March 2013
43 posts
Denver AD won't comment on Missouri Valley...
I briefly caught up with Denver athletic director Peg Bradley-Doppes during last night’s NIT game, following up on our previous lengthy conversation about conference realignment. Bradley-Doppes, whose formal title is Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation and Ritchie Center Operations, was a bit more guarded than in our wide-ranging interview last month, and refused to comment directly...
DU students can attend tonight's NIT game for free
Denver is on spring break, so there probably won’t be a huge student turnout at Magness Arena tonight, but apparently Coach Joe Scott is trying to get as many students as possible to his team’s NIT game against Ohio. A Facebook status update from the DU D-Club says:
If you are a current DU student, and are in the Denver vicinity and want to attend the DU Men’s Basketball NIT...
Denver makes it, gets an NIT home game!
In a stunning development, Denver got a #3 seed in the NIT, and will host #6 Ohio at Magness Arena on Tuesday at 7:15 PM Mountain Time!!!
The entire NIT bracket is pretty crazy, defying the near-unanimous expectations of bracketologists who are usually pretty good at predicting this stuff. But hey, I’ll take it, and I imagine so will Joe Scott & the Pioneers!
UPDATE: Here’s John...
Denver's NIT fate goes down to the wire
It’s officially Selection Sunday, but the NIT bracketologists can’t decide whether or not Denver is likely to get a bid.
John Templon of NYC Buckets continues to say no, though he also continues to have Denver as his “last team out” — so it’s very, very close.
The Bracket Project also leaves Denver out of its NIT bracket.
But wait! There’s hope! Daniel...
Denver sits squarely on NIT bubble
John Templon, NIT bracketologist extraordinaire (and hoops blogger/podcaster at Big Apple Buckets), came out with his latest NIT projection last night. He has Denver as the “first team out” of the NIT field — which is really another way of saying that, at the moment, DU sits right on the “cutline,” and it’s impossible to confidently predict whether or not...
Denver vs. Texas State: The dream ends
Last Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech at Magness Arena was a momentous occasion for the Denver basketball program. In defeating Louisiana Tech by 24 points, the Pioneers clinched their first regular season conference title, the result of months of hard work, excelling where other recent DU teams had faltered.
But at the heart of that celebration was the potential for something bigger and...
WAC Tournament: Live from Vegas!
Direct from the liveblog page, here’s the CoverItLive window that’s auto-importing tweets by @rosslancaster or @MileHighMids which are tagged with #MileHighMids (i.e., Ross’s official live-tweets from Vegas). Newest entries are on top.
Mile High Mids in Vegas
And here is Mile High Mids’ ongoing, season-long liveblog, currently auto-importing all tweets & RTs by...
DU vs. Texas State preview: We're not very much...
At first glance, Thursday’s WAC quarterfinal between Denver and Texas State looks like a classic low-seed/high-seed early-round conference tournament matchup.
Denver has won 10 games in a row, 17 of its last 18 and clinched a share of the conference regular season title on Saturday by thrashing the team it shared the crown with, Louisiana Tech, by 24.
Texas State, while coming into the game as...
Northern Colorado faces elimination game tonight...
Both of the “true” mid-majors in the Front Range region, Denver and Northern Colorado, play elimination games today in their respective conferences’ quarterfinal rounds. The Pioneers face Texas State at 3:30 PM Mountain Time in Las Vegas; the Bears play in the 4-5 game against Montana State at 7:00 PM on Montana’s home court in Bozeman.
But this blog’s focus has been...
The deep breath before the plunge: Quarterfinals'...
The board is set. The pieces are moving. It’s almost time, finally, to play the games.
Above: An INCREDIBLY LARGE BRACKET at Orleans Arena. Photo by Ross Lancaster.
The first WAC quarterfinal is #3-seed New Mexico State against #6 Idaho at 1:00 PM Mountain Time tomorrow. NMSU is a 6.5-point favorite. I know I wrote yesterday that “DU fans…need to root for…NMSU on...
Chancellor: Boone issue "closed"; mascot...
Above: Boone with Chris Udofia after Denver’s win over Louisiana Tech. More photos at LetsGoDU.
In the midst of final exams, and on the eve of perhaps the most important weekend in the history of Denver men’s basketball (to say nothing of the hockey playoffs), DU Chancellor Robert Coombe sent an e-mail to the university community earlier today addressing the ongoing controversy...
