. Currently, our focus centers on the men’s basketball program. The Collective is not affiliated with the University of Denver or the Denver coaching staff. Continue reading Interview with Jack Reis, President of Crimson & Gold Collective
Pioneers Clinch Second-Ever NCAA Quarterfinals Berth with 8-6 Victory over UAlbany
All season long, the 5th-seeded Denver Pioneers’ (21-0) calling card was defense. Even if the offense wasn’t there on any given day, they knew that they were just as comfortable winning a 5-4 game as they were winning a 23-6 game. That’s the reality for a team that hasn’t given up more than 9 goals in any game this season – as long as the defense shows up, they can and will win. In Friday’s NCAA Tournament, First-Round matchup against the USC Trojans, the Pios’ defense showed up to hold the high-flying, fast-paced Pac-12 champions to seven goals. In their follow-up performance n the Second Round against the UAlbany Great Danes (13-7), a team that scored 13 of its 16 goals in the second half of their first-round matchup against Virginia, DU held the visitors to just six goals as they won 8-6 at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium to advance to the Quarterfinals for the second time in program history. Continue reading Pioneers Clinch Second-Ever NCAA Quarterfinals Berth with 8-6 Victory over UAlbany
Western Illinois Limps Out of the Summit League – What’s Next for DU?
We wrote about the Leathernecks’ possible exit in the past. Located in an inconvenient outpost (Macomb, Illinois) and plagued with declining enrollment, a budget crisis, and plunging athletic success, the Leathernecks announced Friday that they are picking up their bats and balls and headed to the Ohio Valley Conference – populated with ‘similar schools.’ Continue reading Western Illinois Limps Out of the Summit League – What’s Next for DU?
Pioneers Survive Furious Third-Quarter Southern Cal Rally to Advance to Second Round
Nobody ever said it was going to be easy. Even with a 6-0 second-quarter lead in NCAA Tournament play, advancing to the second round was never guaranteed. Against the Pac-12 Champion USC Trojans (16-4) at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in first-round NCAA Tournament action, the 5th-seeded Denver Pioneers (20-0) had to withstand a valiant five-goal third-quarter rally from the Trojans – which erased their five-goal halftime lead – to win 10-7. It wasn’t exactly how head coach Liza Kelly drew it up but in the first-ever NCAA Tournament game in the Mile High City, the Pioneers showed up and treated a raucous crowd to an instant classic. Continue reading Pioneers Survive Furious Third-Quarter Southern Cal Rally to Advance to Second Round
NCAA Tournament Preview: Round One A Clash of Similar styles
When 5th-seeded Denver Women’s Lacrosse (19-0) plays the University of Southern California (16-3) Friday at 3:00 pm MT at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, two similar teams will take the field. Despite the controversy regarding Denver’s lower-than-deserved seed, the Pioneers have a challenging game ahead of them against the defensive-minded USC Trojans – a team that mirrors the Pioneers in many ways. Continue reading NCAA Tournament Preview: Round One A Clash of Similar styles