Pioneers invade Vegas
With tip-off of the Denver men’s WAC quarterfinal set for 3:30 PM Mountain Time tomorrow (and the Denver women having, alas, already been eliminated today after winning yesterday), it seems like everybody associated with the Pioneers program is descending on Sin City.
Monday and Tuesday, busing it to Vegas were the cheerleaders (and band):
Vegas here we come!!! Lets go @du_mhoops!!...
And then there were 8
On Pillowfight Tuesday in the WAC, Texas State and Texas-San Antonio won the 7-10 and 8-9 games, respectively, thus ensuring that all three Texas schools reach the quarterfinals, and giving us a bracket that looks like this:
So, it’ll be Denver against Texas State at 3:30 PM Mountain Time on Thursday. In their previous two meetings, the Pioneers won 64-53 at Magness Arena and 79-64 in San...
Introducing your fearless correspondent in Vegas
As I type, the WAC tournament, of which Denver is the No. 2 seed and statistical favorite to win, has just begun with what The Mid-Majority’s Kyle Whelliston would have called “pillowfight” games if this was the CAA tournament in Richmond.
This blog has a seat reserved for those games, but the seat won’t be occupied until Thursday at noon Pacific Time, when New Mexico State plays Idaho in the...
Mile High Mids in Las Vegas
The WAC tournament starts today with the 7-10 and 8-9 games. It begins in earnest Thursday with the quarterfinals, including Denver’s game at 3:30 Mountain Time.
Alas, I won’t be there. But my Mid-Majority buddy, Ross Lancaster, is going in my stead, and has been credentialed by the league as Mile High Mids’ official WAC Tournament correspondent. (You may remember Ross from...
Pomeroy: Denver is odds-on WAC tourney favorite
Ken Pomeroy’s robots are in love with the Denver Pioneers — DU is ranked #28 in the country(!) in KenPom, which seems a bit excessive even to me — so it’s no surprise that Pomeroy’s “log5” regards Denver as a heavy favorite to win the WAC tournament this weekend:
Qtrs Semis Final Champ
2 Denver 100 93.3 73.5 56.3
1 La. Tech ...
DU could surge to mid-30s RPI, finish 7-7 vs. Top...
Despite crushing Louisiana Tech in the regular-season finale for both teams on Saturday, Denver was denied the #1 seed in the WAC on a tiebreaker with the Bulldogs that ultimately came down to which team had the better RPI. As expected, LaTech finished ahead of DU by about 10 spots. If only the WAC used the more predictive and powerful Ken Pomeroy ratings (in which Denver is a...
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Denver wins WAC title
The Denver Pioneers earned a share of the WAC regular-season championship — in their first and only year in the conference — by dismantling previously league-leading Louisiana Tech, 78-54, at Magness Arena on Saturday.
Both the Pioneers and the Bulldogs finish 16-2 in conference play. Because both teams went 1-1 against each other, 1-1 against third-place New Mexico State, and 14-0 against...
Report: Denver has "already told Missouri Valley...
Stu Whitney, sports editor of the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, SD, dropped a conference-realignment bomb on Twitter this afternoon, based upon a conversation he had at the Summit League tournament today with that conference’s commissioner, Tom Douple. Whitney reports:
Summit League commissioner Tom Douple says Denver informed Missouri Valley they will stick with Summit and not replace...
Denver to the Missouri Valley Conference?
USA Today’s Dan Wolken dropped a conference realignment bombshell this morning:
Creighton hasn’t announced its departure from the Missouri Valley Conference…but informal conversations have already begun on a plan of action should they join the Catholic 7/Big East, as expected.
According to a person with direct knowledge of the league’s thinking, Denver and Belmont would...
How much snow?
There’s still a lot of uncertainty tonight about how much snow Denver will get tomorrow, with forecasts ranging from 4” to 20”. Even the possibility of a complete, D.C.-like “bust” has been discussed.
Obviously, the amount and intensity of the snow will have a major impact on whether this storm forces the cancellation of tomorrow’s Denver-Louisiana Tech game,...
WAC commish: Denver-LaTech likely to go forward,...
Above: A simulated radar image, via the NAM forecast model, for 3:00 PM tomorrow, showing heavy snow over Denver. It begins to taper off and move out in the hours that follow, stopping altogether by 9:00 PM. Image courtesy of WeatherBell Models.
Western Athletic Conference commissioner Jeff Hurd e-mailed me this morning that, in a “worst case scenario” whereby tomorrow’s...
Big snow expected Saturday; DU title shot in...
Denver is scheduled to play for a WAC championship on its home floor against Louisiana Tech at 5pm Saturday, but a big snowstorm may interfere:
The National Weather Service has upgraded its forecast for metro Denver from a winter storm watch to a winter storm warning.
“A watch means it’s probably going to happen. A warning means it’s gonna snow. It’s really happening,” said Mezette Rydell,...
Denver will play for a WAC championship Saturday
A pair of routs tonight in Denver and Las Cruces — DU 84, Texas-Arlington 55 and New Mexico State 78, Louisiana Tech 60 — have set up a season-ending WAC championship battle at Magness Arena on Saturday between Denver and Louisiana Tech.
Tip-off is set for 5:00 PM Mountain Time, possibly in the midst of a big Denver snowstorm.
With a win Saturday, Denver (15-2 in league play) would...
Northern Colorado clinches Big Sky tourney spot
The Northern Colorado Bears will play in the Big Sky tournament — as either the #4 or #5 seed — after beating Southern Utah 66-58 in Greeley tonight.
UNC finished its regular season with 3 straight wins, and 6 out of their last 7 in league play, to finish 10-10 in the conference.
Huzzah!
The Bears will play in the 4-5 game next Thursday, at either Montana or Weber State (whoever...
Huge night for Denver, Northern Colorado
A lot will be determined tonight in the Denver Pioneers’ and Northern Colorado Bears’ battles for conference positioning in the WAC and Big Sky, respectively.
For Denver, the task is simple: beat Texas-Arlington at home (7pm tipoff), and hope that New Mexico State, also playing at home, can beat Louisiana Tech (also at 7pm).
If DU and NMSU both win tonight, then Saturday’s huge...
Anti-Boone advocate: "You don’t need to...
Yesterday’s issue of the DU Clarion includes an article about last week’s anti-Boone action by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG). For the most part, it confirms what I had already reported about the Boone bill, with a few added details (like what amendments were passed).
But the real revelation, in my mind, is the following quote from Native Student Alliance co-chair Julia...
Championship Fortnight!
Today is the second day of Championship Fortnight, with tournament games in five leagues (the Atlantic Sun, NEC, Ohio Valley, Patriot and WCC).
In the WCC, it’s just an 8-9 game (Loyola Marymount vs. Portland), and in the OVC, it’s just a pair of 5-8 and 6-7 games. But we’ve got honest-to-goodness quarterfinals in the A-Sun (or “A-Fun,” if you prefer), NEC and Patriot leagues.
Denver...
Hallam, Pioneers get some national attention
Denver’s lone senior, Chase Hallam, is the subject of a nice, lengthy profile today by Associated Press writer Pat Graham, published in the Washington Post, Fox Sports and SI.com, among other places.
This follows on the heels of a nice Mile High Sports Magazine profile of the Pioneers published earlier this week.
DU has also been getting an unusual (for them) amount of coverage by the...
A Championship Week rooting guide for Denver fans
As Championship Week Fortnight gets underway, bubble teams from coast to coast are wishing and hoping and thinking and praying that teams like Memphis, Creighton/Wichita State, Middle Tennessee State, Belmont and Akron win their conference tournaments. If a surprise winner emerges in any of those teams’ leagues, it either (1) definitely takes away a bubble spot (like if a surprise team wins...
What if Northern Colorado loses Thursday?
The race to qualify for the Big Sky tournament — which requires teams to finish in the top 7 of the league standings — is so tightly bunched that thinking through the scenarios and tiebreakers is a daunting task, even with each team just having 1 or 2 games left. But I thought I would give it a shot, from the Northern Colorado perspective.
I’ll start with the conclusions that...
College basketball in Colorado: it's a WAR!
Above: A Boone’s-eye view of Denver’s court-storming against New Mexico State on Saturday. You can see me taking pictures at the ~4:15 mark.
The Denver Post has a nice front banner story in the Sports section about the level of college basketball success in Colorado this season. It contrasts this year with the “rock bottom” year of 2008-09 — which happens to be the...
Denver earns an INCREDIBLY LARGE WIN
With ESPN cameras in the house, and a horde of students cheering them on, the Denver Pioneers overcame the INCREDIBLY LARGE MAN — 7-foot-5, 360-pound Sim Bhullar — and earned an INCREDIBLY LARGE WIN over New Mexico State on Saturday, 66-60, solidifying their second-place spot in the WAC and remaining alive for a conference championship.
Denver essentially clinched the victory when...
Denver vs. New Mexico State liveblog
Tip-off at 4:00 PM Mountain Time. It’s part of a big day at DU.
The liveblog below will display my tweets and retweets, (and, if the search function works, tweets at me), and tweets & RTs by @DU_MHoops, @DU_Boone and @BHartyNMSU. Also, again if search is working, it will display tweets tagged with #DUGameDay or #ALLCAPSMAN.
Denver vs. New Mexico State @MileHighMids liveblog
Bears get huge OT road win in fight for postseason...
Northern Colorado is back in the all-important Big Sky top 7, at least for now, after a huge overtime road win at Eastern Washington last night. And a look at the upcoming schedules suggest UNC has a reasonably good chance to stay there. (Knock on wood.)
Ignoring #1 and #2 Montana and Weber State, as well as #10 Portland State (almost eliminated from finishing in the top 7 and thus qualifying for...
Denver's path to #1 seed narrows as LaTech romps;...
First things first: Saturday is a huge game for Denver, at home against New Mexico State, with ESPN3 in the house. Hopefully the turnout and enthusiasm among DU fans, especially current students, will be big-time. It’s a big day all-around at DU.
In an effort to encourage a big outpouring of school spirit — and, no doubt, poke a finger in the eye of the student government for its recent...
February 2013
14 posts
Boone Bill text: Spirit Committee to shun Boone?
Here is a downloadable PDF of the anti-Boone resolution that was passed last night by the University of Denver’s Undergraduate Student Government. According to LetsGoDU, it passed by a vote of 15-6. Key points:
As reported previously, the central feature of the bill is a ban on the use of student activity-fee funds to purchase merchandise bearing Boone’s image.
Also as reported...
Boone is dead, long live Boone
Above: Ruckus and Boone on a mural in Magness Arena, new this school year.
The University of Denver’s controversial unofficial mascot, Denver Boone, was, as expected, effectively condemned by Undergraduate Student Government (USG) tonight — but the alumni-funded figure will, at least for the moment, continue to appear at DU athletic events (starting with Saturday’s crucial WAC...
DU student government proposal seeks to fast-track...
(Image via LetsGoDU.)
Following up on my post yesterday about the re-ignited controversy surrounding the University of Denver’s former/unofficial mascot, Denver Boone, here are some new important details about tonight’s student-government “Boone ban” proposal, from an article by Sarah Ford in this morning’s DU Clarion:
Tonight the Undergraduate Student Government...
Controversy swirls around Denver's unofficial...
The University of Denver’s once-and-future(?) mascot, Denver Boone — “retired” in 1998, almost “un-retired” in 2008 but then officially rejected amid controversy, only to be revived starting in 2009 as an unofficial, alumni-funded mascot, and now an increasingly visible presence at DU events in recent years — is under fire again, and apparently faces something of a moment of truth tomorrow.
I...
Denver wins at Northern Iowa, improves profile
Denver scored a huge BracketBusters win at Northern Iowa, 63-57 on Saturday, the Pioneers’ first RPI Top 100 win of the season — and on the home court of a Top 3 Missouri Valley Conference team, no less. It was probably the Pios’ most impressive road win under Joe Scott.
Although it was a non-conference game with no direct impact on the WAC race, the win accomplished at least...
Crushing UNC loss puts postseason in peril
Last night, the Northern Colorado Bears appeared to be on their way to a big home win over North Dakota, a four-game winning streak, and a comfortable position in the Big Sky standings heading into their final three league games, with a clear leg up in the battle to finish in the top 7 and thus qualify for the conference tournament.
But it wasn’t to be. The Bears let this one slip away in...
Joe Scott asks for student support in DU's final...
Fresh off their huge win over Utah State (video embedded again above, because it’s so awesome) and completion of their 7-2 league road record, the Denver Pioneers moved into the Mid-Major Top 25 yesterday, according to College Insider, checking in at #21. Saturday’s BracketBusters game at Northern Iowa will determine whether the Pios stay in — and move up — those...
